The Jukebox Rebel

Fresh from an acting stint playing would-be courier Buster Bloodvessel in The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film, Ivor tied up with producer George Martin for the long-awaited follow up to his “Who Tore Your Trousers?” LP of six years previous. He's backed by double-bassist Gill Lyons and percussionist Trevor Tompkins; together they are “The Ivor Cutler Trio”, generally coming across as an economical Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Just when their jazzy-cabaret-comedy shtick is starting to wear thin on me, along comes the spoken-word piece, “Mary’s Drawer”, and I'm reminded just why I love Ivor so. An imaginative child, Mary takes full advantage of the kitchen drawer with which she has been left to play whilst her mother, Ellen, cleans upstairs. In no time at all Mary has flooded the downstairs and is happily sailing; “'I am a brave girl captain', thought Mary”! Disaster strikes when the drawer develops a leak. Mum comes to the rescue however, dandily placing some spent gum to seal the offending hole. Mother and daughter proceed to enjoy sailing in the kitchen drawer together! I can't help wishing that he'd dump the Doo-Dah Bonzo's and carry on by himself.

Over on side 2, “Good Morning! How Are You? Shut Up!” is the best of the cabaret songs. He hates small talk about microscopes, spiders and flies, a million-millionths of six and such-like. He much prefers the big talk; elephants and yaks are where it's at. Ivor certainly knows what he wants. As with “A Red Flower” on his last LP, a troublesome transaction with a shopkeeper makes for another of Ivor's spoken-word classics in “The Shapely Balloon”; if there's a greater piece ever to use the word “assuage” in the lyrics I've yet to hear it.

The Jukebox Rebel
07–Feb–2009

A1	[01:03] Ivor Cutler Trio - Mud (Ivor Cutler) Crooner / Cabaret
A2	[02:21] Ivor Cutler Trio - A Great Grey Grasshopper (Ivor Cutler) Avant-Garde
A3	[00:53] Ivor Cutler Trio - Darling, Will You Marry Me Twice (Ivor Cutler) Crooner / Cabaret
A4	[01:12] Ivor Cutler Trio - A Still, Small Fly (Ivor Cutler) Avant-Garde
A5	[01:47] Ivor Cutler Trio - Deedle, Deedly, I Pass (Ivor Cutler) Alternative Folk
A6	[02:03] Ivor Cutler Trio - I Had A Little Boat (Ivor Cutler) Alternative Folk
A7	[01:11] Ivor Cutler Trio - Cockadoodledon’t (Ivor Cutler) Crooner / Cabaret
A8	[02:18] Ivor Cutler Trio - Shoplifters (Ivor Cutler) Jazz
A9	[03:34] Ivor Cutler Trio - Mary’s Drawer (Ivor Cutler) Storytelling
B1	[00:39] Ivor Cutler Trio - I’m Happy (Ivor Cutler) Crooner / Cabaret
B2	[02:09] Ivor Cutler Trio - I’m Going In A Field (Ivor Cutler) Alternative Folk
B3	[00:49] Ivor Cutler Trio - Go On, Jump! (Ivor Cutler) Storytelling
B4	[02:06] Ivor Cutler Trio - Flim Flam Flum (Ivor Cutler) Jazz
B5	[01:26] Ivor Cutler Trio - Good Morning! How Are You? Shut Up! (Ivor Cutler) Crooner / Cabaret
B6	[02:02] Ivor Cutler Trio - Last Song (Ivor Cutler) Jazz
B7	[02:02] Ivor Cutler Trio - A Suck Of My Thumb (Ivor Cutler) Crooner / Cabaret
B8	[04:04] Ivor Cutler Trio - The Shapely Balloon (Ivor Cutler) Storytelling

ratings by TJR