Alec Palao
1962, age 61–62
British
Musician, music historian, writer, reissue producer
Early life[edit]
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[edit]
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]
He has at various times been a member of the Charity Case, Rain Parade, Mushroom, the Maydays, Slaughter Joe & the Modern Folk Quintet, the Hellenes, Magic Christian, Tall Poppy Syndrome, and other groups.[10] His current project is Strangers in a Strange Land with vocalist Paul Kopf. Palao has also performed and recorded with Country Joe McDonald, the Seeds, the Chocolate Watchband, the Beau Brummels, and the Flamin' Groovies. As of 2024, he is a consultant to Ace Records.[11]