Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect – Aphoristic Album Reviews

The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA.

Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001. It features music from countries such as Iceland, Uruguay, and Japan. I’m profiling and rating each of the 109 tracks, working backwards.

Track 81 – Glendora by The Downliners Sect

From: London, England

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

5 Comments

Badfinger (Max)

January 19, 2026 / 11:22 am Reply

That is awesome! Funny listening to Perry Como and then the Downliners. I love their sound and his voice. This is rougher than the Yardbirds.
Steve Marriott and Rod Stewart….didn’t you feature another band that they both auditioned for?
- Aphoristical
  
  January 19, 2026 / 9:54 pm Reply
  
  Same band! Two songs very close together on Nuggets II.
  - Badfinger (Max)
    
    January 20, 2026 / 3:38 am Reply
    
    Ok…I can’t believe the name didn’t come back to me…but I remembered that.
Jat Storey

January 19, 2026 / 12:27 pm Reply

A band I really want to explore a bit more too.
- Aphoristical
  
  January 22, 2026 / 10:18 pm Reply
  
  Had yoy heard of them before? Their Reed/Cale cover is pretty interesting.

Track 81 – Glendora by The Downliners Sect

Credits

The Downliners Sect

Glendora

The Aftermath

More Nuggets