Facets is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce, released and self-published in 1966. Croce had five hundred copies of the album pressed,[2] financed with a $500 cash wedding gift that he and his wife to be, Ingrid Croce, received from his parents. Croce's parents were certain that Jim would fail completely at selling the record, and realizing that he couldn't support his family as a singer, 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, it proved to be a success. Croce sold every record, even turning a profit of $2,500. The majority of those records were sold to fans who attended Croce's shows at local bars.[3][4] Original vinyl copies of Facets are extremely rare today.
Shout! Factory released an expanded CD version in 2004.[5] These seven extra songs included in the CD were recorded in 1969 after recording the Jim & Ingrid Croce album in 1968. The couple recorded 21 songs as a demonstration tape to audition for a Boston's children TV show. They did not get the job. The demo tapes had never been released until seven tracks were selected to be included with the 2004 CD release.[6]