3 out of 5

Label: Dirter Promotions

Produced by: ?

An interesting document of the early Skullflower “rock” sound, of mostly surprisingly quality fidelity given its year.

Included with the Kino I – IV collection, this 3-song LP contains (given the date) some of the earliest recorded renditions of its tracks, from a time when there was singing and riffs. I mean, not that this wasn’t still noise, but it was a different era, industrial tinged beats and structure buried in the reverb.

Opener Marilyn Burns is probably the most distracting in terms of clarity, with the sound often crackling a bit. (You can get away with this with Skullflower, though, as “atmosphere.) This tune and Slaves are intriguing, and moderately straight-forward; closer Let it Ride (which would later become the tune ‘Wave’) feels the most developed in terms of what the band would become, with its oppressiveness used to create an overall vibe that transcends song structure.

The stuff holds up well, though I appreciate it included as a bonus and not an official release, as it’s definitely more of a fan recording – apparently the only live recording featuring this particular group lineup – than something to be tracked down by a “casual” Skullflower listener, whatever that looks like.