Palao, who has become one of the leading independent reissue producers and tape detectives in the country, realized that the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love would present an opportunity.

"This year, of all years, we would be covered in Baby Boomer nostalgia, and most of it pretty ugly," he says. "I knew I could sell a Summer of Love package. But I decided to do something classier and make it a history of Northern California rock, 1965 to 1970."

Except for Creedence Clearwater Revival, Palao includes key pieces by every major San Francisco band of the era - Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Santana, Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, etc. - alongside many baffling minor figures.

"If I put out a box set of San Francisco clique Top 10 bands, it wouldn't be much fun to listen to," he says.

Palao certainly develops his own orthodoxy about the scene, elevating some acts seen as minor at the time - such as the little-known Frumious Bandersnatch - or expanding the perimeters of the scene to include an entire disc called "Suburbia" that features bands from outlying regions such as San Jose (Count Five) and Cupertino (Chocolate Watchband) that had little to do with the Fillmore-Avalon scene.

" 'Psychotic Reaction' by Count Five may have been a little blip," he says, "but that little blip was as exciting as anything on the first album by the Airplane or the Dead."

Bandersnatch is another one of Palao's enthusiasms. The East Bay band never really flourished, although some members later went on to play with the Steve Miller Band and Journey. Bandersnatch may not have dented the scene's upper ranks during its day, but it did leave behind a three-song EP that Palao first reissued in 1995 on the British CD "Nuggets From the Golden State: The Berkeley EPs."

"I just listen to the records," he says, "and they're either good or bad."

Palao, who has produced previous boxed sets with the Zombies, Creedence Clearwater Revival and others, worked on all the "Nuggets" boxed sets, extrapolations of the original two-LP "Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the Psychedelic Era 1965-68" released in 1972 that first turned punk-rock fan Palao toward his destiny with garage rock.

"That album made the connection for me between punk rock and the new wave of the contemporary scene and classic rock 'n' roll," he says.

Working freelance for British reissue specialists Ace Records, Palao began sifting through the old tapes from Autumn Records, where he discovered important early, unreleased recordings by the Beau Brummels and Sly Stone. He unearthed the early recordings of Creedence Clearwater, when the band was called the Golliwogs, and dug out unreleased early recordings by key San Francisco bands such as the Charlatans, Sons of Champlin and Mystery Trend. He says there are more than 30 titles in his "Nuggets From the Golden State" series.

He has also produced rafts of reissues on other subjects; from soul music by Brenton Wood and Dyke and the Blazers to teen pop from Memphis label Ardent Records, where cult favorite Big Star recorded. He is also working with a Detroit '60s label that made early recordings by MC5, Iggy Pop and others.

Palao also plays music; he hooked up with new-wave outfit the Sneetches within a month after landing in the Bay Area. The band made several albums and toured internationally for seven years. He most recently played bass with the Magic Christian, a band created by former Flamin' Groovies leader Cyril Jordan. Playing with the Magic Christian was how Palao met drummer-graphic artist Prairie Prince, who designed the evocative cover for "Love Is the Song We Sing."

Some of Palao's song choices from the scene's biggest names aren't obvious. He represents the Grateful Dead with the collector's-item track of the 45-rpm version of "Dark Star," a studio recording the band made during sessions for its second album that was released only as a single.

"A psych-pop jewel," Palao calls it.

The Steve Miller Band is featured on "Roll With It," a minor track from the group's first album, "Children of the Future."

"Even then, his pop craft was just amazing," Palao says.

He used a raucous live track by Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Down on Me," originally recorded at Detroit's Grande Ballroom and previously released on the album "Joplin in Concert."

"They proved to me that they were really a great rock 'n' roll band," he says.

Only one band turned him down.

"Losing Creedence hurt," he says. "Apart from that, I think it's pretty solid."