Velocity (album)

Velocity is the debut studio album by American new wave and synth-pop band the Vels, released in 1984 by Mercury Records and PolyGram. It was principally recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, with producer Steven Stanley, known for his work with Tom Tom Club, whereas "Secret Garden" was produced by their A&R representative Peter Lubin at Park South Studios in New York City. When reflecting on the recording of the album, lead vocalist Alice Cohen said, "the whole Compass Point thing was great. We were unassuming Philly folks, living in cheap apartments, suddenly in this amazing studio in the Bahamas. It was very surreal."[1] While the album itself failed to chart, it featured two songs that charted on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, with "Hieroglyphics" peaking at No. 30 and "Look My Way" peaking at No. 39. "Look My Way" also peaked at No. 72 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, their only showing on that chart.[2]

Velocity
Studio album by
the Vels
Released1984
RecordedFebruary—March 1983
Studio
Genre
Length32:49
Label
Producer
The Vels chronology
Velocity
(1984)		 House of Miracles
(1986)
Singles from Velocity
  1. "Look My Way"
    Released: 1984
  2. "Private World"
    Released: 1984

To date, the album remains unavailable on CD or MP3, and it has been out of print since its initial release on vinyl and cassette.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert ChristgauB+[4]

Music journalist Robert Christgau gave the album a B+, and stated that "These three Steven Stanley-produced Philadelphians don't just dance in their heads. Not only do they command the spare formal pop eloquence that many popdance minimalists claim and few get next to, they have a generous regard for pop pleasure. Their simple hooks add up to full-fledged tunes, their basic-English lyrics are more than runes. And singer Alice DeSoto is unaffected and vivacious, a rare combination."[4]

Track listing

All songs are written by Alice Desoto, Charles Hansen and Chris Larkin.

Side one

  1. "Tell Me Something" – 3:23
  2. "Secret Garden" – 3:39
  3. "Can't You Hear Me?" – 3:54
  4. "Coming Attractions" – 4:21

Side two

  1. "Look My Way" – 4:38
  2. "Day After Day" – 3:14
  3. "Private World" – 4:30
  4. "Hieroglyphics" – 5:10

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Velocity liner notes.[5]

The Vels

  • Alice Cohen (as Alice Desoto) — vocals; keyboards; percussion
  • Charles Hanson — bass guitar; keyboards; vocals; percussion; guitar
  • Chris Larkin — keyboards; vocals; LinnDrums; percussion

Additional musicians

Production and artwork

  • Steven Stanley – producer; engineer
  • Benjamin Armbrister – assistant producer
  • Peter Lubin – producer (track 2)
  • Bruce Tergensen – engineer
  • Mark Procopio – assistant engineer
  • Jeff Levy – assistant engineer; assistant mixer
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering engineer
  • Manhattan Design – design
  • Frank Olinsky – illustration
  • Deborah Feingold – photography
  • Bill Levy – art direction

References
  1. "Alice in the Hinterlands :: Music :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs". www.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. "The Vels Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
  3. "Velocity – The Vels". AllMusic. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  4. Christgau, Robert (1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". New York. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. Velocity (CD booklet). the Vels. Mercury Records. 1984.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)


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