Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

Credits

3/27. GLENDORA – The Downliners Sect (U.K.)
(Ray Stanley)

PERSONNEL/KEITH GRANT: lead vocals, bass * TERRY GIBSON: lead guitar * DON CRAINE: rhythm guitar, vocals * JOHN SUTTON: drums
Produced by MIKE COLLIER
Recorded in London, England
Columbia single #DB-7939 (1966)

The Downliners Sect

The Downliners took their name from the Jerry Lee Lewis B-side ‘Down The Line’. The original lineup folded, and the new lineup was named The Downliners Sect. They gained attention due to Don Craine’s deerstalker hat, worn to mock the aristocracy.

Steve Marriott and Rod Stewart both auditioned to join the band, but the band’s frontmen, Keith Grant and Don Craine, were unwilling to step aside.

From the beginning, they were outcasts–too young, too uncouth, and just a tad too eccentric for mass consumption. However, their raw, irreverent approach to R&B, often laced with a strong streak of black humor, won them a cult following that continues to this day.

Mike Stax, Nuggets II liner notes

They released a series of singles with b-sides that punned on their name:

• Be a Sect Maniac
• Sect Appeal
• Insecticide
• Leader of the Sect.

Glendora

Ray Stanley wrote ‘Glendora’ – it was first recorded by Perry Como in 1956. It’s about a man’s obsession with a store mannequin, and his disillusionment when it’s disassembled.

The original version is smooth and jazzy:

True to form, the Downliners Sect version transforms ‘Glendora’ into a nasty garage rocker.

It’s a fun transformation, but the song is more effective in its original form.

The Aftermath

Downliners Sect never broke through to the big time. They damaged their reputation by dabbling in country music. The band’s 1967 lineup included keyboardist Matthew Fisher, who left to play the iconic organ part on Procol Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’.

The band broke up in 1969, but reformed in 1976. They’re still listed as a going concern, although their leader, Don Craine, passed away in 2022.

Read More

• Nuggets II Song by Song
• 1960s Album Reviews

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