Noah Gundersen - Send The Rain (To Everyone) - Cardinal Sessions

  . . .well its pretty much rained all day here and after being AFK again for yet another hospital appointment[!]this reflected my mood . . . . . I am beside angry as the pouring rain didn’t let up all day and I seemingly foolishly relied upon public transport (Stagecoach buses! V poor effort!) so my transport to take me 20+ miles to a specialist hospital appointment just didn't show up so that I didn’t make it to my appointment and missed a hospital date for the first time ever in my life - they were TBF really kind and considerate and have rescheduled but I stood in the pouring rain for nearly an hour when I realised if it did turn up finally I would miss my appointment anyway! Soaked through to the skin and miserable I just trudged back home to phone and let them know . . . .I am rarely speechless and not often this angry to be fair but haven’t been able to post anything for hours now and just went back to bed to try and warm up! You have one job and your route is relied upon to take local folk to a hospital in nearby Banbury and just don’t bother turning up! Very poor . . . . .send the rain to everyone indeed but especially Stageoach buses and coach company

Noah Gundersen - Send The Rain (To Everyone) - Cardinal Sessions

The Handsome Family - Far From Any Road

 The clip of Matthew McConaughey reminded me and where did we first hear this wonderful song from te very fine Handsome Family . . . we haven’t featured enough of them . . . might go try n dig out more . . . . . 

The Handsome Family - Far From Any Road

wasn’t the soundtrack curated by T Bone Walker?

if not it should have been

Nobody knows Dark Americana like T Bone!

Ry Cooder - Houston in Two Seconds (Paris Texas) | jt1674

 might start winding down for the day here . . . . .

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/830928097762312192/ry-cooder-houston-in-two-seconds

John Zorn - Apocryphon [Transmigration of The Magus] | jt1674

 

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/830988611245785088/john-zorn-apocryphon

Ger O Donnell (feat. Trevor Sexton) - Galway To Graceland [ Richard Thompson cover ]

 

Ger says: 

From the writing of the amazing Richard Thompson - RT here’s Galway to Graceland with Trevor Sexton. Was great to hear Richard do this live at last year’s Galway Arts Fest!

Ger O Donnell

DANGEROUS MINDS: ‘This is Hardcore’: How porn inspired Pulp’s most divisive album in 1998 | WILL HOWARD

 

Credit: Far Out / Album Cover / Alexander Krivitskiy

‘This is Hardcore’: How porn inspired Pulp’s most divisive album in 1998

Will Howard

Mon 19 October 2026 19:00, UK

Anyone who knows the slightest thing about Pulp beyond the ‘Common People’ dance knows that they were one of the most weirdly horny bands in 1990s rock.

It wasn’t something that came to light by putting two and two together by comparing interview asides with specific lyrics of B-side tracks and looking at their music videos in the right light. Pulp, and frontman Jarvis Cocker in particular, were fascinated by sex. Both in terms of it being a look into the most vulnerable and most private parts of everyone’s personality, and also because, y’know, British people are obsessed with it. Ooh-err matron and all that.

So, perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a surprise when Pulp released an album that was seemingly about porn in 1998 in the form of This is Hardcore, their sixth album.

Now, to those who had followed the band for even half of the two decades they’d spent together by 1998, this was an album completely in their wheelhouse. In fact, the strange thing about it for fans would have been the album’s sound, which saw the group suddenly become a dark, trip-hop enfused lounge band. That wouldn’t have been a problem for fans, though; the new duds suited them well.

As is pretty much always the case, it was the British public that was the problem.

You see, despite being catapulted to astronomical levels of fame with their legendary Glastonbury set, the issue with Pulp was that they were never meant to be famous. Especially in the 1990s, when Cool Britannia and Britpop had sanded down the edges of British culture for mainstream consumption.

While more eyes were on the band than ever, those eyes really did only know the band for the ‘Common People’ dance alone, so when the title track of the album dropped and the first words Cocker muttered as one of the most famous people in the country was “You are hardcore / you make me hard”, people freaked out.

The backlash was strong and swift. Even the album’s cover art was banned from being advertised on the London underground. The album was called weird, exploitative, gross and sold just over half what their previous record Different Class had sold in its first week. Even the critics were a little unsure of what to make of it, but perhaps that was because they could look a little closer at the album and see the real, bleak darkness at its heart.

Because yes, the album was inspired by the mild porn addiction Jarvis Cocker freely admitted to developing while on tour. There was little else to do back at a hotel at the time, apparently. Yet Cocker is nothing if not a very smart man, and he felt a kinship with the people he saw in the content he was watching. In an interview promoting the album, he said, “It’s the way that people get used up in it. You’d see the same people in films, and they’d seem to be quite alive, and then you’d see a film from a year later and there’s something gone in their eyes. You can see it, that they’ve done it all and there’s nowhere else to go.”

He said the entertainment industry does the same thing to people. Pulp had been genuinely famous for three years, riding a wave led by the likes of Blur and Oasis, so Cocker wasn’t just talking about the way he felt treated by the industry. Everywhere he looked, he saw people sucked dry by the demands of play-acting something real and genuine to the cameras, trapped in this cycle that they’re never dreaming of getting out of because of how many people tell them it’s what they’ve always wanted.

It’s interesting to compare This is Hardcore to an album that could have gone down similarly from the following year. Another band at odds with Britpop who followed up their breakthrough masterpiece with a challenging, deeply depressing record that spat venomous bile at not only the very concept of fame, but also the fans who propped them up enough to keep them trapped within it. But Radiohead’s OK Computer was also as sexual as a bowl of cornflakes with no milk, so it was a smash hit hailed as one of the best albums of the decade.

This is Hardcore was hated for all the reasons that it’s a masterpiece. I’m reminded of a sample from another milestone of bleak rock music that was far too much for Britpop from four years before its release. The Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible includes a sample of JG Ballard talking about why he wrote his horrifying masterwork, Crash. In it, I see what Pulp were doing by taking the seedy, grim and dehumanising world of porn and analysing modern fame and modern culture through it.

“I wanted to rub the human face in its own vomit and then force it to look in the mirror.”

Turns out, people don’t like that much. It’s why albums like This is Hardcore are so necessary nearly 30 years after its release.

THIS IS HARDCORE - PULP

[adult version available at Dangerous Minds]

VA - The Great Tomato Blues Package (45 Classic Blues Selections) [1989] (2 x CDs)

 now this is interesting and as theses (thesii?) go there none finer to make us think than our Butterboy . . . . 

VA - The Great Tomato Blues Package (45 Classic Blues Selections) [1989] (2 x CDs)

BLUES

VA - The Great Tomato Blues Package (45 Classic Blues Selections) [1989] (2 x CDs)

Butterboy explains: 

The Great Tomato Blues Package, released in 1989 on Tomato Records as a two‑CD anthology, offers a generous and carefully assembled survey of mid‑century blues recordings drawn from the label’s deep catalogue. Issued under catalogue number R2 70737, the set gathers forty‑five tracks originally released between the late forties and early seventies, presenting a broad view of electric blues, acoustic traditions and regional styles that shaped the genre’s evolution. Tomato had long been known for licensing important material from artists whose work often sat between folk, blues and early roots music, and this compilation reflects that archival commitment.

The first disc leans into classic electric blues, with performances that highlight strong guitar phrasing, steady rhythm sections and vocals shaped by lived experience. Many tracks were originally issued on small labels, later reissued by Tomato in LP or CD form, making their appearance here valuable for listeners who follow catalogue histories. The mastering preserves the warmth of the original tapes, allowing the grit and nuance of each performance to come through clearly.

The second disc expands the frame, bringing in acoustic sides, regional variations and lesser known artists whose recordings rarely appear in mainstream anthologies. Several selections originate from albums Tomato released during the seventies, often drawn from field recordings or studio sessions that documented musicians with long histories but limited commercial exposure. These tracks add depth, showing how blues traditions persisted outside major label structures.

What makes The Great Tomato Blues Package notable is its balance of familiarity and discovery. Well‑known artists anchor the set, yet the rarities and deeper cuts provide insight into the genre’s breadth. The sequencing moves smoothly, creating a listening experience that feels both historical and immediate. For collectors, the anthology stands as a thoughtful document of Tomato’s role in preserving essential blues recordings, presented with care, clarity and respect for the original sources. (Butterboy)

oh you want the exact track listing?

 Track lists

CD1

01 Johnny Shines - Too Wet to Plow 4:24

02 Mississippi Fred McDowell - You Got to Move 2:52

03 Peg Leg Sam - Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho 3:20

04 Louisiana Red - Sweet Blood Call 3:00

05 Lightnin' Hopkins - Cryin' Shame 2:33

06 Sonny Terry - Playing With the Thing 2:39

07 Sonny Boy Williams - Fattening Frogs for Snakes 2:24

08 Roosevelt Sykes - Music is My Business 2:41

09 Jelly Roll Morton - Dead Man Blues 3:17

10 Louis Armstrong - St. Louis Blues 3:05

11 Bessie Smith - Alexander's Ragtime Band 3:03

12 Champion Jack Dupree - Shake Baby Shake 2:29

13 Willie Mabon - Poison Ivy 2:54

14 Billie Holiday - Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 1:56

15 Charlie Parker - Parker's Mood 3:05

16 Big Mama Thornton - Ball and Chain 7:00

17 Little Walter - Juke 2:45

18 Howlin' Wolf - Little Red Rooster 2:27

19 Buster Brown - Fanny Mae 2:59

20 Elmore James - The Sky is Crying 2:45

21 Aretha Franklin - There is a Fountain Filled With Blood 4:28

22 Ray Charles - Blues is My Middle Name 3:08

CD2

01 Ike & Tina Turner - Poor Fool 2:36

02 B.B. King - The Other Night Blues 3:37

03 Brownie McGhee - The Blues Had a Baby 2:54

04 Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley 2:29

05 Little Richard - Lucille 2:28

06 Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind 2:37

07 Wilbert Harrison - Kansas City 2:25

08 Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy 2:56

09 Jimmy Reed - Take Out Some Insurance 2:26

10 Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle 3:02

11 Chuck Berry - In the Wee, Wee Hours 3:05

12 Fats Domino - Blue Monday 2:44

13 Dee Dee Ford; Don Garner - I Need Your Lovin' 2:17

14 Irma Thomas - Wish Someone Would Care 2:14

15 Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman 2:59

16 Carl Perkins - Honey Don't 2:51

17 Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 5:04

18 John Lee Hooker - Tupelo 7:25

19 Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup - That's All Right 5:54

20 Johnny Winter; Rocky Hill - Bad Girl Blues 2:49

21 Townes Van Zandt - Nothin' 2:51

22 Mississippi John Hurt - Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight 2:53

23 Lead Belly - Midnight Special 2:53

now how’s that for interesting a selection!? Go on you know you want to

its either that or revisiting 27 CDs of ERASURE!?

I mean no bad thing but TWENTY SEVEN!?😉

Butterboy says can ya dig it!?

Now here’s a stage full of Bluegrass! Hartford's Mammoth Collection!! indeed

 This tickled me  . . . . . Intro on the outro!

Who’s who! . . . . . . 

If only to see the lovely Alison Krause so young she has a natural brown perm!

 Hartford's Mammoth Collection

Who say:It’s IBMA week in Chattanooga, TN! The International Bluegrass Music Association takes over the city for the World Of Bluegrass—the bluegrass GRAMMYs. In honor of this special occasion, we thought we’d share this clip of John Hartford introducing the IBMA award recipients way back in 1991 in Owensboro, KY…

So we best have an actual track from that year and there’s plenty out there Blue Railroad Train, Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms etc and a few played the whole gig but couldn’t get any of ‘em to play over here exceptin' this ‘un!

Bluegrass Album Band - Big Spike Hammer - IBMA Award Show - Bluegrass Music TV

Peter Green on guitar heroes - Don’s Tunes

 Peter Green: Hendrix was special because he had everything. He was worthy on every level, hasn’t he ? He tickled your soul with his playing. He had the understanding. Someone like me didn’t have nothing of what he had. I was just a working-class kid who lived in Putney. Hubert Sumlin and Howlin Wolf had it. No one knew what he was on about half the time but it made sense on another level. Sumlin’s playing was what we all wished we could be like, not just for what he played but where it came from. You can just tell the people who understand the blues.

Hank Marvin was my first guitar hero. It wasn’t how you think of The Shadows now. They were very, very hip then. I listened to his playing because it was very lyrical, his phrasings were melodic and I’ve always liked a nice melody. Hank made the guitar into an instrument that talked colours. I know Cliff was meant to be England’s Elvis but we were all looking at Hank, to be honest. I also used to enjoy that bloke [Cliff Gallup] from The Blue Caps, Gene Vincent’s band. Good, solid but very simple player. I don’t like too much complication; it’s like unnecessary words. I don’t use the word ‘lick’. I hate that word, actually – because I don’t play licks, I play phrases or riffs. A riff is a short thing that you repeat and a phrase is a group of notes for your melody. I’m big on melody, I am. I’d like to do the standards one day, the kind of stuff that people can sing down the pub or to their bird.

Interview: Cliff Jones ; "Mojo", Sep. 1996
Photo by George Wilkes

Don's Tunes

someone on Don’s Tunes mentioned the wonderful jumping at Shadows and I checked it out he’s not wrong . . .personally Jimmy Carr’s ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ gets me every time. Loved Carr’s original but Peter made it his own! Black Magic Woman another level so that other’s covered it! Awesome literally

Fleetwood Mac Jumping At Shadows (1999 - Remaster)

Peter Green - Man of The World The Anthology 1968 - 1988

Captain Sensible's choice of his favourite albums! For National Album Day!

 Fun though I undoubtedly thought The Damned were I never really took them seriously and yet somehow always though Captain Sensible the most fun (Happy Talk?) but this is astonishing somehow really . . . . I love the slection of top albums as most of you will be aware but how many of you would guess any of the Cap’ns choices!

2 mins and 41 secs of Captain Sensible from The Damned talking about iconic albums… What more could you want?

The Damned have officially joined this year’s National Album Day (17/10/2026) celebrating ‘Icons’

National Album Day