Published on Jul 6, 1999
When Peter Tosh was murdered in 1987, one of the biggest names
in reggae music was forever silenced. But despite making a name for
himself with such albums as
Legalize It and
Equal Rights, Tosh never achieved the same level of success
that his former bandmates, Bob Marley and the Wailers, did. It
wasn’t for lack of talent; Tosh obviously had that. It might have
been his outspoken political nature that held him back from the
rungs of superstardom; Tosh was nearly killed several times after
beatings from the police.
Whatever the reason that Tosh never grabbed a bigger portion of
the spotlight will be left for us to debate until the end of time.
Until that comes, we can enjoy the recently remastered versions of
his first two solo albums.
Legalize It, released in 1976, is a solid effort filled with
some great reggae – but sometimes it feels like Tosh is missing the
creative spark he shared with the rest of the Wailers.
And it’s not like he was lacking a decent backing band – who
just happened to be the Wailers (minus one Robert Nesta Marley).
Having his old band behind him helps Tosh out a lot; it almost
makes the transition from his days with the Wailers to his solo
career a little easier to take.
The title track is one of the anthems of the pro-marajuana
movement (“Legalize it and I will advertise it,” Tosh sings). Even
someone like myself, who is staunchly anti-drug, can appreciate the
song on its own merits. (One has to keep in mind that in the
Rastafarian religion, which both Tosh and Marley practiced, “ganja”
was seen as a sacrament.) The groove that Tosh and crew lay down is
incredible, and starts the album off on the right foot.
Tosh’s strong political views come through on the track
“Burial,” which decries the way some dishonest people sought to
profit from the dead by taking their valuables. The opening strains
of the death march put to a reggae beat seems to hammer the point
home the hardest, while Tosh makes a strong case against the
vultures.
Where
Legaliaze It begins to lose a little focus is when Tosh
begins moving away from solid subject matters and into more
trippy-happy reggae, as on “Ketchy Shuby”. (The bonus track – an
instrumental version of the song, is really for the diehard fans
only.) After you’ve heard the emotional punch of tracks like “Why
Must I Cry” and “No Sympathy”, this particular track seems to do
nothing but confuse the listener.
Tosh regains a little power in the tracks “Till Your Well Runs
Dry” and “Brand New Second Hand,” though I thought the former track
ran a little long in getting its point across. Tosh was obviously
not writing with hit singles in mind – possibly the thing that
drove him from the Wailers.
Legalize It is still very much worth checking out – even
with the bonus track, it clocks in at just over 41 minutes – and is
a great starting place for one to discover Tosh’s solo career.