Possible Clues:

• All the letters opened first by independent college? That's no sort of life!
• Geologic time before life
• __ Era: old name for Earth's pre-life period
• Before the appearance of life
• Having no trace of organic remains, as in the Archaean geological period
• Geologic age meaning "without life"
• A character at the end? Nothing, almost frozen lifeless
• Every other piece from jazz to disco is lifeless
• Without life
• Pre-life geologic age, formerly