Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Spin, Spin, Spin
2. Vespers
3. Big Wheel
4. Cigareets, Whuskey and Wild, Wild Women [#]
5. (And) I Remember Her [#]
6. Cotton Mouth River [#]
7. More Than That Tomorrow [#]
8. Migrant Worker [#]
9. Child of Midnight [#]
10. Stone Walls
11. King's Song
12. Mississippi Lady
13. Which Way Are You Goin'?
14. Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)
15. You Don't Mess Around With Jim
16. Tomorrow's Gonna Be a Brighter Day
17. New York's Not My Home
18. Hard Time Losin' Man
19. Photographs and Memories
20. Walkin' Back to Georgia
21. Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)
22. Time in a Bottle
23. Box, No. 10
24. Long Time Ago

Disc 2:

1. Hey Tomorrow
2. Chain Gang Medley: Chain Gang/He Don't Love You/Searchin'
3. Ol' Man River
4. Careful Man
5. These Dreams
6. It Doesn't Have to Be That Way
7. Dreamin' Again
8. Alabama Rain
9. Good Time Man Like Me Ain't Got No Business (Singin' the Blues)
10. Next Time, This Time
11. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
12. One Less Set of Footsteps
13. Roller Derby Queen
14. Speedball Tucker
15. I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song
16. I Got a Name
17. Recently
18. Five Short Minutes
19. Thursday
20. Hard Way Every Time
21. Age
22. Workin' at the Car Wash Blues
23. Lover's Cross
24. Salon and Saloon
25. Top Hat Bar and Grill

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3951 in Music
• Released on: 1992-09-22
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Customer Reviews

THE Jim Croce collection.
This is the one to get, and here's what you get when you get it:

- The _complete_ contents of YOU DON'T MESS AROUND WITH JIM, LIFE AND TIMES, and I GOT A NAME. (As far as I know, this is the first time _all_ these songs have been available since I wore needle holes in my original vinyl discs.)

- Three tracks from Jim & Ingrid's LP.

- Some assorted unreleased tracks from the same time period (with bassist John Stockfish all over them).

- A few cuts from 1975's THE FACES I'VE BEEN.

- Liner notes by Ingrid herself, including a complete Jim Croce bio.

- Clean, clear and crisp sound quality throughout, even on the really old stuff. Sounds like it's all been remastered. (Anyone who, like me, remembers twiddling the stereo knobs back and forth to pick out the guitar parts will wish they'd had a recording of this quality a quarter of a century ago.)

There are NO other Jim Croce collections that come even close to this one. If you remember Jim and Maury fondly, you don't need me to sell you on the music; grab this CD at once.

The Great American Song Writer
Jim Croce took his place among the great American song writers and performers in the brief span of 2 years before his untimely death in September 1973. In the notes that accompany the CD, Jim's wife Ingrid talks about the countless people who have visited "Croce's", her restaurant in San Diego, to express their love and admiration for his work. Over the years, she has visited with Vietnam veterans, Manhattan attorneys, Montana ranchers, people from all walks of life, of all ages, from all over the world, who made a special effort to stop by and say thanks. If it is true that music gives expression to the soul...then no one can express the soul quite like Jim Croce.

His appeal is universal for he wrote about everyday experiences that are common to us all. He could tell a story, develop a memorable character, and express a profound, but simple truth in the few moments it took to sing one of his songs. He gave voice to the American experience in "Big Wheel" and "Top Hat Bar and Grille." He could laugh with "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," or become introspective with "I Got a Name" and "Photographs and Memories," or bring a tear to the eye and a smile to the heart with "Operator," "Alabama Rain," and "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song."

If you are familiar with his works, this is the definitive collection to buy. The quality of each reproduction is impeccable. If you are unfamiliar with Jim Croce, but enjoy someone who casts humor, romance, and pathos into a mosaic of words set to unforgettable melodies, then this CD is for you. His music is ageless...he will forever provoke your mind, yet soothe your soul. Thanks, Jim, wherever you are.....

Still Timeless
It's been over twenty-five years now since Jim died, and this music sounds as fresh and evocative now as it did then. As a kid I had all three Jim Croce albums, and I still remember crying when I heard that he had died. There's something about Jim Croce that makes one feel as though they knew him, like he was an uncle's or older brother's friend remembered from childhood. For me, in a sense, I guess he was.

I first bought this collection in 1992, and have worn it out listening ever sense. There is no other Croce collection that even remotely approaches this one (and there seem to be many...I get the feeling that Croce's heirs don't benefit from a lot of them, but I'm sure they do from this one). Every track is a gem; not only the three "big albums" are here, but many other assorted numbers as well. "Spin, Spin, Spin" has become a favorite for a whole new generation...my three kids. Thank you, Jim, for what you gave us...just like you say in your comment at the end of this album, you did what you dug!