Hot Charity

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Hot Charity
Hot Charity cover
LP by Rocket From the Crypt
Released August 8, 1995
Recorded 1995
Genre Punk Rock
Rock & Roll
Length ~27:30
Label Perfect Sound Records
Elemental Records (UK)
Producer(s) Sally Browder
Professional reviews
Rocket From the Crypt chronology
The State of Art is on Fire
(1995)		 Hot Charity
(1995)		 Scream, Dracula, Scream!
(1995)


Hot Charity is an LP by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket From the Crypt, released in 1995 on the fictitious record label Perfect Sound (though this name appeared on the record sleeve no such label actually existed; in reality the band released it themselves). The original release was limited in number and soon went out of print, however it was re-released in CD format in 2002 by singer/guitarist John Reis on his Swami Records label as part of the compilation album Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud.

The LP was supported by a 6-week "free tour" using money from the band's Interscope Records contract to cover the costs, so that fans would not have to pay admission to any of the band's shows for the duration of the tour. This was an unusual move and demonstrated particular faith in the band on the part of the label, especially considering that Rocket had not yet recorded anything for Interscope (the band had negotiated an unusual clause in their contract which allowed them to record vinyl releases for other labels).

Hot Charity was the second of 3 releases by Rocket From the Crypt in 1995. The EP The State of Art is on Fire and album Scream, Dracula, Scream! were both also recorded and released that year, and singer/guitarist John Reis would later refer to these 3 records as a "trilogy," though their only real unifying thematic aspect is references to fire.

Contents

[edit] Recording the LP

According to Reis' liner notes included in the CD re-release, Hot Charity was intended to be an experiment of sorts, using funds from the band's recently signed contract with major label Interscope to record in a large professional studio. The first attempt at recording the LP occured over a five week period in Hollywood with a label-suggested producer. The band was unsatisfied with the final tone and mixes of the tracks and attempted to salvage the recordings by sending them to a mixing engineer in New York for remixing. They still found the results unsatisfactory, however, and returned to Hollywood a month after the original sessions to completely re-record the tracks with producer Sally Browder. They found these recordings much more satisfactory and recorded a new song, "My Arrow's Aim." In an attempt to save money the band mixed the tracks at a cheap, poorly maintained studio which went bankrupt days after their session ended. The master tapes were seized by the bank, making it nearly impossible for for the band to have access to them. Though they were still not completely satisfied with the final mixes, the LP was released and the band was relieved to have finished the project.

It should be noted, however, that Reis has a propensity for exaggeration and fabrication when describing his musical endeavors, often "dressing up" the truth in favor of telling an interesting story. That said, it is well-known that Rocket could be particularly exacting about their recordings when focused on a project, and that they often experimented with different studios and producers in order to achieve a particular "sound." Exactly which details of the story behind Hot Charity are true and which have become exaggerated over the years is unknown.

[edit] Track listing

Side 1

  1. Pushed
  2. Guilt Free
  3. Poison Eye
  4. My Arrow's Aim
  5. Feathered Friends

Side 2

  1. Cloud Over Branson
  2. Lorna Doom
  3. Shucks
  4. Pity Yr Paws

[edit] Performers

[edit] Album information

  • Record label: Perfect Sound Records
  • Produced by Sally Browder
  • Layout by Mark Waters
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