Not only do I get to see Hot Chip for free, I get paid for it too.

I'll probably get a bit of a kip in the bar upstairs during the afternoon, after i've stuffed my face with a free three course lunch in catering.

HJ, i'm glad you already knew what I was getting at. Since this is a public forum, i thought i might clarify my thoughts for the benefit of others....

Being able to count to two is a definite advantage, there's always some wit who shouts "three" which is of course always hilariously funny and original. It's the sound of the words that count, not the numbers themselves, a "wah" sound and a "t." sound (as in tut) which allow the engineer to asess the sound of the microphone and make adjustments accordingly. You could choose any words you liked, and some people have come out with some belters over the years, if only I could remember them. Any amusing suggestions may be considered.

My favourite ever soundchecking moment was when a guitar tech for the Buzzcocks was checking a guitar in the afternoon, and sung and played the whole of Britney Spear's "Hit me baby one more time" complete with a dance routine. Everyone just stopped what they were doing and stared, he got a big round of applause. Deservedly so. You just don't get enough roadies like that any more.

I know these must be accurate but I am always in a fair amount of shock as to what appear in the top 10 and what doesn't. I'd expect Napoleon, Rock Steady and We Expected to be in the top 5 most of the time, if not all of the time.

I'm interested in the figures too, maybe we could make a freedom of information request to Itunes to find out about the sales amounts but that would be borderline nosey lol.

If it's any consolation Rock Steady is our biggest selling download in the USA by quite a distance. It was used on MTV and in some boutique chain in California and sells really well. Tiger over the last few years is the best selling in the uk.

The i tunes list is easy to get- you just search for Hussy's and i tunes tells you what the best sellers are-it changes all the time. In our case because we're only a small band and havent sold a huge amount of downloads any sales are reasonably sensitive and will affect the list which also seems to be weighted based on the last few days.

As regards money we get comparatively good money from downloads. I think its about 60% of the list price. So for an £8 album like Super Pro we'd get roughly £5. However balance that up with the cost of recording the album, getting it mastered and driving to London and so on and you can forget about quitting your day job. In fact you'd better be sure you've got a good day job to fund your band.

Eve Hussettes !

The Hussy's latest blog ?

James 'being on the door' was kinda like 'the icing on the cake'.

I paid for myself and my three imaginary 'friends' with a Taiwanese four million goats head note, and he thought it was an English twenty pound note, due to what I thought was the lighting?

And the gig was as much a blast for the fans, as it was for the band, as explained 'St Elsewhere'


Jack


Saturday, March 13, 2010

This Goat's for You

"I’m not sure putting me on the door to collect money was a good idea. I’m short sighted and couldn’t see if people already an “x” on their wrists or not. I‘d jump up from the table and say “hey , hey you wait a minute” and then the person would say “I’ve already paid mate, speak to Steph” and rush past. There was a tin with tenners in it so its not like I’d rush after them and say “lets see your wrist?”. You see big bands under the influence of Joe Strummer (who always went out to speak to Clash fans after the gig) chatting with people at the merchandise desk. I suppose they are trying to keep it real and punk rock. Really, they should just collect the money on the door and then rush back to the stage to get their stuff set up and tuned. Nah didn’t think so. Too much reality as Spinal Tap would say.

The Baltics were on before us and they were great. It was their first gig. David’s chat was pretty good and I was listening to their cover of “Smile” (while taking money at the door) thinking, that songs got a weird structure. They never did the “Old Brown Shoe” bit at the end though so points deducted.

We decided to play a really long set since it would be our last for a while. Both Steph and myself did a bit of keys and we dusted off some of the really old tunes like “Snowboard” and “Jesus” and to be honest playing them was a blast. Fili had mentioned the guy we’d seen dead on Camden High Street a few days before and some wag from the crowd shouted “was he at the gig?”.






Current Listening ...

Not surprised to see Napoleon back at the top. I remember that was the song of the day (or the week?) on XFM at one point. Obviously surprised not to see Rock Steady or Tiger. I think they give out fake figures just to confuse people!

"We Expected" came on the iPod tonight during my commute and put a smile on my sour puss...

Eve Folx

Brains are a bit scrambled with a week of learning stuff which is akin to learning Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Am probably 'the one in ten' concerning 'Napoleon Dynamite' as i've never been that big on it,but know that it is a Hussys fans favourite so that's all that matters.
And it's putting money in The Hussy's coffers.

Jack

P.S. R2 = Ins x csa N
________csa N + csa CPC

&

Zs = Ze + (R1+R2) incase anyone was wondering?

Current listening ....

HJ your blasphemic comments will not be tolerated!

Hiho, I must be the one in ten that doesn't have an Ipod. Or an Iphone. Or Itunes. Or any apple product! I'm on a self imposed Apple boycott.

I must be an Apple salesman's dream - I have everything apple and even like eating them

Found yesterday's blog both interesting and entertaining,but no 'Frampton Comes Alive' or 'Cheap Trick Live At The Budokan'???

Spot on with the 'David Live / Stage' comments.

Jack

Thursday, July 29, 2010
Seventies live Live

The Seventies were the best time for live albums. It’s an undisputed fact set out in True Rock Facts volume 17. Maybe it’s because the bands were all shit hot live in them days or maybe it’s because the record companies would put out any old live tapes with a picture of the band under the spotlight on the cover to get some cash in for the shareholders. Who knows. Here’s a selection….

1/ AC/DC If you want blood you’ve got it

Apparently they stole the title from the Blood Transfusion Society. Recorded in Glasgow in the late 70’s. The venue was called the Apollo. It’s now a car park or a branch of John Lewis or even a football stadium. God knows. If you put your head to the pavement you can hear echoes of tiny voices going “Angus, Angus, Angus”. I used to have the twelve inch of “Whole Lot of Rosie” and it still sounds great at 78, 45 or even 33. All 6 min utes of Riff Raff at the start sounds like what it must be like to base jump off Canary Wharf. Maybe the best live album ever made?

2/ The Kinks Live at the Kelvin Hall (....Glasgow....)

This was recorded in what is now a museum full of tractors and old trains. One of the greatest bands of all time get put in a commer van and sent up to Glasgow on a Friday night to do 2 matinee shows in early 1967 for a few quid while Ray sits in the back and thinks up “Waterloo Sunset”. All you can hear is screaming girls. There’s a tasty version of Dandy. Apart from that it’s like sitting beside a netball team on a crashing aeroplane.

3/ Who Live at ..Leeds..

I used to really like this but a roadie in a former band I was in used to play it on the van stereo on a continuous loop. It reminds me of the Cairngorms because I remember thinking I was going to have to walk home from the Cairngorms if he played it again. Fortunately he put on “Who’s Next” but after a few days the effect was the same and I found myself walking home from Chelmsford.

4/ Get your ya yas out The Rolling Stones

This starts with the Stones roadie saying “The Rolling Stones the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World” over and over again like some kind of subliminal chant to ensure you realise they were and even if you didn’t you would know soon. At the time they were. Greg, who used to play keys for us had the “I think I’ve bust a button on my trousers, I hope my trousers don’t fall down” line down really well, at which point I’d always say to him “Paint it Black you devil” in a schoolgirl voice.

5/ Slade- Alive!

A bit of a strange one. There’s none of their classic stomp along singles like “Take me back ‘ome” and “Skweeze me pleeze me” . It’s just some cover versions of folk songs and stuff supercharged through the Sladeometer. Being Slade they pull it off big time. This was in the top 10 of the album charts for like 13 years in the Seventies.

6/ Neil Young- Live Rust

Fili had the DVD of this in the van at one point. I was driving. I never saw it. I’ve got the album and I was mouthing all the little bits between the songs “Maybe if we all think together we can stop the rain” and “Hey get off the towers”. By the time it was my turn to sit in the back Ronnie had put on his Level 42 live DVD.

7/ Van Morrison- Too Late to Stop Now

Apart from AC/DC maybe the best live album ever? I can even mouth along to the bits where Van introduces the band “John Platania on guitar” and so on. He probably did some high kicks but you cant hear them on the record although there’s a bit where you can hear his trousers splitting.

8/ David- Live
Recorded by ..Bowie.. during one of his hyper creative spells in 1974 in ..America.. somewhere (....Philadelphia....?). “Rebel, Rebel” and “All the Young Dudes” get a revamp along with pretty much everything else and come out sounding of roses. Luther Vandross does some bvs. His 1978 live album sounds like it was recorded inside a lunar landing capsule. This sounds like it was recorded on the moon.


current listening..