Teasing the Korean

Did anyone see this evening's episode (9/27/09)? The best episode of the season and one of the best of the series.

As a fellow jazz listener and sci-fi freak, I hope you're also into outer space exotica classics such as Frank Comstock's "Project Comstock: Music from Outer Space" (WB, 1962) and Russ Garcia's "Fantastica" (Liberty, 1959). I just picked up the three disc "Outer Limits" CD set, with amazing music by the great Dominic Frontiere.

You may want to get rid of the homo-erotic profile pic.

David Axelrod - Songs of Experience - Capitol (decadent green and purple label, stereo).

I may possibly have better grammar, based on the clumsy construction of your second-to-last sentence: On the subjects of the Beatles, Kinks, and using one's alleged credentials to bully others, how about we agree to disagree and move on?

That's because Paul handled most of them when John or George couldn't cut it.

You're missing Joan.

I had a budget label album by him called "Tropicana" that struck me at the time as a lukewarm Les Baxter knockoff. I don't think I kept it. I think he did arranging for 101 Strings sessions.

I understand. My point, which was not clear, had to do with the fact that the Beatles' contemporaries were and in many ways still are completely overshadowed by the Fab Four. As a result, their contributions often get overlooked. That's all. Of course, we can enjoy them all.

I'm writing a letter to Daddy, and I'm telling on all of you.

Exactly. Why not just enjoy Robert Goulet? Why not just enjoy Jerry Vale? Why not just enjoy Al Martino? They are all just as great as the Beatles. All artists are equally great - none are any better than another.

Are you that out of touch?

I drank some, it tasted fine, and I'm not dead. Yet.

I think you're mixing up two different TV shows, Allen...

Well, I might argue with him about Brian Wilson, but I get it.

Haven't done a formal analysis, but I'm guessing US first, Brazil second, Italy third, France fourth. Not sure quite how to categorize all the latin jazz and exotica.

I hope you weren't part of the happy bottom quarter policy.

Well, more than a year after posting this, I finally broke down and ordered the 3-CD set. For years, I had the single-disc volume on GNP Crescendo, and kept coming back to it and discovering new things. This set is absolutely amazing, the cream-of-the-crop in mid-century outer space music. Mastering is better than the GNP disc and there is three times as much music.

My friend told me that Beatles fans tend to be UPS drivers with beer guts who wear leather jackets and concert t-shirts on the weekends. Is it the same friend?

It's parfait amour. I would typically serve it in iced drinks, so refrigerating it served a dual purpose. Forgot I even had it.

I'm on my way over. I'll bring some pakoras and samosas.

Just curious. This is not a creme-based liqueur.

Bossa Nova, Michel Legrand, MJQ are my top choices. Add the Swingle Singers if mamosas are involved.

The popular histories show the Beatles as being in competition with the Stones and the Beach Boys. While I've never heard proof, I suspect that they had their ears glued to every Kinks release, both 45 and LP.