By the time Ladysmith Black Mambazo became known in the United States they had recorded twenty or so albums in South Africa on the Gallo label. Many of them had gone gold. Only a few of those earlier recordings have been released here since they began their recording for the U.S. market with Shaka Zulu. In 1990 Shanachie compiled this wonderful disc of tracks taken from Ladysmith's Gallo discography which had been originally released in South Africa. These are some of the songs which made mbube songs famous through out Africa long before they were heard by a U.S. audience, except for small audiences of eclectic non-commercial radio stations. This is the sound that captivated Paul Simon and stimulated his desire to work with them.