The Chemistry Set - Don't Turn Away (2017)

As a follow-up to the recent post making The Chemistry Set's 1989 album 'Sounds Like Painting' available to a wider audience, here is a nice little collection of hard to find rarities, singles and b-sides from the band. It covers their whole career, from their first appearance on disc, with a free flexi-disc with Freakbeat Magazine in 1987, right through to their 2017 cover of the Moody Blues' classic 'Legend Of A Mind', which was spread over two sides of a 7" single, and released by the fantastic Fruits De Mer label. Along the way we get the Spanish top 20 hit single 'Don't Turn Way', along with the b-sides from the 12" version, their offering to the 1987 Syd Barrett compilation 'Beyond The Wildwood' (and see if you recognise the snippet of another song that they insert towards the end!), and the b-sides from the 12" and CD versions of their 'The Candle Burns' single. Following their break from the music biz, they returned in 2008 as a duo of Ashley Wood and Dave McLean, and began the most creative part of their career, releasing four albums and a number of singles, all of which included exclusive b-sides. They also went to their beloved Spain in 2011, where they co-wrote and recorded a song in Catalan with their Barcelona-based producer. 'La Logica Del Canvi' was released as the b-side to a Spanish single, and the record company sent a copy to the Catalan Ministry of Culture, receiving a reply from the minister congratulating them for being the first English band to sing in Catalan. The band love their covers as well, and most of the flips of recent singles have been their takes on classic psyche songs of the late 60's, so for the b-side of their 'Impossible Love' single they gave us a wigged-out version of the Rolling Stones 'We Love You', and on the flip of 2012's 'Time To Breathe' is a great take on Tomorrow's 'Hallucinations'. On their 'Elapsed Memories' EP we get an acid/folk take on the Hendrix classic 'Love Or Confusion', as well as a fine cover of Love's 'Live And Let Live', and we close with the afore-mentioned Moodies track. If you've been impressed by what you've heard here then do check out their albums, as they are all superb stuff.    

Track listing

01 Gibraltan Rock (from the free flexi-disc with Freakbeat magazine 1987)
02 Don't Turn Away (single 1991)
03 Pure Land (b-side of 'Don't Turn Away' 12" 1990)
04 I Don't Need You (b-side of 'Don't Turn Away' 12" 1990)
05 See Emily Play (from 'Beyond The Wildwood' tribute to Syd Barrett 1987)
06 Long Arm Of The Liar (b-side of 'The Candle Burns' 1991)
07 Improved Sensitivity (b-side of 'The Candle Burns' 1991)
08 La Lògica Del Canvi (b-side of 'She's Taking Me Down' 2009)
09 Impossible Love (single 2011)
10 We Luv You (Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It Mix) (b-side of 'Impossible Love')
11 Hallucinations (b-side of 'Time To Breath' 2012)
12 Love Or Confusion (b-side of 'Elapsed Memories' 2014)
13 Live And Let Live (bonus track on 'Elapsed Memories' EP 2014)
14 Legend Of A Mind (single 2017)