Before "Loser" skyrocketed him into the pop-star stratosphere, Beck recorded this album of lo-fi tunes and ballads in the basement of K Records founder Calvin Johnson. This largely acoustic LP is a snapshot of the troubadour life Beck led when he was more likely to be found Dumpster-diving than predicting the Zeitgeist. The backwoods folk of "He's a Mighty Good Leader" and Delta blues of "Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods" shows past intent study of American traditional music, whereas the cynical critique of California culture voiced in "Cyanide Breath Mint" highlights the lyrical agility of a postpunk poet. In a tribute to the virtues of this album's simplicity, rocker Tom Petty covered "Asshole" with remarkable restraint, leaving the pleasures of the three-chord lament intact. As Beck morphs his way into the cultural landscape, this record lets us know that at least he has roots somewhere. --Lois Maffeo

uuid:	8E3143D4-C4E3-457F-A689-AC4391DD54B2
upc:	0789856102822
tracklisting:	He's a Mighty Good Leader Sleeping Bag I Get Lonesome Burnt Orange Peel Cyanide Breath Mint See Water Ziplock Bag Hollow Log Forcefield Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods Asshole I've Seen the Land Beyond Outcome Girl Dreams Painted Eyelids Atmospheric Conditions
title:	One Foot in the Grave
rating:	5
purchase date:	09-05-2005
published:	14-06-1994
price:	$14.98
net Rating:	4
last lookup time:	137388032
genre:	Lo-Fi Indie Rock
fullTitle:	One Foot in the Grave
created:	137388016
country:	us
aspect:	Audio CD
asin:	B000003RN0
artist:	Beck