Credited to the
Ivor Cutler Trio, 1967's
Ludo was produced by
George Martin and recorded shortly after longtime fan
John Lennon cast
Cutler as Buster Bloodvessel in
the Beatles' ill-fated Magical Mystery Tour film. Backed by bassist Gill Lyons and percussionist Trevor Tompkins,
Cutler indulges his taste for trad jazz on tunes like the boogie-woogie "Mud" and the Goon Show-like "Good Morning! How Are You? Shut Up!" and "A Great Grey Grasshopper." Since Martin had produced records by
Peter Sellers and the other Goons prior to
the Beatles' success, his sensibility matches
Cutler's perfectly, making
Ludo one of
Cutler's very best albums. It's certainly his funniest; the brief "I'm Happy," which continues "and I'll punch the man who says I'm not," and the outstandingly bizarre "A Suck of My Thumb" are probably the goofiest songs the artist ever wrote.
Ludo is light on his usual poems and recitations, but the two short stories, "Mary's Drawer" and "The Shapely Balloon," are as funny and clever as any of
Cutler's spoken works. ~ Stewart Mason