The Flying Nun label was instrumental in getting New Zealand's unsigned underground bands above ground, and The Flying Nun Retrospective Compilation: Getting Older 1981-1991 documents this objective quite wonderfully while simultaneously exposing the growth of the label in its first decade. Because of the limited amount of professional recording studios on the south island of New Zealand, where the label is located, much of the Flying Nun's early output was recorded by Chris Knox and Doug Hood on four-track reel to reel, which gave the Auckland label, by accident, a uniform sound that helped cement the image of New Zealand rock being an alternate universe to the slick recordings of the Teardrop Explodes, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the slew of U.K. bands that defined what is now called post-punk. Because of this, The Flying Nun Retrospective Compilation: Getting Older 1981-1991 is a great addition to lend some depth to the understanding of what '80s rock was comprised of outside of the U.K. and U.S. and a fantastic introduction to such New Zealand icons as the Tall Dwarves, the Chills, Bailter Space, and others. ~ Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide