This May, Fruits de Mer Records is thrilled to announce the arrival of a career spanning compendium charting the rise and thrall of cult psychedelic scientists, The Chemistry Set.

Formed through a shared love of all things counter-cultured, for nearly four decades the band has achieved phenomenal underground success with some of the finest neo-psych to emerge from the greying days of the twentieth century.

Kick started in 1987 on the capitol’s live circuit gigging at venues such as The Camden Falcon and The Mean Fidler, The Chemistry Set released their initial recordings on alternative Manchester imprint Imaginary and the cassette only label, Acid Tapes. Success followed both home and away as the band toured Europe (alongside the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, Bevis Frond and Hawkwind) and made several appearances in the US, garnering a healthy pre-WWW fanbase; countless rave reviews, flexi-disc inclusions and features in fanzines in the farthest reaches of the Far East. They even secured several high-profile endorsements from the likes of David Axelrod, Inspiral Carpet’s Clint Boon, John Peel and Factory Records’ Tony Wilson, who picked the band for a guest appearance on his TV show.

Moving through several line-up iterations before eventually settling on their two-pronged attack in the early ’90s, the band took a break in the latter half of the decade and reformed circa 2008 after discussions in a Morrison’s carpark. Despite having an unreleased album in the vault (1989’s Sounds Like Painting) the pair pushed on with new material as they sought to build on an increasingly exalted discography. Their comeback album, 2009’s critically lauded Alchemy#101, was seized upon and celebrated by BBC Radio 6 Music and XFM and as with all their output since, was produced at The Laboratory; a recording studio on an island in the middle of the River Thames. (Armed, as you might expect, with all the Farfisas, Mellotrons and vintage gear a band could wish for.)

Whether recording originals, cover versions, foreign language remixes or solo endeavours, The Chemistry Set has hooked up with countless labels and passionate individuals throughout Europe. Releasing albums, singles, compilations and even the occasional ultra-limited-edition boxset packed with experiments, candy-filled test-tubes, psychedelic periodic tables, and assorted paraphernalia. To date, their discography stands at fifty-four releases since 1987, with every single and album snapped up and sold-out upon announcement of sale. Just one look at the high prices commanded for said records on eBay and Discogs is enough to prove the band’s worth in the eyes and ears of fanatical followers everywhere.

Thirty-eight years on, this May will see the arrival of a double CD retrospective – An Introduction to The Chemistry Set – on the equally cherished Fruits de Mer Records, who have worked with the band since 2010. Regardless of the decade, the year or the changing of the seasons, they rank as one of the greatest psychedelic bands of the genre and if you don’t quite know that yet, it’s never too late to learn.

“We have released countless albums, singles, CDs and the like but this compilation is very special to us,” Mssrs Lake and Mclean concur. “These are our favourite songs and ones that are the closest to our hearts. All of this means nothing without our fans. We get as much pleasure receiving feedback from them, as a magazine review. Music is about communication and reaching people. Without that support we’d still be in that supermarket carpark in Reigate.”

An Introduction to The Chemistry Set is released 9th May 2025 on Fruits de Mer Records | Pre-order here

“The cult London psych merchants continue to display remarkable levels of creativity and inspiration.” CLASSIC ROCK
 
“The Chemistry Set continue to make music that is sophisticated and liberating.” MOJO

The Chemistry Set on Bandcamp | Facebook | X
Fruits de Mer on Web | Facebook | Twitter

TRACK LISTENING:

CD1

1. Silver Birch (Phased Version)
2. Time To Breathe
3. Come Kiss Me Vibrate and Smile
4. Elapsed Memories
5. A Cure for The Inflicted Afflicted
6. Love Or Confusion (Hendrix)
7. Lovely Cuppa Tea
8. The Rubicon
9. Legend Of a Mind
10. Firefly
11. Sail Away
12. Paint Me A Dream
13. The Witch
14. Dear Mr Fantasy
15. Faintly Blowing (Mono Version)
16 The Witch 138 (Our Favourite Ever Remix)

CD2

1. She’s Taking Me Down
2. The World Is Hollow and I Touched the Sky
3. If Rome Was Meant to Fall
4. This Day Will Never Happen Again
5. We Live as We Dream Alone
6. Crawling Back to You
7. The Fountains of Neptune
8. The Open Window
9. Albert Hoffman
10. Winter Sun
11. The Splendour of The Universe
12. International Rescue
13. The Canyon of The Crescent Moon
14. Pink Felt Trip
15. Psychotronic Man
16. Self-Expression Trinity