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Critic's Review
J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide
Allegedly, Martin Denny's one and only live recording was of this September 1964 set at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, AK. Not intended for commercial release, Baked Alaska was culled from tapes of the live broadcast of the show on Alaskan Air Force Command Radio. The sound quality suffers a bit from the transfer and the crowd noise threatens to overpower some of the more nuanced numbers, but for fans of "the King of Exotica," Baked Alaska is a rare chance to hear the band in top form (birdcalls and all) in a live setting. Several Denny staples are here ("Quiet Village," "Burma Train") as well as some exoti-fied hits of the day ("The World of Suzie Wong," "A Taste of Honey"), making for an enjoyable set by one of exotica's hardest-working figureheads.
