Genre hopping global star Beck is set to re-issue his 1994 album ‘One Foot In The Grave’ with over a dozen bonus tracks.
While he is now an award winning, chart smashing star, once upon a time Beck was an oddball pop talent. His debut album ‘Mellow Gold’ was a shock success, buoyed by slacker anthem ‘Loser’. However, the singer surprised his fans by taking an about-turn and releasing an album of lo-fi acoustic material.
Beck began life playing delta blues songs in public parks. It is these songs which form the backbone of ‘One Foot In The Grave’, released via Calvin Johnson’s seminal label K. Based in Olympia, a host of K Records figures appear on the album including Built To Spill, Spinanes and Love As Laughter.
Originally running to sixteen tracks, many of these still form the spine of Beck’s live set. The new re-issue will include several never before released songs, as well as three more from an out of print seven inch – including a version of ‘It’s All In Your Mind’ from 2002’s ‘Sea Change’.
‘One Foot In The Grave’ mixes traditional material with Beck’s faux-trad songwriting skills. Opener ‘He’s A Mighty Good Leader’ is a gospel song recorded by Skip James, while ‘I’ve Seen The Land Beyond’ is another religious anthem.
However Beck mixes these with typically surreal stream of consciousness lyrics. ‘Cyanide Breath Mint’ and ‘Asshole’ for example, don’t sound like anything Alan Lomax would have stumbled across in the Appalachians.
Amongst the bonus tracks are the intriguingly titled ‘Teenage Wastebasket’ as well as the title track, which was bizarrely left off the end product.
Beck is set to release his new version of ‘One Foot In The Grave’ on April 14th in the United States. Bonus tracks are as follows:
’It’s All In Your Mind’ (K Records 7″)
‘Whiskey Can Can’ (K Records 7″)
‘Mattress’*
‘Woe On Me’*
‘Teenage Wastebasket’*
‘Your Love Is Weird’*
‘Favorite Nerve’*
‘Piss On The Door’*
‘Close To God’*
‘Sweet Satan’*
‘Burning Boyfriend’*
‘Black Lake Morning’*
‘Feather In Your Cap’ (K Records 7″)
‘One Foot In the Grave’*
‘Teenage Wastebasket’*
‘I Get Lonesome’*
*never before released
