One Foot in the Grave (album)

One Foot in the Grave

Studio album by Beck

Released

June 27, 1994
April 14, 2009 (re-issue)

Recorded

October 1993 and January 1994 at Dub Narcotic Studio, Olympia, Washington

Genre

Length

37:11

Label

K, Iliad, Geffen

Producer

Calvin Johnson

Beck chronology

Mellow Gold
(1994)

One Foot in the Grave
(1994)

Odelay
(1996)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Clash	(8/10) Deluxe edition^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+^[3]
Pitchfork Media	(7.8/10) Deluxe edition^[4]
Robert Christgau	^[5]
Rolling Stone	Deluxe edition^[6]

One Foot in the Grave is the third independent studio album and fourth overall by American alternative rock musician Beck, released in June 1994 on K Records, an independent label. Like Stereopathetic Soulmanure, the album never charted; however, One Foot in the Grave strengthened Beck's critical reputation, arguably allowing him to break into the mainstream with Odelay in 1996. One Foot in the Grave shows a strong folk influence that is more pronounced than on his more eclectic-style albums of the time, Mellow Gold and Odelay. One Foot in the Grave was recorded prior to the release of his third album Mellow Gold, but was not released until after that album met with critical and commercial success.

The album features the production talents, songwriting talents, and occasional backing vocals of Calvin Johnson, founder of K Records. It was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studio, which was then housed in Calvin's basement.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would cover the track "Asshole" on the 1996 soundtrack album Songs and Music from "She's the One".

Beck's cover of "He's a Mighty Good Leader" was featured in the 2003 film Holes.

As of July 2008, One Foot in the Grave had sold 168,000 copies in the United States.^[7]

On April 14, 2009, the album was reissued with 13 unreleased tracks by Beck's own Iliad label.^[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Beck, except where noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"He's a Mighty Good Leader" (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"	2:02
15.	"Painted Eyelids"	3:06
16.	"Atmospheric Conditions" (Beck, Calvin Johnson)	2:09

Japanese bonus tracks

"It's All in Your Mind" – 2:56
"Feather in Your Cap" – 1:12
"Whiskey Can Can" – 2:15

These bonus tracks are outtakes from the One 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 album Sea Change.

Deluxe edition

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.