The Chemistry Set – This Day Will Never Happen Again

This day will never happen again. There’s no disputing that, but so what? Stating the bleeding obvious doesn’t impress me or anybody else unfortunate enough to be reading this…

Wait though. This Day Will Never Happen Again is, in fact, the name of the new album from veterans of the late 1980′s UK neo-psychedelic boom, The Chemistry Set. Those in command of a memory unaddled by booze and other such substances may well remember that The Chemistry Set were the band I singled out for particular praise in Head Full of Snow’s review of the A Phase We’re Going Through compilation album.

Their epically atmospheric version of Del Shannon’s psychedelic sojourn ‘Silver Birch’ was the best track on the album and one that gets many a hard-earned repeat play on the HFoS sound system. If you managed to get a hold of A Phase We’re Going Through via fair means or foul, you’ll be pleased to know that ‘Silver Birch’ makes an appearance on This Day Will Never Happen Again, this time minus the phasing, in all its original glory.

Both versions are exceptional and modern classics as far as HFoS is concerned. Indeed, the best track here as well. But that’s not said lightly, considering some of the stiff competition this album has to offer.

Right from the drum roll that kicks off the opener ‘El Retorno’, The Chemistry Set manages to capture the psychedelic vibe of the bands doing the rounds in the mid to late 1960s. Whereas some bands recording today, who claim to be psychedelic, can only produce a pale imitation of the music prevalent during the latter half of that fabled decade – which is no bad thing, by the way, as music progresses and diversifies with each passing year – The Chemistry Set sound like the real deal.

Exceptionally popular in Spain, their bag is a West Coast US garage/psych sound epitomised by the likes of Clear Light, 13^th Floor Elevators, Electric Prunes and many more; lovingly delivered by three (paisley) shirty blokes from London.

I could reel off the titles of individual tracks, but would ‘She’s Taking Me Down’ mean anything different from ‘Look to the Sky’, without hearing said pieces? All that needs saying from me is that This Day Will Never Happen Again is a cracking album and one that gets the royal “Bob on” thumbs up from the HFoS camp.

A cover of The Rolling Stones’ jailhouse release, ‘We Love You’, is the lysergic cherry on a very tasty, acid drizzled cake.

This day will never happen again? Thank Fripp for that. But so long as The Chemistry Set are recording, there’s the chance of a couple more worth living through.

This Day Will Never Happen Again by The Chemistry Set is released on the French label Dead Bees and available in the UK from September.

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album reviews, psychedelic rock