(1976) Lifesong label.  Original release original inner sleeve. Acquired this album in a collection Illinois purchased.  He did not have an interest– pop music is not his thing, but I was happy to add it to my collection.  I have written previously of listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.  Jim Croce was another staple of that show.  He had several chart toppers.  This particular collection are love songs, so you won’t find Bad Bad Leroy Brown on this album.  I remember singing that song in a youth chorus and changing the lyrics from “Baddest man in the whole damn town” to “Baddest man in the whole darn town”.

Side One

1. Time In A Bottle  (2:24)
2. Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)  (3:45)
3. Salon And Saloon  (2:30)
4. Alabama Rain  (2:14)
5. Dreamin’ Again  (2:38)
6. It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way  (2:31)

Side Two

1. I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song  (2:28)
2. Lover’s Cross  (3:02)
3. Thursday  (2:20)
4. These Dreams  (3:12)
5. A Long Time Ago  (2:28)
6. Photographs And Memories  (2:03)

When I think of Jim Croce I think of the word troubadour. When I think of Jim Croce I remember his deep eyes, mustache, and guitar.  Several albums picture him smoking. I remember his performance on American Bandstand. He had a distinctive, singular voice– otherworldly and common man at the same time. His tragic death in a plane crash in 1973 at the age of 30, is one of those story lines that tugs at your heart.