Customer Reviews

The Definitive Collection

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Definitive Collection" showcases Jim Croce's talent as a wordsmith and musician. It features both hits and radio-friendly tunes from the first album with his wife Ingrid and his three solo albums. Croce's tender, thoughtful and humourous songs, along with guitarist Murray Mueleisen's classical fretwork, aptly demonstrate his prowess as a singer/songwriter.

Any doubt about his talent can easily be dispelled after listening to his stirring love songs "Time In A Bottle", "Operator", "Have To Say I Love You In A Song", "Lover's Cross", "A Long Time Ago" and "Spin Spin Spin". For comic relief "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," "Working At The Carwash Blues," "Don't Mess Around With Jim", "Five Short Minutes" and "Roller Derby Queen" will tickle and pick you up.

All in all, "The Definitive Collection" is an excellent choice over most of the Jim Croce anthologies, whether you're a fan or a newcomer to his music. Those compilation albums with additional tracks are probably just as good, but rather than purchase these it might be better to consider obtaining the entire Croce catalogue, including the early recordings with his wife. Otherwise, go with "The Definitive Collection". It contains most of his best material.

The words touch your soul and the simple but effective music is wonderful. Croce can be sweet, he can be extremely funny (roller derby queen), ironic (working at the car music) and romantic. (Had to say I love you in a song.) There is no such thing as a bad Jim Croce song and I am surprised more artists have not recorded his albums.

This has most of what you need to understand why Croce was a master.

Don McNay...

For those of us who watched the incredible rise of pop folk and country singer Jim Croce, this album of all his greatest hits, helps to summarize his brilliant, if foreshortened career, and encapsulates his all too brief living of the life of his dreams. Sadly, he was cut down just as his career was reaching its pinnacle, and he left us to sing and perform in other, more ethereal venues. I'm sure he has the angels snapping their fingers and tapping their toes. With the songs that are included here Jim sang his way into our living rooms, automobiles, and our hearts. He was a true original, another of the incredible group of singer songwriters who not only performed so brilliantly, but also wrote the lyrics and composed the music as well.

Here we have every thing from "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" to "Photographs and Memories", from "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" to "You Don't Mess Around With Jim", from "One Less Set Of Footsteps" to "Operator". This is a wonderful album, one filled with all the thoughts and ideas and emotions he evoked so well in his lyrics and his songs. Those of us who came to appreciate his talent and his art were saddened by his death, but are yet thankful he left behind such wonderful photographs and memories, such priceless and timeless reminders of the good times he gave us. That why I wanted to weigh in with this review; I just had to say I loved him in a song... Enjoy!

Listening to Jim Croce brings back great memories of growing up in the 70s. I can still remember my class singing Time In A Bottle and Bad Bad Leroy Brown for our yearly performance before our parents. Jim's lyrics are so good because they create such wonderful imagery and you feel like you were there with him. His vocal delivery is always warm and personable. He wrote so many great songs I won't bother going over all of them. Just get this cd! You will probably find some great songs you never knew about. It's such a shame that a great songwriter like Jim was taken from us at such an early age. But he did live a lot in his short lifetime. Rest in peace Jim and thanks for the great music!!!

Jim told stories that made you feel like you were on the road with him.This compilation of songs seems to be his life in a boxed set.His music can be both melodic and driving

The sound is good; the selection sublime. "The Definitive Jim Croce" and "Facets" came within a few songs of covering the five albums I've enjoyed for over three decades. Amazon made it easy for me to find "the best of the best of Jim Croce."

I was 8 years old when Jim Croce Died in a Plane Crash,
so he is tied to my childhood.
There are some Great songs on here, but I think Maybe a single disk might do, someone who is Not yet a Fan.
If you wanna dig deeper this is the disk for you.
A great song writer who Left us too soon

I had most of the songs from CD 1 on record. I expected that disc 2 would just be filler material. Not so. CD 2 is almost as good as CD 1. I can only imagine how many more great songs he would've made had his life not been cut short. Truly one of the greats.

This is a great collection of Croce's songs, but it is not digitally remastered. It has all of the hiss & scratch of nostalgic vinyl. It's great to have so many more of his works than you'll ever hear on the radio, some that were never on the radio. Some are beautiful, some inspiring, some funny, all good.

This album would have to be one of the best compilations of Jim Croce's sogs. Jim was on the verge of becoming a Major Populist Music Star when his plane crashed on September 23rd, 1973 and the worlkd lost a great artist. One cannothelp but feel feel sadness when listening to Jim's "Time In A Bottle". Sadly time was one thing that Jim did not have but he left us with some wonderful songs which sound as fresh today as they did 30 years ago. Rest In Peace Jim.You are sadly missed.