THE CHEMISTRY SET – AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHEMISTRY SET (Fruits de Mer) (2 x CD) (Release date: 9th May, 2025) CD TWO

I continue where I left off in my review of CD one of this two CD extravaganza: “Psych music fans know that there loads of compilations out there, mostly of different groups with various degrees of obscurity, but it would be hard to find anything anywhere a compilation that is as consistently brilliant and so full of exotic instrumentation as this.”

The waves of psychedelia show no signs of abating with five tracks from the “This Day Will Never Happen Again” LP, culminating in ‘We Live as we Dream Alone’ -oh, how I do love a bit of sitar and tabla! There are six tracks from “The Endless More and More” ranging from a remorseful drinking song, ‘Crawling Back to You’ to the splendid heavy riff rock of ‘The Fountains of Neptune’; the return of the sitar on ‘The Open Window’, and the shimmering guitar of ‘Albert Hoffman’, a Beatles-lish variation on a 12-bar introduced by a winding down fairground sound. It’s the organ that shimmers on ‘The Canyon of the Crescent Moon’. Finally, we go on a ‘Pink Felt Trip’ that has The Chemistry Set’s take on sci-fi rock on ‘Psychotronic Man’ – “it must have escaped from the lab!” with an unexpected twist- some doo-wop vocals!! The fulsome ‘Self Expression Trip’ (all eleven glorious minutes) reminded me so much of Love in places and is a splendiferous way to finish the compendium. Enjoy the far-out trip, expect the unexpected, listen to the lyrics, and play on repeat as more psychedelic layers are revealed!