Gold from Wax, which was originally released in 1972 by Lyrichord Records, features two very different styles of music: the music of Addis Ababa, which synthesizes the music of many different areas into a unique style, and the music of several different tribal areas, each of which retain their regional identity. The collection is very diverse in the musical genres that it represents as well as the kinds of instruments that the songs are played on, from a variety of drums, to thumb pianos, to the bagana -- an instrument sometimes called the "Harp of David." Among the more interesting selections, "Anche-Lej-Amaleh" is a song about sex that was recorded in a tin-roofed bar in Addis Ababa where the musicians were crowded up against one wall and the customers and bar girls packed the rest of the space. "Fanno" is an epic poem set to music by Addis Ababa poet Mary Armeede that has many levels of meaning. Among the tribal selections, one of the most fascinating is "Walla-Lam," an Afar divination chant where the participants chant and ask questions of a jinele, or divination medium, and he answers them. This interesting document of Ethiopian music is wrapped up by the last track, which features an Afar flute player recorded in a building in the middle of the Danakil desert. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide