Musician, music historian, writer, reissue producer
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 Sneetches, and Mushroom, his works include hundreds of production credits and liner notes on important compilations of vintage rock and soul from Ace Records, Rhino Records, 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 nominations for historical albums and liner notes.
Early life
Born "just as 'Love Me Do' was entering the UK charts in late 1962",[1] Palao grew up in the Crouch End 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 though he "did also really like Bowie, Sparks, Roxy, T. Rex and hipper stuff".[2] As a musician (piano, drums, bass, guitar) in the Sting-rays, he developed an early interest in punk, rockabilly, 1960s garage rock, and soul.[3][4]
Career
After graduating from the University of London in 1985, Palao relocated to California in 1988.[1] He joined a local alternative pop band, the Sneetches, 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 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 Rhino Records to expand the original Nuggets album as a series of box sets, followed by work with Light in the Attic, Omnivore, Numero, Craft, and others.[5] In 2007, he was one of four recipients of the Greg Shaw Award for Outstanding Contributions to Popular Culture Preservation.[6] He was the "producer, writer, and principal researcher"[1] 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",[7] he said in a 2019 interview, "My priority is turning people on to music, especially if they have never heard it before."[8] Another interviewer called him "internationally recognized as one of the true champions of the American garage band movement".[9]
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."[2] 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."[1]
Selected works from books, magazines, and music publications:
Palao, Alec (1993). "Chocolate Watchband: The Magical Band". Cream Puff War. No. 2. Santa Clara, CA: Palao-Cost. p. 41.
————— (1993). "The Continuing Adventures of Bard Dupont: Introducing The Outfit". Cream Puff War. No. 2. Santa Clara, CA: Palao-Cost. p. 87.
————— (1998). "Tell It to Me Slowly, I Really Want to Know: The Making of Odessey & Oracle" (CD liner notes). Odessey & Oracle 30th Anniversary Edition. London: Big Beat Records CDWIKD 181.
————— (2001). "White Whale: The Moby Dick of Bubble-Pop". In Kim Cooper; David Smay (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Port Townsend, WA: Feral House. p. 239. ISBN978-0922915699.
————— (2006). "Introduction". In Bruce Tahsler (ed.). The San Francisco East Bay 60's Scene. San Francisco: Teens N' Twenties. ISBN978-0578131955.
————— (2009). "A Certain Magic: Track Notes" (CD liner notes). Big Star - Keep An Eye on the Sky. Los Angeles: Rhino Records R2 519760.
————— (2011). "The Sound of Fame" (CD liner notes). The Fame Studios Story. London: Kent Records KENTBOX 12.
————— (2018). "Twenty Four Hours Every Day" (CD liner notes). The Action – Shadows and Reflections. London: Grapefruit CRSEGBK045.
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"
The Seventh ADventure (1992): The Sneetches: "A Good Thing"
Super Fantastic Mega Smash Hits! (1995): The Sneetches with Shoes: "I Wanna Be With You"
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"