Natural Rock 'N' Reggae (3CD)

After making his mark in the late 60s as one of Jamaica’s brightest young instrumentalists, playing drums and guitar on sessions for Studio One operator Coxson Dodd, Filberto ‘Fil’ Phil Calender worked on sessions for many of the island’s leading producers. He also found time to form The In Crowd, which by the latter half of the 70s provided the primary outlet for his considerable talents as both a musician and songwriter.

In 1978, the septet’s album ‘His Majesty Is Coming’ broke the group in the UK, with the collection swiftly becoming a must-have purchase for all self-respecting British fans of roots reggae. Over the years that immediately followed, Calender and the In Crowd cut a succession of beautifully crafted singles, including ‘We Play Reggae’, ‘Back A Yard’, ‘Born In Ethiopia’, ‘Man From New Guinea’, ‘Marcus Garvey’s Back In Town’, ‘Baby My Love’, and ‘Getting Cozy’, with the popularity of these works prompting a best-selling follow-up LP, ‘Natural Rock ‘n’ Reggae’, released by Creole Records in the early 80s.

The album proved to be their final major work, with The In Crowd disbanding soon after, their break-up in part to Calender deciding to concentrate on gospel material. Surprisingly, much of the band’s output, including the ‘Natural Rock ‘n’ Reggae’ album have remained unavailable since originally being released on vinyl – an oversight that has finally been remedied with this triple disc set which comprises the entirety of their work from 1977 to 1984.