Jim Croce - Classic Hits of Jim Croce
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Free Music Notes for Classic Hits of Jim Croce
Free Music Review: "It's what we've done/That makes us what we are."
Hit: 5 Stars
Jim Croce was at the peak of his talents when a tragic plane crash ended his life in 1973. The majestic "I Got A Name" had yet to be released, but when it did, it defined Jim Croce's short but brilliant stardom.
"Like a fool I am and I'll always be,
I've got a dream, I've got a dream.
The can change their minds, but they can't change me,
I've got a dream, I've got a dream.
I know I can share it if you want me to,
if you're going my way, I'll go with you."
That "I Got A Dream" was not written by Croce hardly matters...it defined a free spirit that looked for others to join him on his quest. Afterwards, "Time In A Bottle" was plucked for re-issue of from his first album as a memoriam to Croce, and has become a signature song of not just the artist, but the decade he came from.
That debut album, "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," and its title song introduced to Jim Croce by way of his first hit character song. Like so many of his other story songs, Croce managed to perfectly encapsulate blue collar folksongs with a dash of humor. Songs like "Rapid Roy," "Working at The Car Wash Blues" and yet another signature song, "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," were snappy and sing-a-long exact.
There was also that everyman who had just a hint of sadness around the edges. On "Operator," Croce debates the whys and hows of a relationship that has crumbled. He also wasn't always a romantic idealist, as "Lover's Cross" sends an ex-lover off with "I guess you wanted a super guy, or maybe a super God." (The realist is counter-balanced perfectly by the shy encounter in "I'll Have to Say I Love You In A Song.")
Croce's untimely death will always leave a question mark on where his muse would have ultimately led him. He seemed on a course that would have him paralleling the likes of James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot or Cat Stevens as vanguards of seventies male singer-songwriters. With three albums that have maintained their integrity over 30 years of time's passage, this single disc "Classic Hits" culls together a life's work that will long remind us that Jim Croce became a folk icon not just because of his early departure, but because of the brilliance and accessibility of his work.
Free Music Review: Almost perfect single disc Croce collection
Hit: 5 Stars
For a long time, the "Photographs and Memories" album was the best Croce collection to own and that was topped by the Dunhill gold disc "24 Karat Gold in a Bottle" that contained so many more important Croce tracks than "P&M". But "24 Karat" was pricey and is now out of print. Rhino comes to the rescue with a near perfect 20 track compilation. The perfection of Croce classics like "Photographs and Memories", "Time in a Bottle", "Lover's Cross", "These Dreams" and "I'll Have To Say I Love You in a Song" have remained unmatched in pop music for over 30 years. Upbeat tracks like "You Don't Mess Around With Jim", "Rapid Roy", and "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" show that Croce was more than a gifted composer of love songs and sad ballads but also equally adept at constructing story songs that were injected with humor. Two of the best tracks he recorded during his brief career at ABC records, "Roller Derby Queen" and "One Less Set of Footsteps" are even more evidence of his versatility. The hauntingly somber piano ballad, "Salon and Saloon", composed by Croce's guitarist who also perished in the plane crash that claimed Croce's life is a great addition to this collection. If I could add anything to this compilation it would be "Speedball Tucker" and "Box #10" but this is still the very best single disc Croce collection available.
I'm sure that these amazingly moving and very original recordings will be winning new fans for as long as music goes on.
Free Music Review: Sing Along with Jim!
Hit: 5 Stars
This Greatest Hits album could be called Sing Along with Jim Croce - the songs are just so foot-tapping that it's hard to resist!
You've got Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, who's meaner than a junkyard dog. I love this song, the imagery is right there and quite fun too. It falls into the "Mack the Knife" category :)
Then you've got "Operator", another classic story telling of a guy who is trying to get over the pain of his girlfriend running off with his best friend. You can hear him trying to get through all of the emotions and finally just saying to forget about it.
If you were still wanting an uppity song about bad guys, there is "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" - which has a great twist to it!
Just about everybody who has seen a Hallmark Movie has heard "Time in a Bottle" - it seems this song is always used for poignant love scenes. It's the clsasic song of wanting to catch a moment in time and tuck it away forever.
For the shy, there's the "I'll Have to say I Love You in a Song". I wonder how many lovers have used this ploy - playing the tape - to reveal their true feelings to their partner?
There are a number of other great songs on here too - the "Working at the Car Wash Blues" gets your toes a tappin!
Highly recommended!
Free Music Review: Great compilation features songs that get heavy radio airplay and others which don't
Hit: 5 Stars
"Classic Hits of Jim Croce" gathers some well-known classics and gives the listener a deeper look at the late singer's talent than what we can often get on contemporary radio. It's a goldmine of soft rock, often with complementary country and folk tinges.
"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" leads off, and the "Jim" of the title is actually referring to a rugged brawler. The song gives us the vernacular saying, "You don't tug on Superman's cape." Melodic songs of broken romance also highlight the CD. One of my favorites is "Operator(That's Not The Way It Feels)." Also, "One Less Set of Footsteps" is a beautiful song. The rollicking, active beat and skillful lyrics of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" still sound great. The life-affirming "I Got A Name" is terrific, as is "Time In A Bottle," a too-short piece of brilliance that combines a gentle, string-based melody with golden lyrics.
Timid shyness to a potential lover is the theme of "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song." The fun "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" lightens the mood some with a silly yet substantial song.
If he had lived longer, Jim Croce would probably enjoy the stature of a James Taylor. As it is, the plentiful musical legacy he leaves is golden.
Free Music Review: THE MASTER !
Hit: 5 Stars
JIM IS "MUSICS" GENIOUS. NOT EXACTLY ROCK N ROLL OR COUNTRY OR SWAMP, JIM CARVES OUT A NEW STYLE CALLED "JIM CROCE"....HE IS THE RADIO POP MASTER AND HE CAN WILL HUGE HIT SONGS AT ANY MOMENT IN THE STUDIO...HE CAN GET TENDER AND ACCOUSTIC ON PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES AND THEN TURN ON A DIME LIKE WAYNE GRETZKY AND ROCK YOU SILLY WITH SOME LITTLE BAR SONG THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SONG YOU JUST HEARD BEFORE ! THIS GUY IS SO QUIRKY HE PROBOBLY WROTE THE BOOK...HE TELLS STORYS-- AN AMERICAN STORY TELLER..OF FEW WE HAVE IN THIS WORLD TODAY...WE NEED THE RESURRECTION FROM DEATH OF PEOPLE LIKE JIM CROCE...HE WAS KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH LONG AGO IN 1973 AND AT THE TIME, HE WAS SAYING HE WAS GONNA 'CALL IT QUITS" SOON......I PERSONALLY DOUBT IT, JIM WOULD HAVE COME BACK IN 75 OR 76' WITH THE ULTIMATE ROCK ALBUMS AND MAYBE EVEN A ROCK OPERA ! THIS GUY WAS SO DAMN GOOD...HE IS UNTOUCHABLE...MAYBE THIS GUY HERE "IS" / WAS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME...BETTER THAN JOHN LENNON...I DONNO..I LISTEN TO THIS GUY MORE THAN ANYBODY IN MY CD PLAYER..I SWARE TO GOD! THE MARK TWAINE OF ROCK N ROLL !