This is a historic release, the first official appearance of recordings by , the band that would later mutate into . These were cut in 1984, when the band was led by and guitarists and , with on drums, and these are the recordings that initially got playing the L.A. club circuit; , the guitarist who later split to form , would come along later, along with bassist and drummer . Hearing this original five-song demo, it's easy to see why , the group's first manager, took them under her wing -- they were harder, tougher, rawer, and meaner than any of the coming out of Los Angeles during 1984. Not that the music was fully formed: apart from both of which appeared on releases, the songwriting was embryonic, and the music, particularly the guitar playing, fell prey to a few '80s metallic conventions and lacked the recklessness that brought to the band. Still, these are urgent, fiery, utterly committed performances that have dated very little since their recording; it's played with the hunger and vigor of , something that later made stars, but made them outcasts in 1984, and it's a thrill to hear this original demo at long last. And that's a thrill that can't be diluted even though the CD itself is padded out with two different remixes, one by latter-day guitarist and one by drummer . Although it's hard not to smirk in admiration at bringing in for posthumous guitar overdubs on two songs, these remixes are superfluous -- way too bright, punchy, and modern for music that sounded as raw and twitchy as an exposed nerve in its threadbare demo version. Even with this filler, is essential listening for any fan of or -- not only is it an important piece of history, it's as raw and reckless, as live like a suicide as anything cut or will ever cut again. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine