One Foot in the Grave by Beck

When alternative icon Beck signed his first major record deal in 1994, he retained the freedom to release his previous recordings on independent labels. The result was two albums released alongside his Geffen debut Mellow Gold. The first, Stereopathetic Soulmanure was a psychedelic work almost as bizarre as its title and the second, One Foot in the Grave was a folksy yet delightfully weird summation of Beck’s acoustic beginnings. Whilst the former was at best a patchy listen, One Foot in the Grave remains to this day a scintillating insight into the Beck that was and might have been.

Of course, any self respecting Beck fan will be quick to point out that he soon returned to his acoustic roots on the Nigel Godrich produced albums Mutations and Sea Change. Yet the rugged beauty of this release has never been recaptured amongst the studio gloss of subsequent acoustic albums. The charm of One Foot in the Grave is in essence its simplicity, the spacey bleakness of ‘See Water’ or the warmth of ‘Hollow Log’ is captured perfectly in the lo-fi production, as mumbled vocals and musical mistakes contribute wonderfully to the pervading sense of authenticity and earthiness which is associated with the blues and folk artists he emulates.

Lyrically it’s often bemusing, musically it’s often discordant, yet almost by accident, the confused and ambiguous nature of the songs creates a solitary, otherworldly tone unlike anything on any other Beck record. Whilst it’s largely dismissed as a mere compilation of Beck’s experiments before he found his true sound, One Foot in the Grave is in fact a fleeting glance at a Beck who could be lonely and thoughtful without sacrificing his peculiarity. A diamond in the rough.