Jim Croce left precious few albums behind when he died abruptly and accidentally in a Louisiana plane crash in 1973. In fact, he had yet to even break at the time of his death. But as with so many music folks, death brought with it immortality and ironically the bulk of the singles which would go down in history as classics.
Croce is best known for his light-hearted and mellow songs. Across his five albums recorded before his death, it took until 1972 for him to break through with the disc You Don’t Mess Around With Jim. The title track was the initial draw, but the ballads Operator (That’s Not the Way it Feels) and Time in A Bottle provided a more emotional release. In fact, the latter is definitely one of his two most recognized songs.
Capitalizing on his abrupt fame, Croce quickly recorded two albums in 1973--Life & Times and I Got a Name. More hits followed, most notable of which is the catchy classic Bad Bad Leroy Brown (a favorite of dueling piano bars across everywhere). Long before he hit the charts and even before he recorded an album with his wife, Croce independently published his own debut with a $500 wedding gift from his parents. In 1966, it was released in extremely limited quantities (just 500 copies). Fans have long sought to acquire Facets, but up until 2004 it was an impossible quest.
But in March 2004, Facets was released by Shout! Factory to the masses. It contains the eleven songs original to the album in addition to a bonus disc of material recorded by Jim and his wife Ingrid. What this two-disc set does is present the singer-songwriter in a new light—youthful exuberance in an acoustic setting. The album contains a mix of original and adapted tunes. Everybody from Gordon Lightfoot to Rudyard Kipling (yes, that Rudyard Kipling) to Buffy Sainte-Marie is represented. Facets is a fascinating peep into Croce’s young life.
It goes without saying that the recoding quality of Facets is seriously sub-par, but that is also some of the album’s charm. It is modest and intimate and clearly exhibits Croce’s talent sans finances and flourish. There’s really very little negative that can said about this interesting album. Everything is easy on the ears—this is classic Americana folk. In particular, it is hard to deny the appeal of many of these outstanding original songs and adaptations.
Steel Rail Blues opens the album on an impressive note—then again, it’s impossible to like something written by Lightfoot and performed by Croce. Really, it’s just really very soothing with a simple guitar and occasional harmonica. Coal Tattoo is even better—Croce’s voice is particularly outstanding with a rousing and rich tone.
Croce’s first appearance on Facets as singer and songwriter is with Texas Rodeo. It fits in perfectly with the rest of the songs (even the covers). The folk sentimentality and Croce’s tongue planted firmly in cheek are both refreshing. But, I think, where he most shines is in the unlikely trio of Charley Green, Play that Slide Trombone, The Ballad of Gunga Din, and Hard Hearted Hannah. All three are obviously classics, but for different reasons. The first, Charley Green… is a toe-tapping and gorgeous track. However it is the Rudyard Kipling reading that is most striking. Croce pairs a simple guitar with his singing of the classic epic poem. It is unique and wonderful and haunting—and satisfying.
Hard Hearted Hannah has been performed by a host of other artists—Patti Austin, The Platters, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles to name but a few. Croce’s adaptation is faithful and therefore wonderful. The piano-and-tambourine classic is perfectly suited to his rich vocal style and makes for one of the most outstanding moments of this unique album. Sun Comes Up is another Croce original. A light-hearted, sunny, fabulous track it is the single best original on this entire album. The upbeat tempo and simple arrangement bode well for the artist Croce was sure to become.
The Blizzard is another classic having been performed by storytellers like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams. Croce’s adaptation is clean and lovely and gentle. The quiet confidence that he emitted so early in his career is impressive. This is a man who knew what he was doing and what direction to take. As the album winds to a soft close, Running Maggie is (strangely enough) a banjo solo and nothing more. Until It’s Time For Me To Go is simple and evocative. Big Fat Woman, on the other hand, wraps facets up on a bluesy, light-hearted note. I think it’s the perfect ending to an interesting experience.
Included with the new release of Facets is a bonus disc consisting of seven songs from Jim and Ingrid Croce. Hand chosen as the most representative of the duo’s work together, the songs are actually more in line with Croce’s career as a singer-songwriter in the 1970’s. The songs are beautiful and gentle as are the harmonies between the couple. All the songs are gorgeous and pure, but I think the most impressive moments come with the gently sweeping It’s All Over, Mary Ann, the swaggering Hard Times Be Over (with Ingrid on lead), and the “my wife is cheating on me but…” story of Maybe Tomorrow.
Facets is a must-own for all fans of Jim Croce’s work. Even more importantly, it is an impressive stand-alone album for people maybe not so familiar with him. I can’t help but enjoy many of the adapted songs not to mention his recitation of The Ballad of Gunga Din. Croce was clearly on his way to stardom at the time of this recording. Very good stuff here, folks.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Steel Rail Blues (Gordon Lightfoot)
02. Coal Tattoo (Bill Edd Wheeler)
03. Texas Rodeo (Croce)
04. Charley Green, Play that Slide Trombone (Arr. Croce)
05. The Ballad of Gunga Din (Croce/words by Rudyard Kipling)
06. Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp From Savannah) (Yellen/Ager/Bates/Bigelow)
07. Sun Come Up (Jim Croce/Richard Croce)
08. The Blizzard (Harlan Howard)
09. Running Maggie (Arr. Karl Fehrenbach)
10. Until It’s Time For Me To Go (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
11. Big Fat Woman (Arr. Eric Von Schmidt)
Bonus: Jim & Ingrid Too
01. Child of the Night
02. It’s All Over, Mary Ann
03. Railroads and Riverboats
04. Hard Times Be Over
05. Railroad Song
06. Maybe Tomorrow
07. Pa (Song for a Grandfather)
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