Creaking horns, wheezing Farfiza organs, and soulful, Middle Eastern-tinged vocals are the hallmarks of these rare recordings from the Golden Age of Ethiopian popular music (1969-1975), made during Haile Sellasie's reign before the military shut down of Addis Abbaba's nightlife. Soul, jazz, and UK '60s pop had infiltrated the hipster milieu, adding new color to the swirling, elliptical local grooves, laid down by moonlighting members of police and military bands (they had the instruments), often with stunning effect. The unfamiliar Arabic vocal flavor actually shares common roots with R&B, and any hint of ersatz kitsch is dispelled by their passion and integrity. Recorded with just one or two mikes, these selections are reminiscent of early Jamaican bluebeat in quality, heightening the effect of glimpsing a magical time, long passed, through a dusty keyhole, and the other individual releases in the series are equally as fascinating. --Derek Rath