Conversation so far:
what is the origin of neutral milk hotel?
Jeff Mangum, along with high-school friends Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss, formed The Olivia Tremor Control.
what was their first  release?
Mangum appearing on their first release, the California Demise 7".
did they have a different name when they started?
Neutral Milk Hotel moniker, Mangum recorded a few cassettes under the name Milk.

Question: what were some of these casettes called?
Self-contained rewrite: What were some of Neural Milk Hotel's early cassettes called?