Alejandro "Alec" Palao (born 1962) is a British musician, music historian, writer, and reissue producer. In addition to his musical output with groups like

the Sting-Rays The Sting-rays (often credited The Stingrays) were a British rock band from Greater London which recorded on Ace Records' garage and psychedelic subsidiary Big Beat and Joe Foster's ''Kaleidoscope Sound'' in the 1980s.''Maximum Rocknroll'' N ...

the Sneetches ''The Sneetches and Other Stories'' is a collection of stories by American children's author Dr. Seuss, published in 1961. It is composed of four separate stories with themes of tolerance, diversity, and compromise: "The Sneetches", "The Zax", ...

, and

Mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

, his works include hundreds of production credits and liner notes on important compilations of vintage rock and soul from Ace Records,

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, and others, plus a wide array of music-related print and film credits. Palao is unusual in that he normally supervises each aspect of the projects he compiles, including audio transfers and restoration as well as research and liner notes. Honors include five

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominations for historical albums and liner notes.

Early life

Born "just as '

Love Me Do "Love Me Do" is the official debut single by the English rock band the Beatles, backed by " P.S. I Love You". When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. It was released in the Unite ...

' was entering the UK charts in late 1962", Palao grew up in the

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban villa ...

area of North London. His first recollection of pop music was hearing Amen Corner's " If Paradise is Half as Nice" on the radio. His first of many record purchases was "Hey Rock and Roll" by

Showaddywaddy Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 ...

though he "did also really like

Bowie Bowie may refer to: People * Bowie (surname), origin of the surname and a list of people with the surname, including particularly: ** James Bowie (c. 1796–1836), Texan revolutionary ** David Bowie (1947–2016), English singer, songwriter, and ...

, Sparks, Roxy,

T. Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' liv ...

and hipper stuff". As a musician (piano, drums, bass, guitar) in

, he developed an early interest in punk,

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

, 1960s garage rock, and soul.

Career

After graduating from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

in 1985, Palao relocated to California in 1988. He joined a local alternative pop band, the

Sneetches ''The Sneetches and Other Stories'' is a collection of stories by American children's author Dr. Seuss, published in 1961. It is composed of four separate stories with themes of tolerance, diversity, and compromise: "The Sneetches", "The Zax", ...

, and in 1990 co-founded ''Cream Puff War'' magazine to chronicle the musical history of the San Francisco Bay Area. Working as a consultant with Ace Records, he researched and compiled the '' Nuggets from the Golden State'' series for their Big Beat Records subsidiary, followed by many other releases. As a U.S. resident, Palao has further assisted the label's general release schedule by traversing the country to copy or acquire numerous vintage music catalogs on their behalf. In 1998, he was a major participant in efforts by

to expand the original Nuggets album as a series of box sets, followed by work with Light in the Attic,

Omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

, Numero,

Craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

, and others. In 2007, he was one of four recipients of the

Greg Shaw Greg Shaw (January 1949 – October 19, 2004) was an American writer, publisher, magazine editor, music historian and record executive. Biography Shaw was born in San Francisco, California. He began writing about rock and roll music as a ...

Award for Outstanding Contributions to Popular Culture Preservation. He was the "producer, writer, and principal researcher" on the 2014 film ''The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard''. As "one of the Bay Area's most notable collectors of 1960s rock and roll and soul music", he said in a 2019 interview, "My priority is turning people on to music, especially if they have never heard it before." Another interviewer called him "internationally recognized as one of the true champions of the American garage band movement". He has said of his compilation efforts, "... my predilection is always to ferret out stuff that either hasn't been out before ... or can stand a major upgrade. I prefer to rehabilitate rather than regurgitate." He also added, "I haven't done much writing outside of liner notes .... Rather than be a commentator, I like to be the person whose work gets commented on." He has at various times been a member of the Charity Case,

Rain Parade The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012. History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86) Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...

, the Maydays,

Slaughter Joe Joe Foster (born Joseph James Foster Ruiz, 9 August 1960, often known as Slaughter Joe) is an English musician and record producer, who, with Alan McGee and Dick Green, formed Creation Records in 1983.Modern Folk Quintet The Modern Folk Quartet (or "MFQ") was an American folk music revival group that formed in the early 1960s. Originally emphasizing acoustic instruments and group harmonies, they performed extensively and recorded two albums. In 1965, as the Mode ...

, the Hellenes, Magic Christian, Tall Poppy Syndrome, and other groups. His current project is Strangers in a Strange Land with vocalist Paul Kopf. Palao has also performed and recorded with

Country Joe McDonald Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald (born January 1, 1942) is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.Richard Brenneman"Country Joe McDonald Revives Anti-War Anthem", '' Berkeley ...

the Seeds The Seeds were an American psychedelic garage rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965, best known for their highest charting single "Pushin' Too Hard". The band's classic line-up featured frontman Sky Saxon, guitarist Jan Savage (b ...

, the

Chocolate Watchband The Chocolate Watchband is an American garage rock band that formed in 1965 in Los Altos, California. The band went through several lineup changes during its existence. Combining psychedelic and garage rock components, their sound was marked by Da ...

, the

Beau Brummels The Beau Brummels was an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino (lead vocals), Ron Elliott (lead guitar), Ron Meagher (bass guitar), Declan Mulligan (rhythm guitar, bass, harmon ...

, and the

Flamin' Groovies Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic (''Supersnazz'') and Kama Sutra (''Flamingo'' and '' Teenage He ...

. As of 2023, he is a consultant to Ace Records.

Grammy Awards

Published works

Selected production credits

Producer credits on major releases: *Various: '' GS I Love You: Japanese Garage Bands of the 1960s'' (Big Beat CDWIKD 159, 1996) *

The Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American chart-topper, hit in 1964 with "She's Not ...

: '' Zombie Heaven'' (Big Beat Records ZOMBOX 7, 1997) *

The Ace of Cups Ace of Cups is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1967 during the Summer of Love era. It has been described as one of the first all-female rock bands. The members of Ace of Cups were Mary Gannon (bass), Marla Hunt (organ, piano), ...

: ''It's Bad For You But Buy It'' (Big Beat CDWIKD 236, 2003) *

Darondo William Daron Pulliam (October 5, 1946 – June 9, 2013), who performed in the 1970s under the name Darondo, was an American soul singer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Life and career Darondo was born in 1946 in Berkeley, California. As a chi ...

: ''Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions'' ( BGP CDBGPD 233, 2011) *

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...

: ''en anglais . . . et en américaine'' (Ace CDCHD 1489, 2016) *Various: ''Making Time: A

Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (born August 11, 1937) is an American record producer, songwriter and arranger, best known for his work in the UK in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks and many others. Talmy arranged and produced hits such as "You Really Got Me" ...

Production'' (Ace CDCHD 1497, 2017) *Various: ''An A-Square Compilation'' (

Third Man Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the striking batter, to limit the number of runs that the striker scores and/or to get a batter out by either catching a hit ball befor ...

TMR-496, 2018) *

Dyke & The Blazers Dyke and the Blazers was an American funk band led by Arlester Christian. The band was formed in 1965, and recorded up until Christian's death in 1971. Among their most successful records were the original version of " Funky Broadway" (1966) and ...

: ''Down On Funky Broadway: Phoenix 1966-67'' / ''I Got a Message: Hollywood 1968-70'' (Craft Recordings CR00322 / CR00323, 2021) *

The Beau Brummels The Beau Brummels was an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino (lead vocals), Ron Elliott (lead guitar), Ron Meagher (bass guitar), Declan Mulligan (rhythm guitar, bass, harmonic ...

: ''Turn Around: The Complete Recordings 1964-70'' (Now Sounds QCRNOWBX58, 2021) *

The Sons of Adam The Sons of Adam (earlier the Fender IV) were an American garage rock band. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, they relocated to Los Angeles and became a regular fixture on the Sunset Strip music scene during the mid-1960s. The band released ...

: ''Saturday's Sons: The Complete Recordings 1964-1966'' (High Moon CDHMR 13X, 2022)

Selected liner notes

See Grammy Awards section for nominated entries. * Dan Hicks: ''Early Muses'' (Big Beat Records 183, 1998) *

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

: ''Box Set'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

5CCRCD-4434-2, 2001) *Various: ''Love That Louie: The '

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and ...

' Files'' (Ace Records CSCHD 844, 2002) * The Gosdin Brothers: ''Sounds of Goodbye'' (Big Beat CDWIKD 235, 2003) *

The Sonics The Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington that formed in 1960. Their aggressive, hard-edged sound has been a major influence on punk and garage music worldwide, and they have been named inspirations to the White St ...

: ''Psycho-Sonic'' (Big Beat CDWIKD 115, 2003) *Various: ''Hollywood Maverick: The

Gary S. Paxton Gary Sanford Paxton (born Larry Wayne Stevens; May 18, 1939 – July 17, 2016) was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and the Hollywood Argyles and wa ...

Story'' (Ace CDCHD 1073, 2006) *

Dan Penn Dan Penn (born Wallace Daniel Pennington, November 16, 1941) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s, including " The Dark End of the Street" and " Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" ...

: ''The Fame Recordings'' (Ace CDCHD 1353, 2012) *Various: ''

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper M ...

Presents Lightning Striking'' (Ace CDTOP2 1606, 2021)

Articles and essays

Selected works from books, magazines, and music publications: * * * * * * * * *

Film

*Interview, '' A Life in the Death of Joe Meek'' (2013) *Producer, ''The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard'' (2014) *Interview, '' On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone'' (2017)

Discography

Palao's recordings include singles, EPs, and albums with multiple artists as a bassist, drummer, and songwriter.

Albums

The Sting-Rays The Sting-rays (often credited The Stingrays) were a British rock band from Greater London which recorded on Ace Records' garage and psychedelic subsidiary Big Beat and Joe Foster's ''Kaleidoscope Sound'' in the 1980s.''Maximum Rocknroll'' N ...

**''Dinosaurs'' (1983) **''Live Retaliation'' (1985) **''Cryptic and Coffee Time'' (1987) **''The Essential (Early) Sting-Rays Recordings 1982 To 1985'' (1987) **''Come On Kid! Live '84'' (1991, VHS) **''From the Kitchen Sink'' (2002) **''Live at the

Klub Foot Klub Foot was a London nightclub in the psychobilly scene of the early and mid-1980s. It started in the heyday of the psychobilly scene in 1982. It was hosted at the Ballroom of the Clarendon Hotel in Hammersmith until the venue was demolish ...

1984'' (2010) *

) (1987) **''The Pied Piper of Feedback'' (1990) **''Zé Do Caixão'' (2003) **''A Collection'' (2012) *

The Sneetches ''The Sneetches and Other Stories'' is a collection of stories by American children's author Dr. Seuss, published in 1961. It is composed of four separate stories with themes of tolerance, diversity, and compromise: "The Sneetches", "The Zax", ...

**''Slow'' (1990) **''1985-1991'' (1991) **''Pop!'' (with Chris Wilson) (1993) **''Think Again'' (1993) **''Blow Out the Sun'' (1994) **''Obscureyears'' (1994) **''Starfucker'' (1995) **''Form of Play: A Retrospective'' (2017) *

**''Alive and in Full Bloom'' (1998) **''Cream of Mushroom'' (1998) **''Hydrogen Jukebox'' (1999) **''Analog Hi-Fi Surprise'' (1999) **''Leni Riefenstahl'' (2000) **''Compared To What'' (2001) **''Oh, But They're Weird & They're Wonderful'' (2002) **''Really Don't Mind If You Sit This One Out'' (2006) **''Naked, Stoned, & Stabbed'' (2010) *

Matt Piucci Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

: ''Hellenes'' (2000) *Mike Levy: ''Fireflies'' (2001) *

The Chocolate Watchband The Chocolate Watchband is an American garage rock band that formed in 1965 in Los Altos, California. The band went through several lineup changes during its existence. Combining psychedelic and garage rock components, their sound was marked by Da ...

**''Get Away'' (2000) **''This Is My Voice'' (2018) *

Gib Guilbeau Floyd August "Gib" Guilbeau (September 26, 1937 – April 12, 2016) was an American Cajun country rock musician and songwriter. As a member of Nashville West, Swampwater, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and later The Burrito Brothers, Guilbeau he ...

: ''Songs I Like'' (2003) *Magic Christian **''Limited Edition Authorized Bootleg'' (2004) **''Magic Christian'' (2005) **''Live at the Great American Music Hall'' (2005) **''Too Close to Zero'' (2006) **''Evolver'' (2009) **''Turn Up the Heat'' (2011) *

Penelope Houston Penelope Houston (born December 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter best known as the singer for the San Francisco-based punk rock band the Avengers. She was raised in Seattle. In the mid-1970s she attended Fairhaven College in Bellin ...

: ''On Market Street'' (2012) *

: ''San Francisco 2012'' (2013) *

: ''Continuum'' (2013) *The Charity Case: ''How to Fall'' (2016) *The Hellenes: ''I Love You All the Animals'' (2017) *

The Flamin' Groovies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

: ''Fantastic Plastic'' (2017) *Strangers in a Strange Land **''Strangers in a Strange Land'' (2017) **''Broken Tambourine'' (2020) *Tall Poppy Syndrome: ''Come Some Christmas Eve (or Halloween)'' (2021)

Compilation appearances

*''These Cats Ain't Nothing But Trash'' (1983): The Sting-Rays: "I Want My Woman", "The Cat", "Dinosaurs", "Math of Trend" *''Revenge of the Killer Pussies (Blood on the Cats #2)'' (1984): The Sting-Rays: "Escalator", The Bananamen: "Psychotic Reaction" *''Stomping at the Klub Foot'' (1987): The Sting-Rays: "I Can Satisfy You", "Escalator", "Time Is After You", "Blue Girl" *''The Klub Foot Kicks Back'' (1987): The Sting-Rays: "Escalator" *''The Magnificent Seven'' (1987): The Sting-Rays: "Militant Tendency", "June Rhyme" *''Acoustic Music Project'' (1990): The Sneetches: "

Everybody's Talkin' "Everybody's Talkin (Echoes)" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Fred Neil in 1966 and released two years later. A version of the song performed by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson became a hit in 1969, reachi ...

" *''20 Explosive Dynamic Super Smash Hit Explosions!'' (1991): The Sneetches: "I Wanna Be with You" *''Single Minded - The Big Beat Singles'' (1992): The Sting-Rays: "Another Cup of Coffee", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "Escalator", "Don't Break Down", The Bananamen: "Love Me", "

Surfin' Bird "Surfin' Bird" is a song performed by American surf rock band The Trashmen, containing the repetitive lyric "the bird is the word". It has been covered many times. It is a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons: " Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "Th ...

" *''The Seventh ADventure'' (1992): The Sneetches: "A Good Thing" *''Super Fantastic Mega Smash Hits!'' (1995): The Sneetches with

Shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the Foot, human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cult ...

: "I Wanna Be With You" *''

Sing Hollies in Reverse ''Sing Hollies in Reverse'' is a tribute album of various artists performing songs by British rock group The Hollies. It was released on Eggbert Records in 1995. According to AllMusic reviewer Roch Parisien, the 21 artists represented 1995's then ...

'' (1995): The Sneetches: "So Lonely" *''This Note's for You Too! A Tribute to

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

'' (1999): Matt Piucci: "Down to the Wire", Mushroom: "The Emperor of Wyoming" *'' Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground'' (2004): Rain Parade: "I Look Around" *''Rockin' With Morrissey's Side-Men'' (2006): The Sting-Rays: "June Rhyme", "Wedding Ring" *'' Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era, 1976–1995 (2005): The Sting-Rays: "Don't Break Down" *''Skrang: Sounds Like Bobby Sutliff'' (2013): Matt Piucci with Rain Parade: "That Stupid Idea" *''Timemazine CD #4'' (2017): The Chocolate Watchband: "No Way Out" *''Just A Bad Dream: Sixty British Garage and Trash Nuggets 1981-89'' (2018): The Sting-Rays: "June Rhyme", The Bananamen: "The Crusher" *''FUCKEDUPNSTEAMININPORTSMOUTHGREATBRITAINXXX'' (2019): The Sting-Rays: "Hopelessness of the Human Race", "June Rhyme", "Save the Tiger", "Never Had It So Good", "Militant Tendency", "The Big Tide Will Turn", "Behind the Beyond", "Don't Break Down" ;Discography notes

Personal life

Alec Palao lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his "long-suffering, endlessly supportive" wife, vintage clothier Cindy Vorte.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palao, Alec Living people 1962 births British musicologists British music journalists Alumni of King's College London British record producers