Anyone remember the first Downey Mildew EP?

Sure do...it was added to the Broomtree re-iss a decade or so ago. Believe it or not, the first time I heard Downy Mildew was on MTV - they showed the video for "Offering" back in the late 80s. I thought "Elevator" could have been a college radio hit, but I guess all those vocal glissandos from Jenny Homer were a bit off-putting to the average listener (and she had some occasional intonation issues...). The "Cool Nights" 7" has a neat trick on the b-side - they sing the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" simultaneously.

vaguely...

(to answer the initial question).

Is it available on CD?

I have a bootleg of a show with Steve Wynn, Michael Stipe, and Natalie Merchant (among others) from '87 and one of the things they do is "Sunday Morning" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" simultaneously.

Just checked the disk, there is a "Jenny" on the performer list for that song, so I guess it's not such a wild coincidence, nor case of idea-stealing.

Goodness, bless you guys. I had the misfortune of realizing I'd started this thread last night just as the UK people were awake and all the U.S. people were probably asleep! So I figured I'd probably get no responses at all. I normally don't give this band a whole lot of thought, but pulled out this old tape I have in order to listen to another band entirely, and there that first EP was afterwards. Mindblowing stuff. The song "The Drive" especially, I think. I used to have Broomtree, but I don't right now through no real fault of my own. I'll have to get back to them sometime soon. I have no idea if you can get the EP on CD at all now, because I only ever had it on vinyl.

Sounds like a fabulous tape, nickn!

It is pretty good, if a little precious at times (Natalie M, whaddaya gonna do?). It's a CD, recorded at a guitar store that has a tiny performance room here in L.A. called McCabe's.