Everything Crash: The Best of the Ethiopians

This compilation, which includes tracks recorded over a ten-year period between 1966-1976, includes some of the band's most enduring music. Inevitably, it leads with "Train to Skaville," but some of the best songs on the program are less well-known: "Free Man" harks back to the glory days of ska with its chugging, horn-driven beat and simple but irresistible melodic hook; "Selah" is a slower, smokier groove that anticipates the classic roots reggae sound and draws deeply on the nyabinghi vocal style; and "Solid As a Rock" beautifully bemoans the state of the world while inviting all to come unto the Rastafarian faith. There is no shortage of fine Ethiopians collections on the market, but this one offers a better introduction than most.