Picked Up in 2018 (Part 2)

I found this 7" curiosity about six weeks ago, and I'm really digging it. Velocity Girl grabbed the spotlight on these pages in 2015 when I was counting down my favorite songs from the 1990s. For those who want to know a little bit more about the band, I'll direct you to that countdown. In 1995, during their peak years at Sub Pop, Velocity Girl did a one-off 7" for Heaven Records out of Nottingham. If you don't know Heaven, it was founded in 1989 by a couple of fellas from Fat Tulips so they could release the single "Where's Clare Grogan Now?" The label managed to stick around until 1996. I thought it was cool that Heaven's singles often came with a fanzine and other surprises. Given that this single was released nearly a quarter century ago, I consider myself lucky to have found a pristine eight-page fanzine on Velocity Girl, as well as a label catalog and postcard, inside the sleeve. I enjoy relics like that.

Both sides of the single are covers. It takes guts to take on 'Ocean Rain'-era Echo & the Bunnymen. Velocity Girl strips away the lush orchestration, but otherwise stays fairly faithful to the original. Not at all bad. The real winner here, though, is the B-side. I keep going back to "Breaking Lines" again and again, and it has taken me back to the original too. "Truck Train Tractor" just might be my favorite song from the Pastels, and after revisiting both sides of my 12" from 1986, I do think this is the best all-around single Stephen & Co. ever recorded (so far). Velocity Girl did themselves proud with this B-side of a B-side. This lot clearly had taste tackling this one.

Velocity Girl - Breaking Lines
The Pastels - Breaking Lines

Postscript: I like the C86 connection too. "Breaking Lines" by the Pastels appeared on the legendary NME cassette, and Velocity Girl was named after the Primal Scream song that opened the tape. Cool.