Two Tone Compilation: A Checkered Past is a sublime double-disc set containing all of the ska-revival label's greatest singles, not only from superstars like the Specials, Madness, the [English] Beat, Bodysnatchers, and the Selecter, but also the Special A.K.A, Swinging Cats, Higsons, and Apollinaires. Not one of the label's great songs are missing, and several cuts reveal themselves as forgotten gems. It's a comprehensive and compulsively listenable set, illustrating the kinetic energy of ska-revival as well as the depth of the label's roster. [In England, A Checkered Past was released as a four-disc box containing all of the label's A- and B-sides.]