Recorded at Dub Narcotic, Olympia, Washington in October 1993 and January 1994.

Personnel: Beck (vocals, guitar, drums); Sam Jayne, Calvin Johnson (vocals); Chris Ballew (guitar); Scott Plouf (drums); Mario Prietto (bongos).

Recording information: Dub Narcotic (10/1993-01/1994).

Just prior to MELLOW GOLD, Beck and future Built To Spill/then-Spinanes drummer Scott Plouf recorded this collection of low-key slacker-blues cuts that immediately became a cult sensation. The two-disc reissue precisely doubles the available material, most notably including a long-out-print K Records seven-inch, which features a particularly noteworthy original take on SEA CHANGE's moving "It's All In Your Mind." Elsewhere, it's mostly alternate takes of tracks from the ONE FOOT sessions, although they receive a boost in value from having never been released. Perhaps most importantly, the existing ONE FOOT benefits enormously from an overhaul of its humble 8-track beginnings.

This collection of performances by musical chameleon Beck Hansen came out hard on the heels of the mega-success of MELLOW GOLD, as the MTV world was promoting him as the alternative rock poster boy of the anthemic "Loser." The unsuspecting listener picking up ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE will be disarmed (to say the least) by its content--the album is a collection of folksy, bluesy recordings of the sparest lo-fi variety.

Although there are some Sebadoh-style punky screamers such as "Burnt Orange Peels" in the mix, Beck mostly spends most of his time on ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE creating beautiful shoegazer-folk moments such as "Cyanide Breath Mint," which transcends its slacker title with an alluring drone and beautifully dark lyrics. "Hollow Log" is your basic pretty, fireside folk song done right, while "I Get Lonesome" has Beck and K Records supremo Calvin Johnson duetting on a simple, mournful tune. While those weaned on Beck's higher-gloss MTV-ready output may not fully appreciate ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE, it's the first true example of his versatility, not to mention a subtly beautiful record.