Facets is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce, released and self-published in 1966. Croce had 500 copies of the album pressed, financed with a $500 wedding gift he and his wife, Ingrid Croce, received from his parents. Croce's parents were certain that Jim would fail at selling the record; they believed that once he realized he could not support a family as a singer, he would abandon music and finish his college education.
The album was recorded in a three-hour session at Ken-Del Studios in Wilmington, Delaware. Unexpectedly, the album proved a success; Croce sold every copy and turned a profit of $2,500. The majority of the records were sold to fans at local bars where Croce performed. Original vinyl copies of Facets are extremely rare.
Shout! Factory released an expanded CD version in 2004. The seven bonus tracks included on the CD were recorded in 1969, following the recording of the Jim & Ingrid Croce album in 1968. The couple had recorded 21 songs as a demonstration tape to audition for a children's television show in Boston, though they did not get the job. These demo recordings remained unreleased until seven tracks were selected for the 2004 reissue.
Track listing
Original release (1966)
2004 reissue bonus tracks
Personnel
- Jim Croce – guitar, vocals
- Richard Croce – percussion
- Mike DiBenedetto – keyboards
- Karl Fehrenbach – guitar, banjo
- Ken Cavender – bass
Production
- Producer: Joe Salviuolo
- Arrangements: Jim Croce, Eric Von Schmidt