Velvet Monkeys-Rake (1990)

March 18, 2026

Artist: Velvet Monkeys

Title: Rake

1	We Call It Rock Written-By – Fleming, Broyhill	4:50
2	She's Not A Girl Written-By – Fleming, Broyhill	3:16
3	The Ballad Of "Rake" Written-By – Spiegel, Moore, Tiers*	1:48
4	Something's In The Air Written-By – Fleming*	2:40
5	Velvet Monkey Theme Song Vocals – Jay Spiegel, Julia Cafritz* Written-By – Fleming*	9:21
6	Rock The Night Written-By – Fleming, Moore	6:50
7	Harmonica Hell House Written-By – Fleming*	2:53
8	Love To Give Written-By – Fleming, Moore	3:14
9	7 Angels Written-By – Fleming*	1:48
10	Rock Party Vocals – John Hammill Written-By – Fleming*	9:31
11	Velvet Monkey Theme (Assassin Mix) Vocals – Jay Spiegel, Julia Cafritz* Written-By – Fleming*

Label: Rough Trade

Format: CD

Catalog Number: ROUGH CD159

Year of Release: 1990

Country and Year of Edition: US reissue

Sell Price: $3.86

Sell Date: 3/13/26

Condition: VG+/VG+

Discogs Last Sold: 10/20/25 NM/VG+ $3.45

Low: $0.99

Median: $3.84

Average: $4.60

High: $14.83

Current low price: $2.87

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 45

Have/Want: 253/36

Where Sold: Toronto, ON, Canada

Time It Took To Sell: 15 years

Where and When Bought: New Newbury Comics Boston $13.99

Gwiz-gau Grade: B-

Sad To See It Go: No

I always thought of Velvet Monkeys as Don Fleming's one-off "super group," but in reality it was the resussitation of a "band" Don Fleming had a release with in 1982. J. Mascis, Thurston Moore, Julie Cafritz, John Hammill (also Pussy Galore, but also Elevator) join B.A.L.L./future Gumball drummer Jay Spiegel to put out a "let's have a blow" type record engineered by Wharton Tiers,

Start to finish listening a few times is a rough ride that doesn't get any better, but the album kicks off strong with "We Call It Rock" and the best song, the currently unstreamable (like much of US Rough Trade releases from late 80's/early 90's) "She's Not A Girl." After that, it's a bit of a forgettable slop fest with a couple stabs at a garage rock theme song (vocal and "hard lounge") and some other stuff that doesn't get any better with time or familiarity except for maybe "Something's In The Air." That one utilizes the Fleming laconic vocal sound well. "Harmonica Hell House" is also a good driving one with a (duh!) harmonica.

Fleming himself is a distinctive frontman and ultimately that earned him a post-Nirvana deal with Columbia for a couple releases before falling into behind the scenesdom and 500 plus credit appearances on releases big and small.

We call it rock, I guess.

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Tom Smith/Don Fleming-Gin Blossoms (1991)

Pussy Galore-Pussy Gold 5000 (1987)

Various Artists-Sounds Blasts EP3 (1989)

Action Swingers-Kicked In The Head b/w Bum My Trip (1989)

Free Kitten-Punks Suing Punks EP (1995)

Dinosaur Jr.-Without A Sound (1994)

Dinosaur Jr. @ Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 7/17/25

Thurston Moore-Demolished Thoughts (2011)

Thurston Moore @ Knockdown Center, Queens, NY 3/30/25