Released barely four months after Beck’s 1994 debut Mellow Gold, the minimalist mutant folk collection One Foot in the Grave was a curveball that temporarily threw casual “Loser” fans off Beck’s scent while presaging myriad musical adventures to come in the form of 1996’s multi-platinum breakthrough Odelay. On April 14, One Foot in the Grave will be reissued in a deluxe format including 13 previously unreleased tracks from the original sessions and three more from an out of print 7″ only release, including an early version of “It’s All In Your Mind” from 2002’s Sea Change.
One Foot in the Grave was released in June 1994 on K Records, and was recorded by Calvin Johnson, founder of the label and proprietor of Dub Narcotic Studios. Sessions began in the fall of 1993, a few months into the existence of Calvin’s Olympia, Wa basement studio on a reel to reel 8 track. Musicians from local bands such as Built to Spill, Spinanes and Love As Laughter made appearances backing up Beck on half of the original album’s 16 tracks. Released with little to no initial promotion or fanfare, the record has grown from a cult favorite to one of the most highly regarded releases of the extensive Beck oeuvre, with tracks like “Hollow Log,” “He’s A Mighty Good Leader” and “Asshole,” which was covered by Tom Petty on his She’s The One album.
“I’d never worked with anyone so focused, or whose creativity flowed so freely,” Johnson recently recalled. “Songs altered structure and lyrics take to take, a fascinating process to witness.” The the deluxe reissue of One Foot in the Grave yields additional insight into the process by including the above-mentioned never before released originals and alternate mixes from these sessions.
The complete track listing is as follows:
ORIGINAL ALBUM:
1. He’s A Mighty Good Leader
2. Sleeping Bag
3. I Get Lonesome
4. Burnt Orange Peel
5. Cyanide Breath Mint
6. See Water
7. Ziplock Bag
8. Hollow Log
9. Forcefield
10. Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods
11. Asshole
12. I’ve Seen The Land Beyond
13. Outcome
14. Girl Dreams
15. Painted Eyelids
16. Atmospheric Conditions
BONUS TRACKS:
17. It’s All In Your Mind (K Records 7″)
18. Whiskey Can Can (K Records 7″)
19. Mattress*
20. Woe On Me*
21. Teenage Wastebasket*
22. Your Love Is Weird*
23. Favorite Nerve*
24. Piss On The Door*
25. Close To God*
26. Sweet Satan*
27. Burning Boyfriend*
28. Black Lake Morning*
29. Feather In Your Cap (K Records 7″)
30. One Foot In the Grave*
31. Teenage Wastebasket*
32. I Get Lonesome*
* never before released