| One Foot in the Grave | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 27, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | October 1993 and January 1994 | |||
| Studio | Dub Narcotic,Olympia, Washington | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:05 72:57 (deluxe edition) | |||
| Label | K, Iliad,Geffen | |||
| Producer | Calvin Johnson | |||
| Beck chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| American Songwriter | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| NME | 7/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[6] |
| Record Collector | [7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
One Foot in the Grave is the fourth studio album by Americanalternative rock musicianBeck, released in June 1994 onK Records, anindependent label. The album cover features a photo of Beck on the right and bassistJames Bertram on the left. It was recorded prior to the release ofMellow Gold, but was not released until after that album had met critical and commercial success.One Foot in the Grave shows a stronglo-fi andfolk influence, and features several songs that are interpolations or covers of songs popularized by artists likeSkip James andThe Carter Family.
One Foot in the Grave features production, songwriting, and backing vocal assistance byCalvin Johnson, founder ofK Records andBeat Happening. It also features performances byBuilt to Spill membersJames Bertram andScott Plouf,Love as Laughter's Sam Jayne, as well asThe Presidents of the United States of America frontmanChris Ballew. The album was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studio, which at the time was housed in Johnson's basement.
LikeStereopathetic Soulmanure, the album never charted; however,One Foot in the Grave strengthened Beck's critical reputation, arguably allowing him to break into the mainstream withOdelay in 1996. As of July 2008,One Foot in the Grave had sold 168,000 copies in the United States.[11] On April 14, 2009, the album was reissued with 16 bonus tracks, including 12 unreleased tracks, by Beck's own Iliad label.[12]
"He's a Mighty Good Leader" is a re-write ofDelta blues guitaristSkip James' "Jesus is a Mighty Good Leader", utilizing the chords, melody and most of the lyrics from the original.[13]
"Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods" utilizes a similar melody, lyric and instrumentation to theAfrican Americanspiritual "You Gotta Move",[14] which was popularized byFred McDowell and later recorded byThe Rolling Stones on theirSticky Fingers album.
"Girl Dreams" is an interpolation of the Carter Family composition "Lover's Lane".[15][16] According to Calvin Johnson, Beck seemed "embarrassed" by the song and had to be convinced to include it onOne Foot in the Grave.[16] Beck would record other Carter Family songs during this time period, including "The Storms Are On The Ocean" recorded as "The World May Lose Its Motion" and released on a 1994 Yoyo Recordings compilation.[17]
All songs written by Beck, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "He's a Mighty Good Leader" | Skip James, credited to "Traditional" | 2:41 |
| 2. | "Sleeping Bag" | 2:15 | |
| 3. | "I Get Lonesome" | 2:50 | |
| 4. | "Burnt Orange Peel" | 1:39 | |
| 5. | "Cyanide Breath Mint" | 1:37 | |
| 6. | "See Water" | 2:22 | |
| 7. | "Ziplock Bag" | 1:44 | |
| 8. | "Hollow Log" | 1:53 | |
| 9. | "Forcefield" | Beck, Sam Jayne | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods" | 2:54 | |
| 11. | "Asshole" | 2:32 | |
| 12. | "I've Seen the Land Beyond" | 1:40 | |
| 13. | "Outcome" | 2:10 | |
| 14. | "Girl Dreams" | The Carter Family, Beck | 2:02 |
| 15. | "Painted Eyelids" | 3:06 | |
| 16. | "Atmospheric Conditions" | Beck, Calvin Johnson | 2:09 |
| Total length: | 37:05 | ||
These bonus tracks are out-takes from theOne Foot in the Grave sessions and were issued on the "It's All In Your Mind" 7" single in 1995. Both "Feather in Your Cap" and "It's All in Your Mind" were later re-recorded as full studio productions with a full band. The former was recorded in 1994 and issued as a B-side of the "Sissyneck" and "Jack-Ass" singles in 1997 while the latter appeared in a re-recorded version on the 2002 albumSea Change.
A deluxe edition was released on April 14, 2009, featuring 16 additional tracks, with 12 previously unreleased.
All songs written by Beck, except where noted.
*Previously released on the 1995 7"K Records single "It's All in Your Mind".
†Previously released on the 1998K Records compilationSelector Dub Narcotic (in a slightly different mix)
Beck's cover of "He's a Mighty Good Leader" was featured in the 2003 filmHoles, though it was not included on the soundtrack album.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would cover the track "Asshole" on the 1996 soundtrack albumSongs and Music from "She's the One".
