Recorded between 1966 & 1975. Includes liner notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Liner Note Author: Laurence Cane-Honeysett.
One of Jamaica's most consistent vocal groups, and unfortunately one of the most unsung, the Ethiopians were led by the distinctive tenor and fine songwriting skills of Leonard Dillon. Originally a trio (with Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris), most of their hits were done with Dillon and Taylor as a duo, and their close two-part harmony is a trademark of the group. Following Taylor's death in 1975, Dillon carried on the name, double-tracking and using other singers in the studio to reproduce the trademark Ethiopians sound. This two-disc set is currently the best introduction to the Ethiopians on the market, and includes all of the group's major sides plus other rarities and oddities. Dillon is an excellent songwriter, with a compelling moral center and a knack for simple yet endlessly memorable melodies, and his songs, usually written from the ghetto sufferer's perspective, are exceedingly sly and wise. There are numerous examples of his craft here, including "Free Man," the ubiquitous "Train to Skaville" (which intriguingly really isn't ska), the funky and joyous "One Heart," the impossibly infectious (and shrewd) "Everything Crash," the subtly simple "Engine 54," the status report "Things a Get Bad to Worse," and the soothing yet mysterious "The Selah." Classic Jamaican rocksteady. ~ Steve Leggett minimize