Sunday 22 May 2022

Chemicrazy


A few days ago I was left alone in the house. This is unusual. Not because I need to be supervised at all times (though some people may argue that I do), but just because there's more often than not someone home at the same time as me. On this occasion though, everyone went out to do stuff and I decided I had better things to do at home. Like play records loudly!

During my vinyl binge, I dug out my copy of 'Chemicrazy', the fourth studio album by That Petrol Emotion. It's a record I've always enjoyed since my days working in Our Price where I first heard it shortly after its release in 1990. While never achieving huge commercial success, TPE have long since been regarded as a huge influence in the indie and alternative scenes ever since, in both the UK and US.

Hey Venus! and Sensitize are both fantastic singles, and yes, I did have a bit of a jump around to them while they played on my turntable... The videos below look dated to say the least, but they are such great songs, you really don't need the visuals.

Fun fact: according to their Wikipedia page, prior to recruiting US vocalist Steve Mack, a certain chap by the name of Paul Whitehouse unsuccessfully auditioned for the role. Yes, this Paul Whitehouse...