Customer Reviews

His Majesty Is Coming

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Fans catchy commercial reggae ala ASwad, Steel Pulse, and Third World check this out!

It has a little bit roots, lovers, and pop, very catchy, very commercial.

Very well written, sung and played, and very slick.

In the late 1970s a reggae sound that incorporated conscious lyrics, upbeat rhythms, and a great energy manifested as The In-Crowd. In the recent Trojan double disc release "His Majesty is Coming," a classic reggae album, comprised of songs from 1977-1981 both musically deep and wide, was reborn. The many levels of writing are a major part of a spectrum that makes you dance at one instance and at another instance give praises to Jah for simple things like having a job or being at a party. Just a little bit of reggae all the time, don't you know?

The album is a masterwork of Fil Callendar, who began is career by playing drums at Studio One as well as organizing a band of musicians to play the tourist bars of Jamaica's sunny coast. His story parallels the storyline in the classic reggae movie "Rockers", and such irony should not be lost in his departure from Studio One; after arriving late one day to the studio, he found that he had been replaced by Leroy "Horesemouth" Wallace, who in fact had played the main character in the movie.

After his departure from Studio One, what unfolded was a brief career guided by professionalism and talent. Other diamonds in the rough found an important role as a part of The In-Crowd, and the men that came together to be The In-Crowd were: Fil Callender (lead guitar, vocals, percussion), Errol Walker (lead vocals), Clevie Browne (drums, vocals), Tony Lewis (bass guitar, vocals), Freddie Butler (keyboards), Wigmore Francis (guitar), and a horn section with Egbert Evans (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute), and Barry Bailey (trombone). The extensive listing of instruments helps explain the mosaic of music, as the variety and quality of vocals is phenomenal. It seems like a puzzle where all of the pieces fall together perfectly. As their popularity grew, they realized in 1976 with their release "Born in Ethiopia" that they were THE band, and not just backing band any longer.

The band polished itself constantly by playing and by the time the summer of 1978 rolled around, they had a tremendous hit with "We Play Reggae". Immediately after that they had an even bigger hit with "Back a Yard", a song that rejoices upon returning home to Jamaica to smoke some collie and celebrate love and life. These songs and a handful of others were released on their own Evolution label. It was time for them to record their first album, "His Majesty is Coming" (Creole/Cactus, U.K.)

These songs not only ruled in Jamaica, but also made their way to the U.K. where they were spun at "blues parties" all night long. You get that feeling with their song "Let's Go To the Party", especially with the groovy conversation leading into some great bass riffs. The closer you listen to this 2 disc set, the better it sounds. Whether you are hoping for melodic horns, a guitar that makes you tap your feet, or some bass to wind up your waist, you will find it here. The rocking yet thought provoking songs incorporate some state of the art special effects as well. The keyboard twists and sounds like it is from a Snoop Dogg studio effect, like on "You Facey Whitey" and "Marcus Garvey's Back in Town".

This two CD set not only has the album "His Majesty is Coming", but an abundance of four-star bonus material. Jah Stitch is featured on "Baby My Love', plus there are four 12" mixes, extended songs, and virtually every release from The In Crowd (there are 31 tracks on this set). When you combine a culture of righteousness, talent, and insightfulness while putting it in a musical blender with roots, rhythm, funk, psychedelia, and disco you get The In-Crowd and their "rub up" reggae sounds.

Reviewed By Jon Shaw for ReggaeMovement.com