A Record Collector's Guide

Velocity Girl - 90's DC indie.  Generally a good formula.  Good holy lord, did this band ever end up on a lot of pieces of vinyl in its (roughly) six-year run.  I think they must have appeared on 20% of all of the compilations released worldwide in 1992-94.  Alright, we have a lot to sort out here, so let's get to it.

V/A - What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?

Velocity Girl - Clock/Black Tambourine - Pam's Tan b/w Powderburns - Powderburns

Slumberland DRYL 001, released December 1989

This compilation contains the first ever Velocity Girl recording...which is terrible.  Sorry, folks.  There were many good moments in the few years Velocity Girl was together.  "Clock" was not one of them.  A very collectible record, though.  Also the first ever Slumberland record.  It used to go for a fair amount, but after the market for Velocity Girl records cooled, it became pretty affordable.

I Don't Care If You Go b/w Always (U.S.)

Slumberland DRYL 004, released August 1990

I Don't Care If You Go b/w Not At All (Australia)

Summershine shine 006, released 1990

The first real Velocity Girl single.  Bridget Cross on vocals.  The mail-order copies of the Slumberland version were on yellow vinyl.  Also released with a different (better) b-side on the Australian Summershine label.  Both used to go for a lot more money than they do today.  There are two versions of the Australian sleeve (see above).  The one with the logo in red is much more scarce.

Tsunami/Velocity Girl Split 7"

Tsunami - Left Behind b/w Velocity Girl - Warm/Crawl

Sub Pop SP137, released January 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club single #39

Limited to 4000 copies, all on pink vinyl.  Great single.  Another that plummeted in value after both bands called it quits.

V/A - Screw

Candy Machine - My Old Man/Jawbox - Footbinder b/w Geek - Hemingway Shotgun/Velocity Girl - What You Say

Simple Machines SMR 04, released 1991

Simple Machines did this series of compilation 7"s named after...well, simple machines...this was the 4th in the series, and contained the Velocity Girl song "What You Say."  The first pressing was of 1500 on what they called see-through maroon vinyl.  It looks black unless you hold it up to the light, and then it looks brown...see pics below.  I don't know if it was later re-pressed or not, but these days, it is easy to find.  There is a sleeve variation I have run across.  Most of the copies I have seen have a green accent color, but I have also encountered versions with blue accented sleeves.

Green Accent Insert	Blue Accent Insert	2nd Insert

My Forgotten Favorite b/w Why Should I Be Nice To You?

Slumberland DRYL 010, released January 1992

My Forgotten Favorite/Warm/Crawl/Tales of Brave Aphrodite/Why Should I Be Nice To You? CD

Sub Pop SUB PROCD#6

My Forgotten Favorite might be the best song Velocity Girl ever did.  Truly excellent.  Versions of this record vary greatly, though.  Four different sleeves, three colors of vinyl...all mixed and matched.  There were three sleeves with the same grey base color, with varying accent colors - blue, green, and brown.  The other one had a red base color with a "fuchsia" accent...that's what Slumberland called it...I put it in quotes because I am a guy, and don't deal in color names like fuchsia...I'd call it pink or purple, depending on the day.  All vary in scarcity a bit.  The blue is definitely the most common, followed by the green one, the brown one, and then the red one.  

The three colors of vinyl were black, red marble, and purple marble.  Black is most common, then purple, and the red one is the rarest.  I have no hard numbers to back these claims up.  I am basing solely on how often I have seen them for sale over the years.  

Apparently, there were a few copies of this that were released with Velocity Girl promotional pillow cases.  Supposedly, they did 50 of these, slik-screened by hand.

This is another record that used to sell for a few bucks, and does so no longer.  If you find the rarer combinations, it can go for $20 or so.

One little wrinkle to add to the equation: there was also a Sub Pop promo CD that contained the two tracks from the Slumberland 7", along with the only CD versions of Warm, Crawl, and Tales of Brave Aphrodite.  Fairly scarce.

Pillow Case		Promo CD

V/A - WMBR Presents: Clear the Room!

The Jesus Lizard - Monkeytrick b/w Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - 2x4s/Velocity Girl - Not At All

No Life NL01, released 1992

Live compilation released to benefit WMBR.  Good live version of "Not At All."  Black vinyl, limited to 2000 hand-numbered copies.

V/A - Sassy 7"

Codeine - Hard to Find / Velocity Girl - Crawl b/w Beat Happening - Not a Care in the World / Sebadoh - Soulmate

Sub Pop SP171, released 1992

This 7" was a giveaway, available upon request to Sassy magazine readers.  I am still trying to figure out how this one happened.  Well, okay, I know how it happened...starting around this point, Sub Pop tried everything around this time to push their brand to markets that would not normally ever see it.  That's how we ended up with Sub Pop meets Sega - "That Virtua Feeling" CD, the Sub Pop-Urban Outfitters collaborative CD, and "Tad Does Disney"...okay, that one I made up, but some part of you wanted to believe me.  Anyway, all of these were on green vinyl and came in plain white cardboard sleeves.

Test Pressing

Crazy Town b/w Creepy

Sub Pop SP179, released 1992

Sub Pop SP60/227 7" (Germany)

Sub Pop Europe SP61/228 12" (Germany)

At this juncture, Sub Pop was mostly pressing single colors of vinyl...except for this one.  The initial pressing was on green vinyl.  There are LOTS of these out there.  It is by far the most common.  Then, there are the others...it exists on blue, yellow marble, clear, brown marble (often called "cola") and white vinyl.  The blue, yellow marble and brownish ones show up every so often.  The clear one is a little rarer.  My clear copy has a little pink in it, which leads me to believe there may be pink copies floating around.  The white one seems to be the rarest.  My white copy has a slight yellowish tint to it...it's more of an off-white or eggshell color.  I'd say probably 90% of the copies out there are on green, and the rest are on the other colors.

The European version is mostly (but not entirely) on green vinyl.  There is also a blue vinyl version out there.  It is much rarer.  Quite scarce.  The 12" also contains the song My Forgotten Favorite.

Velocity Girl/Tsunami Split 7" - Season's Greetings

Velocity Girl - Merry Christmas, I Love You b/w Tsunami - Could Have Been Christmas

Simple Machines SMR 014, released December 1992

Velocity Girl and Tsunami - together again...remember when there were a whole bunch of good bands in DC?  I do.  Red vinyl.  For some reason (possibly the oversized sleeve...), every copy I ever see of this record has had its sleeve beaten to hell.  There was also a later pressing of this record: the vinyl was the same, but it had a different silkscreened sleeve.  This version is harder to find, and there is some color variation between sleeves (see above).

Audrey's Eyes b/w Stupid Thing

Sub Pop SP112/288, released 1993 (Germany)

Europe-only single on clear vinyl.  The shipping would probably cost you more than the record.

Sorry Again b/w Marzipan

Sub Pop SP257, released 1994

Not their best work, but solid.  This single came out to coincide with the release of their second album, ¡Simpatico!  Great album.  Black vinyl.  Very easy to find.

Your Silent Face b/w You're So Good To Me

Merge MRG 061, released 1994

V-Girl & Merge...had to happen eventually.  Covers of New Order & the Beach Boys.  Not much more to say.  Translucent black/brown vinyl.

Magnapop/Velocity Girl Split Flexi

Magnapop - Slowly Slowly/Velocity Girl - Marzipan

Giveaway with Pop Culture Press #31, released 1994

One-sided blue flexi.  That is all.  Should be cheap if you can find it.

I Can't Stop Smiling b/w Marzipan

Sub Pop SP130/322 (Germany), released 1994

Interesting collector's pack assembled in 1994.  Limited to 1000 copies.  In Europe, this single was released in retail stores, packaged in the outer gatefold sleeve.  The left side of the gatefold sleeve is designed to hold this single, and the right side is designed for the next single (Labrador - see below).  It was sold in the States as a double single, pretty much exclusively at the Sub Pop Megamart store in Seattle.  The double single set shows up for sale with great frequency.  Black vinyl.

Sticker Sheet

Labrador (remix) b/w Diamond Jubilee

Sub Pop SP122/303PRO (Germany), released 1994

In the UK (and presumably the rest of Europe), this record was a giveaway along with the ¡Simpatico! LP at a handful of independent record stores.  As mentioned above, the only way this was sold in the U.S. was bundled with the I Can't Stop Smiling single at the Megamart.  Black vinyl with a sticker sheet.

Sticker Sheet

V/A - Club Spangle Number 2

The Spinanes - Sunday / Jale - The Unseen Guest b/w Velocity Girl - The All-Consumer / Pond - Sideroad

Spangle SPANG 002, released 1995

This was a British compilation 7" with a few songs from releases that Sub Pop was promoting in 1995.  Nothing particularly interesting here.  Black vinyl.

Seven Seas b/w Breaking Lines

Heaven HV13, released October 1995

This was a UK release, bridging the gap between the ¡Simpatico! and Gilded Stars albums.  Black vinyl.

Nothing b/w Anatomy of a Gutless Wonder

Sub Pop SP341, released February 1996

Released in conjunction with the Gilded Stars & Zealous Hearts album.  Exists on red and black vinyl.  The red vinyl copies were produced in England, and beyond the vinyl color, are from a completely distinct pressing from the black one.  First, the red ones have small holes and the black ones have large holes.  The matrix codes on side A of the red one reads: SP 341 A -J.T.S.-. One the black one, it is: SP-341-A GOLDEN L-45821.  There is also some extra text on the backs of the sleeve for the red one.

Velocity Girl/Chisel Split 7"

Velocity Girl - Breaking Lines b/w Chisel - Morley Timmons

Shute No. 8, released March 1997

The songs on this single were recorded long before the record was released, and the record came out, in Velocity Girl's case, after the band had broken up.

Live - Pretty Sister b/w Crazy Town

4/13/93 - Slims, San Francisco, CA

Static Discs

Hey, look - someone made a bootleg!  Who knew?  I don't know much more about it than is listed above.  I have seen this on black and light blue marble vinyl.  There may be other versions.