I’ve loved Jim Croce since I was really little (probably 5-6 y/o). However, I barely ever hear his songs on the radio (even satellite radio!), and when 60s-70s era classic rock is being discussed, I pretty much never hear Jim Croce mentioned at all. Is he actually a really obscure artist and I’ve just never known it? More specifically, could Jim Croce be considered a “deep track” artist (in technical terms)?
He passed away at the young age of 30, and his music up until then was very 60s-70s-ish. You Don’t Mess Around WIth Jim and Bad Bad Leroy Brown were typical of his style, but Time in Bottle was far more mainstream and well covered after his death. Not many people born after his death in 1973 are familiar with his work although it used to pop up on oldies channels before 90s songs were oldies. I don’t know what makes a “deep track” artist but he is fairly obscure.
When I think about radio formats that use the term “deep track” (like the SiriusXM rock station of that name), it’s more often songs from well-known artists that weren’t singles or otherwise widely played.
Croce’s not an obscure artist per se – he had several significant hits which have stood the test of time. But, as @TriPolar notes, he died quite young, and only a few months after he really started getting airplay. So, his body of work is pretty small, and even most people who are familiar with him only know two or three of his songs.
Edit: and, the few times I’ve listened to “oldies” stations recently, their focus seemed to be more on the late '70s and '80s (which is all now 30-45 years old, as it is).
I think the term “Deep Track” refers to obscure stuff from otherwise Big Name Acts, or a huge hit record. Think something like Best I Can from Rush or The Jack from AC/DC. Maybe Smokin’ from Boston’s first album.
Sadly, Old Jim don’t make it as a deep track. But he’s pretty damn good, ain’t he?
I wouldn’t call him a ‘deep track’ artist. I think he just didn’t have a ton of radio hits, but the ones he had were popular AND I think a certain class of people may think of him as a one hit wonder, not knowing some other songs are his as well.
Everyone know Bad Bad Leroy Brown, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people that didn’t pay attention to his career weren’t aware that Operator and I Got A Name and I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song and Time In A Bottle and likely others I’m not thinking of were also him.
Big Bad Leroy Brown and You Don’t Mess Around With Jim were so much more popular, much more (IMO) radio friendly/poppy/catchy that I think they overshadowed his other music.
Again, I don’t think he was a ‘deep track artist’ and I don’t think his other songs were unknown, I think a lot of people simply didn’t associate them with him since they didn’t have the same ‘feel’ as his Leroy Brown and Jim.
I also think that his lack of visibility now is that 1970s folk rock / singer-songwriter stuff doesn’t fit into many current radio formats. Not much of it gets lumped in with the “classic rock” format (which tends to be more focused on hard rock, early metal, arena rock, and progressive rock) – you don’t hear much, if any, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, or Carole King on those stations, either. (But, if you’re on SiriusXM, those artists, as well as Croce, are staples on “The Bridge.”)
And, as already noted, a lot of “oldies” formats have moved passed that time frame.
sigh “moved past”. I shouldn’t type when I’m tired.
I always preferred his other album tracks like Alabama Rain, Dreamin’ Again, It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way, and These Dreams. They got a bit of airplay - nothing like the overkill of his big hits.
That’s pretty much my feeling–that the 1970s singer-songwriter-with-an-acoustic-guitar era is long over. I might add John Denver, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, and Don McLean to your list. Henry Gross and Sammy Johns deserve a mention also.
Jim Croce did some great stuff, but recalling my old LPs, I don’t recall any “diamonds in the rough” deep tracks on his records. The LPs and the songs on them, were enjoyable, but there was nothing terribly profound or innovative there. Don’t get me wrong–I like Jim Croce’s music, and he certainly knew how to write lyrics and compose catchy melodies–but inasmuch as I hate to admit it, in the end, he was just another 1970s singer-songwriter-with-an-acoustic-guitar.
Didn’t quite know how to say it, but that is it. If he hadn’t moved on to Rock and Roll Heaven he would have had to progress his style to stay relevant through the 70s.
So “deep track” means something like a hidden gem from a successful artist. Yeah, no hidden gems from him, his best gems were the most well known,
I have the three albums that he released when he was popular. A couple of months ago I noticed that he is the only artist where I like all of their songs. Okay, there is one exception (Salon and Saloon). To me he is my number 1 “deep track” artist. But farther down on my favorite artist list.
This pretty much sums it up for me as well, including the Salon and Saloon remark.
Croce’s music is easy on the ears, very pleasant to listen to, especially if it’s been a while since you have done so. Pretty much nothing I don’t like, but also nothing that particularly lights me afire.
(I randomly heard “Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues” the other day and it made my day more pleasant)
mmm
ETA: I attempted to quote @Author_Balk’s post but the software wouldn’t allow it - is this something new?
I heard Time in a Bottle yesterday on the radio and it reminded me I hadn’t heard any of his songs in a while.
Contrary to some other posters I think his best stuff was never his hits. Some decades ago I got his complete library on CD and was pleasantly surprised to find that his best stuff I had never heard before. His wife also had a beautiful voice and sang on some of his songs.
I have since gotten complete artists libraries for some other artists and have found that I only really liked the songs that were hits.
Same here. On a 1-5 scale, I wouldn’t rank any of his songs below a 3.
Here in our market, MeTV FM 87.7 will play that 70s folk/singer-songwriter stuff, and artists like the ones you mention. I hear Carole King on there all the time, for example, and certainly Jim Croce (“Operator” seems to get a lot of play). But, yeah, they used to be played on adult contemporary stations like WLIT, and for all I know maybe they still do, but a quick glance through their playlist comes up empty. They’ll have 70s stuff, but it tends to skew more 80s and 90s light rock.
Also Harry Chapin (who also died too young).
I, too, interpreted “deep track artist” to mean someone who had many deep tracks (album cuts, B-sides, etc.) that were well worth tracking down, as opposed to someone whose best songs were the popular ones that he was famous for.
For Jim Croce, I can’t answer that question, because I’m not familiar with any of this deep tracks, but I am familiar with the handful of his songs that got regular radio play in the 70s: Leroy Brown, Time In a Bottle, etc.
I should have clarified in my earlier post that I generally like Croce’s lesser known songs more than his big hits. In that sense I would call him a deep track artist, although I’m not exactly sure what that even means.
(Gah, I just remembered “Time in a Bottle” - you can add that track to the “Salon & Saloon” list)
mmm
Whenever I see this thread, I’m reminded of a thread we had here (maybe… a decade ago?) about under-appreciated artists. It started by asking why Joan Armatrading and Rufus Wainwright aren’t world-famous by now.
So many great musicians, and so many that died too young. Glad they left us their legacy.
His death was big news in the Philadelphia area where we both lived at the time of his death. His songs got extra airplay at the time and lots of local coverage of his life and his family. Otherwise I’d probably know nothing about him or his music.
Probably my favorite song of his is a number he did with his wife called “Spin, Spin, Spin.” Not very well known at all, but a really pretty song.
There’s an oldies station where I live that focuses on the 60s and 70s, so a lot of stuff by The Temptations, Herman’s Hermits, Smokey Robinson, Carly Simon, you get the idea. They have a few of Croce’s biggest hits like “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” on semi-regular rotation.