Peter Tosh | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Singer, musician, composer, and rebel Peter Tosh cut a swathe through the Jamaican musical scene, both as a founding member of the Wailers and as a solo artist. He toured with the Rolling Stones and had an international hit with a duet with Mick Jagger, then toured again to equally rapturous world audiences as the headlining act. His words would cause an uproar at the One Peace concert, but then unlike fellow Wailer Bob Marley, Tosh always made his true feelings known. He was born Winston Hubert McIntosh on October 19, 1944, in the small rural village of Grange Hill, Jamaica. Like so many young island teens searching for a better life, he left home at 15 and headed for Kingston. Once there, he made his way to Joe Higgs tenement yard, joining other aspiring youths eager for the vocal coaching lessons the singing star provided to local teens. Amongst these youthful wannabes were Bunny, Bob Marley, and the much younger Junior Braithwaite; the four, buttressed by backing vocalists Cherry Green and Beverley Kelso, joined forces initially as the Teenagers before eventually settling on the moniker the Wailers. Success was immediate; the groups debut single, "Simmer Down," was an instant hit, and the bands career was off and running. Toshs talent didnt end with his vocal skills as he was also an excellent guitarist; his playing was first showcased in 1963 on the Wailers single "Im Going Home." He was also a gifted songwriter, as was Bunny Livingston, which helped the band survive Marleys hiatus from the group while he went to work in the U.S. in 1966. The Wailers, by then reduced to a trio with the departure of Braithwaite, Green, and Kelso, continued on without him. During this time, the remaining duo, with Constance "Dream" Walker filling in, continued releasing singles now credited to either the Wailers, Tosh, or Livingston alone. Thus, over the next year, Toshs dance-friendly "Hoot Nanny Hoot," "The Jerk," a cover of Sir Lancelots calypso hit "Shame and Scandal in the Family," the R&B-fired; "Making Love," and "Its Only Love," a duet with Rita Marley, all arrived from Studio One. "Rasta Shook Them Up" celebrated Haile Selassies Jamaican visit, while Tosh also offered up the rudie-fueled "The Toughest." With Marleys return, the Wailers departed Studio One and launched their own short-lived WailnSoulM label. With its demise, they returned to the studio circuit. Sessions with producer Bunny Lee went nowhere, but Lee and Tosh had a rapport, and between 1969 and 1970, the Wailers cut a string of instrumentals for the producer and released them under the alias Peter Touch. Tosh was now attempting to learn to play the melodica, and the singles chart his progress on the instrument. "Crimson Pirate," "Sun Valley," the almost psychedelic "Pepper Seed," "The Return of Al Capone," "Selassie Serenade" (actually a rather frenetic version of "Blue Moon") and more, were the end results. However, in 1971, Tosh made the momentous decision to pursue a true solo career in conjunction with his work with the Wailers. His debut single, "Maga Dog," was cut with producer Joe Gibbs. The song had initially been recorded by the Wailers with Coxsone Dodd, and in its original rhythm arrangement was suspiciously similar to "Simmer Down." Gibbs would totally re-create it, slowing the tempo down and creating a rhythm perfect for the latest dance rage, the John Crow skank. The single was a major hit and became a favorite of the DJs, with a flood of versions quickly following. The equally hard-hitting "Dem Ha Fe Get a Beating" arrived soon after. In the brief period Tosh spent with Gibbs, he recorded a clutch of seminal numbers, including "Arise Blackman," "Black Dignity," and "Here Comes the Judge." The latter track was built around the haunting rhythm from the Abyssinians "Satta Massa Gana," but lyrically hearkened back to Prince Busters "Judge Dread," as Toshs magistrate tries and convicts Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, and Vasco da Gama for myriad of crimes against black people. Even on a cover of "Nobodys Business," Toshs militancy shines through, with the line "Leave my business and mind your own," carrying a definite hint of menace in the delivery. Jumping on the current bandwagon for golden oldie medleys, the singer also delivered up a trio of rude boy hits, Desmond Dekkers "Rude Boy Train" and "007 Shanty Town," and his own, "Im the Toughest." Tosh split with Gibbs before the end of the year, allegedly over the lack of money hed received from "Maga Dog." The artists retaliation was swift and the self-produced "Once Bitten" was allegedly aimed directly at the producer. That single utilized the "Maga Dog" rhythm, as did its follow-up, "Dog Teeth." Initially, Tosh was releasing his latest self-produced solo singles via the Wailers own Tuff Gong label, but soon the artist set up his own label, Intel Diplo HIM (Intelligent Diplomat for His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie). The label was inaugurated with "Dog Teeth," with "Ketchy Shrub" following before the end of 1971. As the Wailers international breakthrough began, Tosh had less and less time to devote to his solo career. However, a few singles did arrive during 1972, including "No Mercy" and "Cant Blame the Youth." More followed in 1973, among them "Mark of the Beast," "Foundation," "What You Gonna Do," and a re-recording of "Pound Get a Blow," originally a single released by the Wailers back in 1968. At the end of the Wailers 1973 U.K. tour, Livingston announced he would no longer tour outside of Jamaica with the band. The group initially carried on without him, completing a tour of the States, then a second tour of Britain. Tensions were already high between Tosh and Marley, and the situation finally came to a head on November 30, in Northampton. It ended with a punch up and Tosh quitting the band. Although the Wailers reunited six months later for a benefit show, and again in late 1975 for another benefit concert, the group itself was now defunct, and the Wailers went their separate ways. Toshs first post-Wailers solo single, "Brand New Secondhand," was a new version of a song initially recorded by the Wailers for Lee Perry. However, it was Toshs follow-up, "Legalize It," that packed the greatest punch and swiftly becoming a ganja anthem even though the single was slapped with a radio ban. In 1975, Tosh signed to the Columbia label in the U.S., and began work on his first solo album. Sessions were held in Kingston at Treasure Isle studio, Miami, and even in Tulsa, OK. A number of the tracks were new versions of old songs, including "Burial" and "Ketchy Shuby." The resulting album, Legalize It, arrived in 1976 to acclaim both at home and abroad. With interest running high, Tosh set off on tour, accompanied by a band comprised of the Sly & Robbie rhythm section, keyboardists Earl "Wire" Lindo and Errol "Tarzan" Nelson, and guitarists Donald Kinsey and American Al Anderson. Sony/Legacys Live & Dangerous album captured one of the bands steaming shows in Boston during this tour. Like Marley, Tosh was moving effortlessly into a hybrid style that paid homage to American rock, but was still shot through with strong Jamaican roots. However, Toshs lyrical vision was much darker than his former bandmates. Love always ended in tears, as on "Why Must I Cry" and the country & western-tinged "Til Your Well Runs Dry," both updated Wailers numbers; while "Burial," ostensibly about a gangster but with pointed political overtones, was never going to endear him to the mass market. Toshs follow-up album, Equal Rights, was even more uncompromising. Recording began just a few months after its predecessor was completed and again featured the deep dread rhythms of Sly & Robbie, Earl Lindos atmospheric keyboards, and Andersons funky rock guitar, amongst a host of other guest Jamaican session men. Bunny Livingston also joined his former bandmate on backing vocals; Tosh himself had guest starred on Livingstons own solo album, 1976s Black Man Heart. More focused than Legalize It, Equal Rights revolved around the themes of the plight of blacks around the world, and particularly in South Africa and Rhodesia. A new version of "Downpressor Man," the original cut coming with Lee Perry earlier in the decade, was turned into a dread classic. However, the most seminal tracks were the new songs -- the anthemic "Get Up, Stand Up," the menacing rocker "Stepping Razor," and the artists personal manifesto, "Equal Rights." This was to be Toshs final album for Columbia. In Jamaica, events were spinning out of control, politically inspired violence was rampant, and gang warfare had reached a level so extreme that a rogue army unit decided to put a permanent end to the combatants. In late 1977, they gunned down ten members of the Skull gang, whose members were mostly Rastafarians, killing five. This event, known as the Green Bay Massacre, so shocked the island that, for a brief moment, the gangs put aside their differences and called a truce. The One Love Peace Concert was organized to help cement this cessation of violence with a billing headed by Marley, who returned to the island for the show. The concert was held on April 22, 1978, and Tosh was slated to appear right before his former bandmate. His performance was captured for posterity on the Live at the One Love Peace Concert released in 2001. Toshs set comprised his most militant numbers -- "400 Years," "Stepping Razor," "Burial," "Equal Rights,""Legalize It," and "Get Up, Stand Up," and if that was not enough, between songs he spoke at length in a series of uncompromising speeches that scathingly attacked the government, the opposition, and the concept of peace itself. Although the audience appreciated his words, the government and the press did not, and the Jamaican papers the next day were filled with rabid condemnations. The singer, however, remained unrepentant. Toshs performance had also impressed visiting British rock star Mick Jagger, whod been backstage that night. The Jamaican now signed to the Rolling Stones own label, and that summer toured the States opening for the band. The two singers joined forces on a cover of the Temptations "(You Gotta Walk And) Dont Look Back," a song Tosh had previously recorded with the Wailers. Tosh would also briefly unite with Marley during the latters Burbank, CA, concert for a show-stopping "Get Up Stand Up." Back in Jamaica that autumn, Tosh was arrested for drug possession, taken to jail, and beaten so badly he required 30 stitches to close the gaping wounds in his cracked skull. Even with these severe injuries, the artist began work on his next album, Bush Doctor, co-produced with Robbie Shakespeare. A much more "Jamaican" album than its predecessors, the record featured the exquisite Tamlins on backing vocals, and some of the islands top session men, led of course by Sly & Robbie, but boasting Keith Richards seminal guitar on two tracks. Musically, the album may have sounded less dread, but new versions of "Im the Toughest" and "Dem Ha Fe Get a Beaten" suggested that Tosh wasnt going soft. However, thematically Bush Doctor was less a cultural album than a religious one. Mystic Man arrived in 1979, and again featured a lighter touch, although songs like "Rumours of War" and "Jah Seh No" were as tough as anything Tosh had offered up in the past. The year also saw the release of the wittily titled "Buk-In-Hamm Palace" single and a re-recorded "Stepping Razor" for the soundtrack for the legendary film Rockers. The highlight of 1980 was a spectacular appearance at Reggae Sunsplash, and the year also brought the excellent "Bombo Klaat" single, a Jamaican-only single released on Toshs revived Intel Diplo HIM label. A duet with Gwen Guthrie, "Nothing but Love," was offered up to the rest of the world. The slowing output was deliberate as Tosh needed the time off to continue his recovery from the beating hed received at the hands of the police. However, he returned with a vengeance in 1981, releasing the Wanted Dread & Alive album, which shot into the lower reaches of the U.S. chart, and toured both the U.S. and Europe. After all that activity, the artist took the next year off, returning in 1983, with a phenomenal cover of "Johnny B. Goode" which landed in the lower reaches of the U.S. Top 50. The single was a taster for his new album, Mama Africa, which also arrived that year. Another tour followed, including a concert in Swaziland and headlining appearances at the Reggae Superjam festival in Kingston. Captured Live, released the following year, was recorded during these tours. Tosh then disappeared off the musical map for the next three years, and it wasnt until 1987 that a new single, "In My Song," arrived. In September, it was joined by the album No Nuclear War. Staying at Toshs home during this time was an old friend of the Wailers, Dennis Lobban. However, he left in a fury after an argument with Toshs girlfriend, Marlene Brown, returning a few days later on September 11, with a gang of friends. Lobban later claimed he had merely intended to threaten the artist, and perhaps rob him, but panicked. The end result was that Tosh and all six of his friends who were hanging out in the room were shot in the head. Tosh lay dead, as did the radio DJ Jeff "Free I" Dixon and a third friend. Marlene Brown, ex-Soul Syndicate drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, and two other of Toshs friends miraculously survived. Lobban was arrested and sentenced to death. Jamaica had forever lost one of its most talented artists and eloquent spokesmen. However, Toshs legacy remains undiminished, and since his death a number of compilations have appeared to safeguard his memory. Heartbeats The Toughest focuses exclusively on early recordings with Dodd and Lee Perry, while Trojans Arise Black Man picks up the story with cuts for Bunny Lee, Perry, and Gibbs. Columbia remastered both Toshs albums for release in 1999, and two years earlier compiled the Honorary Citizen three-CD box set. This boasts a disc devoted to singles released only in Jamaica, a second disc of songs recorded live, and a third of hits and favorites. Scrolls of the Prophets, released in 1999, is a compilation drawn from Toshs major-label recordings of 1976-1987. Toshs back catalog with the Wailers is equally well-served and his influence, even in death, remains strong. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 36 Title: Legalize It Released: 1976 Tracks: 9 Duration: 39:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Legalize It (04:41) 2 Burial (03:57) 3 Whatcha Gonna Do (02:29) 4 No Sympathy (04:38) 5 Why Must I Cry (03:14) 6 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (04:40) 7 Ketchy Shuby (05:02) 8 Till Your Well Runs Dry (06:14) 9 Brand New Second Hand (04:05) |
| Legalize It : Allmusic album Review : After years of being overshadowed by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh left the Wailers to pursue a solo career. Released in 1976, Legalize It is a bold statement that Peter Tosh had arrived and was a creative force in his own right. Although he explores some issues of spirituality, this is Toshs most lightweight album in the sense that it is his least political. This is not meant as a criticism -- in fact, Toshs playfulness and joy ("Ketchy Shuby") only add to the albums charm. He does make political statements (the title track celebrates and promotes the use of marijuana), but they are done with a sense of humor and a melodic infectiousness that belie his sincere concern for the issues. Tosh incorporates many instruments and mixes slower ballads with upbeat grooving tunes. The albums highlight is "Why Must I Cry," a multi-layered song (co-written with Bob Marley) that conveys a sense of personal failure when fighting an uphill battle, whether it be against injustices of the world or within the confines of a relationship. Legalize It cemented Toshs position as a giant in reggae, and the album is one of the best albums of the genre. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 36 Title: Equal Rights Released: 1977 Tracks: 30 Duration: 2:25:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Get Up, Stand Up (03:36) 2 Downpressor Man (06:26) 3 I Am That I Am (04:28) 4 Stepping Razor (05:48) 5 Equal Rights (05:58) 6 African (03:42) 7 Jah Guide (04:30) 8 Apartheid (05:31) 9 400 Years (04:27) 10 Hammer (extended version) (06:46) 11 Jah Man inna Jamdung (06:02) 12 Vampire (03:32) 13 Babylon Queendom (05:01) 14 You Cant Blame the Youth (04:53) 15 Mark of the Beast (04:07) 1 Get Up, Stand Up (alternate version) (03:31) 2 Dub-Pressor Man (dub version) (05:34) 3 I Am That I Am (ShaJahShoka dub plate) (04:21) 4 Heavy Razor (ShaJahShoka dub plate) (05:36) 5 Equal Rights (extended version) (06:49) 6 African (London Sound System dub plate) (03:15) 7 Jah Guide (dub plate) (04:26) 8 (Fight) Apartheid (alternate version) (07:11) 9 Vampire (demo) (03:39) 10 Jah Man inna Jamdung (demo) (06:58) 11 Hammer (ShaJahShoka dub plate) (03:44) 12 Blame the Yout (dub version) (04:10) 13 Babylon Queendom (dub version) (03:10) 14 Vampires (dub version) (03:31) 15 Get Up, Stand Up (extended/alternate version) (05:01) |
| Equal Rights : Allmusic album Review : Equal Rights was to be the album that propelled Peter Tosh to the top of the reggae world -- the rival to onetime fellow Wailer Bob Marley. Time has shown that this lofty aspiration was not borne out, but Equal Rights remains among the handful of best, and most influential, reggae albums ever recorded. Tosh was always the most militant of the original Wailers and this album reflects that outlook. Whether it is preaching about the unity of the African diaspora ("African"), protesting conditions in South Africa ("Apartheid"), or giving a more general call to arms ("Get Up, Stand Up"), Equal Rights is a political album. This is at times crippling, as some tracks are more effective as political statements than they are as songs. This, in fact, is a primary difference between Tosh and Marley -- Marleys political statements never overwhelmed his songs. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with Tosh. That being said, "Downpresser Man" (based on a folk standard), "Stepping Razor," and his definitive version of "Get Up, Stand Up" are as good a trio of songs as you will find on any album, reggae or not. Toshs singing is angry and forceful and the music is intricate and distinctive. On these three tracks you can see why people thought that Tosh could become a transcendent international star. The rest of the album, however, shows why he never quite lived up to that potential. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 36 Title: Early Music Released: 1977 Tracks: 10 Duration: 28:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Wings of a Dove (02:48) 2 It Hurts to Be Alone (02:31) 3 Im Still Waiting (03:04) 4 Who Feels It (02:19) 5 Do You Remember (02:53) 6 Dancing Shoes (02:40) 7 I Dont Need Your Love (02:46) 8 Lonesome Track (02:17) 9 Do You Feel the Same Way (02:18) 10 The Ten Commandments of Love (04:30) |
 | Album: 4 of 36 Title: Bush Doctor Released: 1978 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:13:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (05:20) 2 Pick Myself Up (03:58) 3 Im the Toughest (03:53) 4 Soon Come (03:59) 5 Moses (The Prophet) (03:38) 6 Bush Doctor (04:05) 7 Stand Firm (06:12) 8 Dem Ha fi Get a Beatin (04:15) 9 Creation (06:27) 10 Lessons in My Life (unreleased version) (05:36) 11 Soon Come (long version) (05:19) 12 Im the Toughest (long version) (05:12) 13 Bush Doctor (long version) (05:44) 14 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (version) (05:01) 15 Tough Rock Soft Stones (unreleased version) (04:30) |
| Bush Doctor : Allmusic album Review : As the debut album on the Rolling Stone label in 1978, Bush Doctor benefited immensely from the involvement of Jagger and Richards, as well as the publicity inherent in the high-profile nature of the release. Thankfully, Tosh was up to the challenge, and although there are moments that are less roots than anything he had previously recorded, Bush Doctor is no slick sellout. Its bolstered by his incredible Word Sound & Power band featuring the legendary Sly & Robbie rhythm section along with lead guitarists Mikey "Mao" Chung and Donald Kinsey (fresh from his stint with Marley). Although the cover of the Temptations "(You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back" single featuring Jaggers duet with Tosh seemed like an obvious ploy at crossover radio play, the rest is more roots conscious, and only slightly less compelling than some of ex-bandmate Bob Marleys work. The horns on "Moses -- The Prophet" seem like sweetening, but the title track, "Im the Toughest," "Stand Firm," and a remake of an old Wailers track "Dem Ha Fe Get a Beatin," complete with I-Threes-style backing vocals, are some of Toshs best songs. Only the original albums closing track, an ambitious but overwrought retelling of Genesis with Handels "Messiah," is a major misstep. Yet even here, Tosh is pushing boundaries, adding bird and thunder sound effects to his soft guitar strumming accompaniment. Its interesting but few will want to hear it more than once. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 36 Title: Mystic Man Released: 1979 Tracks: 9 Duration: 44:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mystic Man (05:56) 2 Recruiting Soldiers (04:27) 3 Cant You See (03:43) 4 Jah Seh No (04:40) 5 Fight On (03:21) 6 Buk-In-Hamm Palace (08:48) 7 The Day the Dollar Die (04:50) 8 Crystal Ball (05:11) 9 Rumours of War (03:29) |
| Mystic Man : Allmusic album Review : Having flirted with commercial acceptance on Bush Doctor, the former Wailers guitarist reasserted his cranky contrarian militancy on this album -- which is why he never reached the mega-stardom of his countryman Bob Marley. Unlike his old Wailers bandmate, Tosh had little interest in leavening his musics fiercely political bent, which effectively cemented his acquired-taste status (at least to American audiences). "Rumors of War" and "Fight On" explicitly address black majority rule in South Africa, a subject that few 70s artists even touched. Similarly, "Recruiting Soldiers" vows to physically round up enough fighters for the inevitable resistance, while "Jah She No" casts the poors struggle to survive in stark, elemental terms ("Must righteous live in pain/And always look to shame?"). "Mystic Man" is a proud declaration of Toshs lifestyle, which he pointedly contrasts against Western consumerist decadence (among other things, swearing off frankfurters, hamburgers, and any notions of drinking "pink, yellow, blue, green soda"). "Buk-in-hamm Palace is the biggest departure, building its outlaw theme of smoking marijuana in the Queen of Englands home over a bubbling disco rhythm. Its easily the most accessible moment here, driven by Toshs crack backup band of the time, Word, Sound & Power. Theres no doubting Toshs sincerity, though it sometimes founders in clichés and clunky lyric writing (like "Crystal Ball"s coupling of "city" and "sh*tty"). From a strict songwriting viewpoint, Mystic Man isnt as distinctive as its predecessors, but a representative snapshot of Toshs provocative artistry. "The Day the Dollar Die" is a roots classic, in which Tosh pleads his case for capitalisms demise over a shimmering pop-reggae groove -- proof he could craft compelling tunes to match his message. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 36 Title: Wanted Dread & Alive Released: 1981 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:10:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Coming in Hot (03:40) 2 Nothing But Love (03:47) 3 Reggaemylitis (06:35) 4 Rok With Me (03:44) 5 Oh Bumbo Klaat (04:45) 6 Wanted Dread and Alive (04:28) 7 Rastafari Is (06:34) 8 Guide Me From My Friends (04:02) 9 Fools Die (for Want of Wisdom) (07:40) 10 The Poor Man Feel It (04:11) 11 Cold Blood (04:38) 12 Thats What They Will Do (04:37) 13 Rok With Me (alternate long mix) (06:18) 14 Nothing but Love (long version) (05:02) |
| Wanted Dread & Alive : Allmusic album Review : Peter Toshs final album for the Glimmer Twins imprint label found him continuing to relish his image of urban bandit, as the Wild West-style wanted-poster graphics aptly illustrate. So does the slinky title track, which comes off as a downmarket "I Shot the Sheriff," yet done with panache. "Coming in Hot" is a classic statement of intent, while "Nothing But Love" is an inspired pop-reggae crossover affair that marks one of the few times he ever shared the mike with someone else. "The Poor Man Feel It" and "Cold Blood" retread Toshs statutory pessimism and scorn toward the political landscape. The former song is crippled by a numbingly obvious hook that wouldnt give Bob Dylan sleepless nights ("gotta find a solution to all the pollution"), though its heartfelt compassion shines through. "Reggae-Mylitis," on the other hand, reads like a clunky roots response to "Boogie Fever," but is good, mindless fun (not a word often associated with Tosh). The longer tracks provide the most compelling moments. "Rastafari Is" would be a deadly dull roots religious lecture without the mantra-like hand percussion, organ, and lead guitar lines bobbing and weaving throughout its six minutes. "Thats What They Will Do" fires a shot across the bow at people whom Tosh feels have betrayed him, with lead guitarist Darryl Thompson firing off some spiffy countrified licks. "Fools Die" is the biggest surprise, bearing little relation to Toshs recorded output. The track builds on a simple pad of acoustic guitar and electric piano, while Pee-Wee improvises soaring flute lines behind an impassioned Tosh plea for humanity to clean up its act. Its a daring departure and an impressive mood piece; such gestures would have gone a long way elsewhere, too. Theres a nagging sense of little new ground being broken, which wont bother the diehards; theyre the ones who keep stuff like this in print, after all. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 36 Title: Mama Africa Released: 1983 Tracks: 9 Duration: 44:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mama Africa (07:56) 2 Glasshouse (05:53) 3 Not Gonna Give It Up (05:45) 4 Stop That Train (04:01) 5 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 6 Where You Gonna Run (04:09) 7 Peace Treaty (04:21) 8 Feel No Way (03:29) 9 Maga Dog (04:25) |
| Mama Africa : Allmusic album Review : Peter Toshs most "accessible" solo album, Mama Africa would also be his best seller outside Jamaica, the only one of his albums to break into the U.K. Top 50 and even push into the bottom reaches of the U.S. chart. Toning down the rhetoric, Tosh concentrated on the music, self-producing an album that sounds fantastic from start to finish. Of course, he had help from a boatload of friends, with two separate aggregates of musicians providing backing; Carlton "Santa" Davis and Lebert "Gibby" Morrison fuel one grouping across most of the album, with Sly & Robbie firing the other. Theres a fabulous horn section, a clutch of superb backing singers (including the Tamlins, who accompany Tosh on three songs), and some superb guitar work from Donald Kinsey. The album itself revisits the past while also looking to the future. The updated songs are particularly creative, with the Wailers "Stop That Train" totally revitalized through an incredible mix of styles, brilliantly blending R&B, nods to Motown, a faux slide guitar, and a steady reggae beat. Even more astonishing is Toshs stunning take on "Johnny B. Goode," a U.K. Top 50 hit that boasts an intricate rhythm, brass accents, sumptuous keyboards, and Kinseys soaring guitar on a song that builds and builds into an absolute crescendo of sound. Theres also a fine revisit of "Maga Dog," one of Toshs nastier songs. But that has little on "Peace Treaty," whose laid-back beat and chirpy melody cant hide Toshs gloating. Yes, listeners remember his admonition that peace will only be found in the grave, and the cease-fire declared by the gangs would never last. But as gunfire echoes across the track, should the treatys collapse really be the cause for celebration? To judge by Toshs triumphant I told you so, apparently it is. On a more positive note is the urban meets Kingston sound of "Not Gonna Give It Up," boasting the Tamlins at their best, and more great guitar licks. The title track is even more infectious, a rocker with a Caribbean flair and a light Afro-beat, as Tosh muses eloquently about his beloved continent. Every track on the album is just as memorable in its own way, as the artist combines styles, genres, moods, and atmospheres across songs old and new. Not Tosh at his most revolutionary, but an album filled with music that remains unforgettable. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 36 Title: No Nuclear War Released: 1987 Tracks: 8 Duration: 39:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Nuclear War (08:00) 2 Nah Goa Jail (04:49) 3 Fight Apartheid (04:57) 4 Vampire (03:32) 5 In My Song (04:16) 6 Lessons in My Life (03:51) 7 Testify (05:28) 8 Come Together (04:23) |
| No Nuclear War : Allmusic album Review : Its one of the great ironies that Peter Tosh was murdered just days after the release of No Nuclear War, for this was a poor epitaph to an otherwise shining career. It was a tough time for a reggae artist, even a legendary one like Tosh. Previously, the former Wailer had tapped into a variety of styles, creating a unique sound that was built on a Jamaican foundation, but looked equally to the West for inspiration. But at this time, Jamaica was in the grips of ragga, and digitized dancehall ruled the island, while the West was in a rut, caught between the clutches of glam metal and the tail end of synth-dance. So, what was a respected roots practitioner to do? Tosh struggles with the question, but never quite finds an answer. His solution was to try to create a majestic sound, which sadly just ends up sounding ponderous and portentous, with the title track and "Lessons in My Life" particularly suffering this fate. A few of the songs are given a dancehall sheen, but for that to have worked, the rhythms have to be strong, and none of them really are. Not surprisingly then, the most successful song on the set is "Vampire," a fairly straightforward rootsy song. What adds to the irony is that lyrically the album is extremely strong, and powerfully delivered. In the hands of an outside arranger and producer, this might have been an album worthy of Toshs name, but left to his own devices, it was a disappointment, made worse by the shock of his death. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 36 Title: The Toughest Released: 1988 Tracks: 11 Duration: 51:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Coming in Hot (03:37) 2 Don’t Look Back (03:45) 3 Pick Myself Up (03:58) 4 Crystal Ball (05:11) 5 Mystic Man (05:56) 6 Reggaemylitis (06:33) 7 Bush Doctor (04:05) 8 Maga Dog (04:26) 9 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 10 Equal Rights / Downpresser Man (06:10) 11 In My Song (04:12) |
 | Album: 10 of 36 Title: Kings of Reggae Released: 1990 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 East Kingston (04:52) 2 Soul Reggae (03:54) 3 Bamboo Reggae (04:32) 4 Tell Me When (04:01) 5 Lets Party (05:14) 6 Sweet Harmony (04:10) 7 Puss and Dog (03:44) 8 Silver and Gold (04:09) 9 Sleeping Policemen (07:49) 10 Walking Alone (04:38) 11 Thief (03:29) 12 Give Thanks to Rastafari (03:55) |
 | Album: 11 of 36 Title: Collection Gold Released: 1994 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:13:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Get Up, Stand Up (03:36) 2 Legalize It (04:41) 3 Equal Rights (05:59) 4 African (03:42) 5 Apartheid (05:25) 6 Why Must I Cry (03:14) 7 Burial (03:57) 8 Whatcha Gonna Do (02:29) 9 No Sympathy (04:38) 10 Igziabeher (04:38) 11 Ketchy Shuby (05:02) 12 Till Your Well Runs Dry (06:14) 13 Brand New Second Hand (04:09) 14 Jah Guide (04:30) 15 Downpressor Man (06:26) 16 I Am That I Am (04:25) |
| Collection Gold : Allmusic album Review : As any hardcore collector knows, artist compilations are one of the most frustrating, infuriating, and insulting concepts ever invented by the music industry. They may be a boon for the casual fan looking to pick up the hits on the cheap, they can even be useful, especially when pulling together a few worthwhile tracks from otherwise mediocre sets, and sometimes theyre essential, as when they include otherwise unavailable songs or versions But mostly they are a growing menace. Les Versions Originales is a perfect illustration of that fact, and one of the most pointless compilations to be found not just in Peter Toshs canon, but of any artists in any genre. Whats involved is so simple its downright stupid, if not outright criminal. To be precise, this CD takes two of Toshs most acclaimed sets, 1976s Legalize It and the following years Equal Rights, intermixes the tracks from both in no particular order, and then slaps the resulting mishmash out under the exciting title Les Versions Originales. So, why buy the two original albums, with their original artwork, sequenced as Tosh saw fit, when you can instead buy the exact same songs on one new set, with different artwork, and the tracks in an entirely different order than how the former Wailer wanted them? About now, Tosh fans are probably banging their head against the wall, and who can blame them? And Americans take note, please dont blame the French, blame Sony, theyre the ones responsible. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 36 Title: The Gold Collection Released: 1996 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:16:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 2 Bush Doctor (04:05) 3 Dont Look Back (Youve Gotta Walk) (03:45) 4 No Nuclear War (07:56) 5 Come Together (04:23) 6 Na Goa Jail (04:47) 7 Coming in Hot (03:37) 8 Pick Myself Up (03:58) 9 In My Song (04:12) 10 Reggaemylitis (06:33) 11 Equal Rights (06:11) 12 Crystal Ball (05:11) 13 Vampire (03:32) 14 Lesson In My Life (03:51) 15 Testify (05:28) 16 Maga Dog (04:24) |
| The Gold Collection : Allmusic album Review : Two years after the fact, the European Disky label gave a budget release to the EMI Gold Collection set. In a sad kind of way, Gold was the perfect fodder for the casual U.S. reggae fan. Obviously it was going to hone in on No Nuclear War, the set that won Tosh a posthumous Grammy, but tossing in the entire album, bar "Fight Apartheid," does seem a little much. Which means, the rest of his EMI albums dont get much of a look-in. In fact, Captured Live is omitted entirely, Mystic Man is dismissed with a single track, and Wanted Dread & Alive and Mama Africa rate a measly two numbers each. A far from even-handed overview, then. Of course, Tosh had been a relatively new artist in the States when EMI signed him, for by the time Americans picked up on the Wailers both he and Bunny Livingston were gone. Europeans knew better and were familiar with his overall career and, more importantly, his radical views and rough persona. Little of that is evident on this set, though; theres no "Im the Toughest" or "Dem Ha Fe Get a Beating," no controversial songs like "Oh Bumbo Klaat" or "Buk-in-Hamm Palace," while such biting (excuse the pun) numbers as "Vampire" and "Maga Dog" are the later, more insipid remakes, not the growling Jamaican originals. Instead, listeners are introduced to the pop idol of "Reggaemylitis" and the introspective, emotive artist behind Nuclear War. They get the hits, but not the heft that made Tosh the toughest and the greatest; but at a budget price this set surely brought in the punters. And hey, EMI was so impressed with their own efforts that they reissued the album in the States the following year. But dont believe for a second that this was the best Tosh had to offer. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 36 Title: Honorary Citizen Released: 1997 Tracks: 44 Duration: 3:21:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pound Get a Blow (02:49) 2 Fire Fire (01:51) 3 You Cant Fool Me Again (02:33) 4 Rightful Ruler (02:35) 5 Black Dignity (03:39) 6 Here Comes the Sun (03:14) 7 Here Comes the Judge (03:45) 8 Leave My Business (03:21) 9 Arise Blackman (02:39) 10 Once Bitten (03:05) 11 Dog Teeth (03:18) 12 Lion (03:46) 13 Cant Blame the Youth (03:13) 14 No Mercy (03:45) 15 Mark of the Beast (03:27) 16 No Sympathy (03:00) 17 Legalize It Version (04:05) 18 Dracula (Vampire version) (03:25) 19 Bumbo Klaat (05:26) 1 Rastafari Is (13:09) 2 Coming In Hot (04:09) 3 Future (spoken) (00:18) 4 Mystic Man (06:35) 5 Glass House (spoken) (04:26) 6 Glass House (05:10) 7 Not Gonna Give It Up (05:39) 8 Johnny B. Goode (04:50) 9 Rock With Me (05:20) 10 Get Up Stand Up (07:26) 11 Get Up Stand Up (acoustic version) (03:20) 1 African (03:42) 2 Igziabeher (04:38) 3 Ketchy Shuby (04:59) 4 Downpressor Man (06:26) 5 Stepping Razor (05:48) 6 Equal Rights (05:58) 7 Im the Toughest (03:51) 8 Bush Doctor (04:05) 9 Creation (06:40) 10 (You Gotta Walk and) Dont Look Back (05:18) 11 Reggaemylitis (06:33) 12 Fools Die (07:36) 13 No Nuclear War (07:56) 14 Honorary Citizen (04:11) |
| Honorary Citizen : Allmusic album Review : The Columbia label finally answers Peter Tosh fans prayers with this seminal three-CD box set. Working backwards, disc three succinctly sums up Toshs post-Wailers career, honing in on the Legalize It, Equal Rights, and Bush Doctor sets, tossing in a couple of numbers from Wanted Dread & Alive and the title track from the Grammy-winning No Nuclear War album as well. Nothing new for aficionados here, but a decent roundup nonetheless. Disc two is exclusively comprised of live performances, drawn from a variety of different shows. Again, it doesnt add much to whats already available; however, by leaving in Toshs between-song patter, for the first time fans can experience or relive the true fire and fury of his stage presence. Which leaves the first disc, and the one that alone makes the set worth the price of admission. This compiles 19 songs that Tosh cut alone or taking the lead with the Wailers, none of which was previously available in the States. And although most were released in the U.K., this is the first time theyve been rounded up on a full-length album, as well as their debut on CD. These numbers were all recorded between 1968 and 1976, after the Wailers departed Studio One and following Toshs own solo work with Bunny Lee. During this period, Tosh, on his own or with the Wailers, recorded for Joe Gibbs, Leslie Kong, and Lee Perry (among others), while the Wailers as a group and Tosh on his own took on self-production duties. The sequencing runs in generally chronological order, but its a pity the disc didnt also sequence the productions; however, thats a bit of a quibble considering whats on offer here. Only the cover of the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" breaks the militant mood of the entire disc; everything else shreds the grooves with barely contained anger, and even the silky "Pound Get a Blow" is wreathed with suppressed rage. While EMI continues to release compilations showcasing Toshs lightest material, this set is a vivid reminder of the artists true revolutionary stature. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 36 Title: Premium Gold Collection Released: 1997 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:18:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 (You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back (03:43) 2 Mama Africa (07:56) 3 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 4 Where You Gonna Run (04:06) 5 Maga Dog (04:24) 6 Crystal Ball (05:09) 7 Mystic Man (05:53) 8 Coming in Hot (03:37) 9 Reggaemylitis (06:31) 10 Bush Doctor (04:04) 11 Pick Myself Up (03:58) 12 No Nuclear War (07:57) 13 Nah Goa Jail (04:46) 14 In My Song (04:16) 15 Vampire (03:32) 16 Wanted Dread and Alive (04:22) |
| Premium Gold Collection : Allmusic album Review : How "premium" can a Peter Tosh collection be when it totally ignores the likes of "Get Up, Stand Up," "Equal Rights," and "Stepping Razor"? One look down the track list of this compilation, and its immediately evident that what Premium Gold Collection is offering up is yet another trawl through the five studio sets that comprised Peter Toshs post-Virgin career, and thus, for the uninitiated, omitting anything off of the former Wailers masterful Legalize It or Equal Rights albums. Taking that into consideration, however, the selector created a splendid set that showcases the diversity of themes and eclectic styles Tosh employed down the years. The sweet rub-a-dub that infects "Reggaemylitis," the lavish orchestral strings that sweep across "In My Song," the extravagant brass and gospel-inflected chorus that explode across "No Nuclear War," and the Afro-beat-styled "Mama Africa" stand on one side of the spectrum, while the funk-fired "Where You Gonna Run," the sensational blues-meets-reggae of "Johnny B. Goode," the militant roots of "Bush Doctor," the fiery roots reggae of "Mystic Man," and the sharp-edged reggae of "Wanted Dread and Alive" stand on the other, showcasing the breadth of Toshs music, and his ability to please both his hardcore Jamaican fans as well as northern audiences. Thematically too, Tosh was extraordinarily versatile. From highly introspective personal numbers to slap-downs to the opposite sex, touching paeans to his African homeland to scathing indictments of Babylon and her "Vampire"s, get-the-party-started pieces to heavyweight societal issues, Toshs pen encompassed them all. Too many compilations tend to focus on the lightest and brightest of his canon, Premium Gold Collection, in contrast, presents a much more comprehensive look. Not reaching the platinum standard by any means, this collection is still worthy of a gold rating. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 36 Title: Wisdom Released: 1998-08-17 Tracks: 30 Duration: 1:29:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Small Axe (03:57) 2 Downpresser Man (03:14) 3 Jah Is Mighty (02:27) 4 Cheer Up (02:05) 5 Leave My Business Alone (03:14) 6 This Train (02:41) 7 Stop That Train (02:23) 8 Trenchtown Rock (02:59) 9 Them A fe Get a Beatin’ (01:57) 10 Turn Me Loose (02:36) 11 Soul Rebel (03:18) 12 Thank You Lord (03:22) 13 Dreamland (02:45) 14 Caution (02:44) 15 Keep on Moving (03:08) 1 More Axe (03:34) 2 400 Years (02:33) 3 Corner Stone (02:32) 4 Soul Shakedown Party (03:11) 5 Arise Blackman (02:39) 6 Mr. Brown (03:32) 7 Brand New Second Hand (04:00) 8 Lively Up Yourself (02:52) 9 Maga Dog (02:46) 10 Kaya (02:39) 11 Run for Cover (03:15) 12 Redder Than Red (02:45) 13 Rudies Medley (03:12) 14 Wisdom (The Lips of the Righteous) (03:16) 15 Keep on Skanking (03:32) |
| Wisdom : Allmusic album Review : Wisdom is one of the more intriguing collections of the Wailers music currently to be found in the shops. Crediting Peter Tosh and Bob Marley alone on the cover rather muddies the waters though; in fact, the majority of the 30 tracks here are Wailers numbers, the rest officially released as Tosh or Bunny Wailer solo singles. All the tracks are drawn from the late 60s through the early 70s, post-Studio One, but before the group began exciting international interest via the Natty Dread album. During this period, the group together or solo worked with a variety of producers -- Lee Perry, Joe Gibbs, Leslie Kong among them, as well as self-producing their own work. Wisdom trawls merrily through this era, pulling out a slew of Jamaican hits along the way. Many of the songs featured here would be recut in later years, and not all to their advantage, which makes hearing the originals even more crucial. Inevitably, considering the flood of music recorded, the Wailers inevitably cut chaff amidst the wheat, but virtually none of the former can be found here. With songs like Wailers "Dreamland," Toshs "Maga Dog" and "400 Years," the groups "Small Axe," "Trench Town Rock," "Soul Rebel," and so many, many more, this is the crème de la crème. A variety of other compilations also hone in on this period, but this is the best overall roundup of the trios work. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 36 Title: Best Of Released: 1999-07-06 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:12:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Get Up, Stand Up (03:29) 2 Stepping Razor (05:48) 3 Downpressor Man (06:26) 4 Equal Rights (05:58) 5 (You Gotta Walk and) Dont Look Back (05:16) 6 African (03:42) 7 Legalize It (04:41) 8 Bush Doctor (04:05) 9 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (04:37) 10 Fools Die (07:36) 11 Mystery Babylon (03:30) 12 Ketchy Shuby (04:57) 13 Till Your Well Runs Dry (06:08) 14 One Love (03:20) 15 Get Up, Stand Up (acoustic, live) (03:20) |
 | Album: 17 of 36 Title: Live at the One Love Peace Concert Released: 2000 Tracks: 8 Duration: 1:04:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Igziabeher (04:21) 2 400 Years (06:02) 3 Stepping Razor (03:44) 4 Intro Rap (00:40) 5 Burial / Speech (12:16) 6 Equal Rights (07:08) 7 Speech (07:20) 8 Legalize It / Get Up Stand Up (22:36) |
| Live at the One Love Peace Concert : Allmusic album Review : One of the most ferocious performances of the artists career, Peter Tosh was initially ambivalent about appearing at the Peace Concert, held in Kingston on April 22, 1978. There was little peace to be found in Jamaica at the time, and as Tosh has famously said, "I dont want no peace, I want justice." That line, of course, comes from one of his most powerful songs, "Equal Rights," one of seven numbers he played that night. The rest of the set was equally militant, opening with the thunderous intro to "Igziabeher," across "400 Years," "Stepping Razor, and "Burial," and closing with an extended jam through "Legalize It" and "Get Up Stand Up." The Revolutionaries, appearing under the alias Word Sound and Power, accompanied the singer, storming across the songs. Afterwards, Bob Marley would take the stage for his set, and famously bring the leaders of Jamaicas two warring political parties onstage to shake hands. In that moment, Marleys legend as a unifier and peacemaker was sealed for all time. But iconoclastic images aside, it was a gesture he quickly came to rue, better to have put bullets in both their heads, hed later admit. Marley the ambassador; but it was Tosh who preached the true word that night. Between songs, the singer eloquently spoke at length, soundly condemning both the government and the opposition, demanded an end to police brutality and oppression, and a beginning to the building up of the country and its poverty stricken inhabitants, and insisted that farmers be allowed to grow ganja and the people be able to smoke it in peace. And as for peace itself, "Peace is the diploma you get in the cemetery." Toshs words caused a firestorm, at least in the press, the crowd met them with shouts of approval. This album offers up Toshs set in its entirety, speeches and all. The liner notes vividly recreate the events leading up to the concert, as well as the set itself. And to drive home the singers points, transcribes his words in full, although reproducing them in both English and patois is just a bit patronizing. Five months later, Tosh was arrested for drug possession and beaten so badly he required 30 stitches to close up the wounds to his head. But even that would not quell his fire and incendiary message. Nothing would. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 36 Title: Arise Black Man Released: 2000 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:09:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Brand New Second Hand (04:26) 2 Maga Dog (02:46) 3 Skanky dog (02:38) 4 Boney Dog (02:40) 5 Maingy Dog (03:02) 6 Fat Dog (02:59) 7 The Crimson Pirate (02:43) 8 Rightful Ruler (02:35) 9 Four Hundred Years (02:34) 10 Moon Dust (02:33) 11 Ambitious Beggar (02:31) 12 Memphis (02:10) 13 Rudies Medley (03:14) 14 The Return (02:20) 15 Them A Fe Get a Beaten (01:55) 16 Reuben (02:04) 17 Stop That Train (02:22) 18 Sun Valley (02:18) 19 Nobodys Business (03:11) 20 Selassie Serenade (03:09) 21 Downpresser (03:13) 22 Pepper Seed (02:25) 23 Arise Black Man (02:38) 24 Romper Room (02:25) 25 Brand New Second Hand (03:58) |
| Arise Black Man : Allmusic album Review : Before officially breaking away from the Wailers and beginning his solo career, Peter Tosh recorded a number of singles under his own name with the legendary producer Bunny Lee. Those recordings play a central part in this generous 25-track compilation, which also includes material from Wailers sessions produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry and Leslie Kong, and some of Toshs solo work with Joe Gibbs. Most of the best tracks here will be familiar to Tosh and Wailers fans -- "Maga Dog," "Brand New Second Hand," and "Them A Fe Get a Beating" have all appeared on numerous collections. But there are some very worthwhile obscurities on this program as well, including a gorgeous rock steady paean to Haile Selassie entitled "Rightful Ruler" (on which Tosh shares the mic with U Roy), Toshs dour "Downpressor," and a charming cover version of Jimmy Witherspoons R&B; hit "Aint Nobodys Business." Curiosities include the four alternate versions of "Maga Dog" (some of them recorded by other artists) and a smattering of instrumentals featuring Tosh on organ -- sometimes competently ("Ambitious Beggar," "Memphis") and sometimes not ("The Crimson Pirate," "Pepper Seed"). Recommended. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 36 Title: Live and Dangerous: Boston 1976 Released: 2001 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:15:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Instrumental Intro (06:00) 2 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (07:19) 3 400 Years (06:22) 4 No Sympathy (07:20) 5 Burial (08:28) 6 Mark of the Beast (05:42) 7 Babylon Queendom (08:43) 8 Why Must I Cry (04:51) 9 Whatcha Gonna Do (04:49) 10 Steppin Razor (06:18) 11 Ketchy Shuby (09:16) |
 | Album: 20 of 36 Title: Arise! The Best of Peter Tosh Released: 2001 Tracks: 17 Duration: 47:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Arise Black Man (02:39) 2 Them a Fe Get a Beaten (01:55) 3 Downpresser (03:13) 4 Brand New Second Hand (03:58) 5 Maga Dog (02:46) 6 Skanky Dog (02:38) 7 400 Years (02:53) 8 Nobodys Business (03:13) 9 Stop the Train (02:22) 10 Soon Come (02:22) 11 No Sympathy (02:25) 12 Memphis (02:10) 13 Cant You See (02:44) 14 Keep on Moving (03:05) 15 Rudies Medley (03:14) 16 Sun Valley (02:18) 17 Go Tell It on the Mountain (03:15) |
 | Album: 21 of 36 Title: I Am That I Am Released: 2001 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:04:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Am That I Am (03:41) 2 (His Start in Music - Meeting the Wailers) (03:04) 3 Fire Fire (03:07) 4 (Herb Smoking) (02:15) 5 Pick Myself Up (02:18) 6 (Humiliations) (01:07) 7 Cant You See instrumental (01:27) 8 Stop That Train (04:25) 9 (His Philosophy) (01:27) 10 Fools Die (03:13) 11 (Reincarnation and Rasta culture) (01:50) 12 Jah Guide (03:48) 13 (Blacks in Chicago) (00:42) 14 Cant You See (03:01) 15 (Blacks Abilities - Teaching Marley Music) (01:32) 16 Handsome Johnny (02:28) 17 (Bumbaclot Defined) (01:22) 18 Instrumental (01:17) 19 (Herb as Healing of the Nation) (01:20) 20 Dont Wanna Get Busted (02:25) 21 (Beating after One Love Concert) (03:56) 22 Legalize It (04:02) 23 (His Future in Africa - Plots on His Life) (01:27) 24 Get Up Stand Up (03:19) 25 (Police Beating While Writing Mark of the Beast) (05:29) |
 | Album: 22 of 36 Title: Super Hits Released: 2001-04-21 Tracks: 10 Duration: 43:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Legalize It (04:43) 2 Downpressor Man (06:23) 3 Stepping Razor (05:47) 4 Equal Rights (05:58) 5 Whatcha Gonna Do (02:25) 6 Get Up, Stand Up (03:35) 7 Why Must I Cry (03:05) 8 African (03:41) 9 Brand New Second Hand (04:05) 10 Burial (03:54) |
| Super Hits : Allmusic album Review : Whatever were they thinking calling this parsimonious collection Super Hits, when the set brazenly omits Peter Toshs two actual hits -- 1978s "(You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back" and 1981s "Johnny B. Goode," both of which broke the U.K. Top 50 and the U.S. Top 100? That takes real chutzpah. However, if one were going to come up with a ten-song list beyond that pair of heavy-hitters, this is what most selectors would choose. Of course, real fans might also want to hear the likes of "Magadog," "Ketchy Shuby," "Buk-In-Hamm Palace," "Im the Toughest," "Reggaemylitis," and "Mama Africa." And why should they be deprived of that pleasure? The whole point of CDs is that they hold more music than vinyl, and the idea that in the 21st century fans are being subjected to the limits left behind in the 20th is just unacceptable. This Scrooge-like compilation, besides its inept title, is so obviously a ripoff that from his grave Tosh must be shouting at fans to shun it. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 36 Title: Complete Captured Live Released: 2002 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:30:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro: Creation / Buk-In-Hamm Palace (03:00) 2 Pick Myself Up (04:51) 3 African (04:39) 4 Coming in Hot (04:21) 5 Not Gonna Give It Up (06:28) 6 Rastafari Is (12:34) 7 Where You Gonna Run (05:53) 1 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (05:56) 2 Glass House (05:39) 3 Equal Rights / Downpressor Man (07:28) 4 Peters Rap (03:32) 5 Bush Doctor (05:48) 6 Johnny B. Goode (05:46) 7 Get Up, Stand Up (05:13) 8 Mama Africa (09:19) |
| Complete Captured Live : Allmusic album Review : Captured Live is a good, but unremarkable, latter-day live concert from Peter Tosh that finds the reggae superstar running through many of his most familiar songs. For hardcore fans, its worth a listen, but most others will be satisfied with the better live records and collections already on the market. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 36 Title: Live at the Jamaica World Music Festival MoBay 82 Released: 2002 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:17:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Intro/Stepping Razor (06:00) 2 Speech (03:13) 3 African (05:01) 4 Coming in Hot (04:19) 5 Not Gonna Live It Up (05:52) 6 Dont Look Back (05:43) 7 Rastafari Is (10:48) 8 Im the Toughest (05:18) 9 Bush Doctor (06:09) 10 Speech (17:30) 11 Get Up Stand Up (07:53) |
 | Album: 25 of 36 Title: The Essential Peter Tosh: The Columbia Years Released: 2003-06-10 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:00:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Steppin Razor (05:43) 2 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (04:32) 3 African (03:42) 4 Legalize It (04:41) 5 Why Must I Cry (03:02) 6 Equal Rights (05:51) 7 400 Years (Live) (06:06) 8 Burial (03:51) 9 Get Up, Stand Up (03:27) 10 Ketchy Shuby (04:57) 11 Downpressor Man (06:23) 12 Brand New Second Hand (04:01) 13 Whatcha Gonna Do (Live) (04:29) |
| The Essential Peter Tosh: The Columbia Years : Allmusic album Review : The Peter Tosh entry in Sonys The Essential series of best-ofs is a reasonable selection from Toshs limited catalog of Columbia Records recordings, which includes only two studio albums, Legalize It (1976) and Equal Rights (1977), plus a belatedly released concert album, Live & Dangerous Boston 1976 (2001). In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released Scrolls of the Prophet: The Best of Peter Tosh, which included material from both the Columbia studio albums and Toshs subsequent tenure on the Rolling Stones and EMI America labels (1978-1987). Since that collection, which is more comprehensive than this one, was selling for the same $11.98 list price at the time that The Essential Peter Tosh: The Columbia Years was released, it was difficult to understand why someone looking for a good, inexpensive collection of Toshs best major-label recordings wouldnt go for the earlier collection instead. True, the newer album does contain "Why Must I Cry," an excellent song co-written by Bob Marley that is not found on Scrolls of the Prophet, as well as a live version of the Wailers classic "400 Years" also missing from the earlier disc. But Scrolls of the Prophet is still a better album on the whole. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 36 Title: The Best of 1978 - 1987 Released: 2003-07-08 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:10:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Mystic Man (05:56) 2 Bush Doctor (04:04) 3 Pick Myself Up (03:58) 4 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (single version) (03:43) 5 Oh Bumbo Klaat (04:45) 6 In My Song (04:15) 7 Lesson In My Life (05:34) 8 Equal Rights/Downpressor Man (Live) (07:27) 9 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 10 The Day the Dollar Die (04:49) 11 African (Live) (04:47) 12 Not Gonna Give It Up (04:14) 13 Get Up, Stand Up (Live) (04:58) 14 Fools Die (for Want of Wisdom) (07:40) |
 | Album: 27 of 36 Title: Essential Peter Tosh Released: 2004 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:04:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Dont Look Back (Youve Gotta Walk) (03:45) 2 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 3 Mystic Man (05:54) 4 Buk-In-Hamm-Palace (08:49) 5 Bush Doctor (04:05) 6 Get Up Stand Up (02:54) 7 Legalize It (04:38) 8 Coming In Hot (03:37) 9 Im The Toughest (03:52) 10 Apartheid (04:55) 11 The Day The Dollar Die (04:51) 12 Soon Come (03:57) 13 Dem Ha Fe Get A Beatin (04:14) 14 Dont Look Back (Youve Gotta Walk) (Dub) (05:00) |
 | Album: 28 of 36 Title: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Peter Tosh Released: 2004-04-20 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Arise Black Man (02:40) 2 Mark of the Beast (03:27) 3 No Mercy (03:45) 4 Here Comes the Sun (03:14) 5 Maga Dog (02:48) 6 Here Comes the Judge (03:46) 7 Burial (03:49) 8 Once Bitten (03:06) 9 Black Dignity (03:40) 10 Cant Blame the Youth (03:13) |
| 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Peter Tosh : Allmusic album Review : Every great group has its mixture of elements, and the Wailers were no exception. They were far from just Bob Marleys band. Marleys ambition and drive, his fine songwriting skills, and his talent as a diplomat were a huge part of their success, certainly, but Bunny Wailers harmony singing and mystic philosophical base were key ingredients, too. And one should never underestimate the contributions of Peter Tosh, the real political conscience of the band, and the best musician, adept at guitar, organ, and melodica. This brief collection bears witness to Toshs abilities with a sequence of his solo sides, including four classics he cut with Joe Gibbs ("Black Dignity," "Here Comes the Judge," "Arise Blackman," "Maga Dog") and a quartet of self-produced songs recorded at Treasure Isle Studio ("Cant Blame the Youth," "No Mercy," "Mark of the Beast," "Burial"), not to mention a wonderfully nuanced cover of George Harrisons "Here Comes the Sun," making this set a decent introduction to Toshs post-Wailers work. There are too many missing pieces ("Brand New Secondhand," "Legalize It," "Downpressor Man," "Stepping Razor," "400 Years," "Im the Toughest") to make this the best single-disc purchase, though. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 36 Title: Cant Blame the Youth Released: 2004-09-21 Tracks: 18 Duration: 50:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cant Blame the Youth (03:13) 2 Arise Blackman (02:39) 3 Lion (03:46) 4 Maga Dog (02:48) 5 Go Tell It to the Mountain (03:14) 6 Here Comes the Judge (03:28) 7 Four Hundred Years (02:32) 8 Soon Come (02:22) 9 Here Comes the Sun (03:14) 10 Little Green Apples (02:35) 11 Them a Fi Get a Beatin (01:51) 12 You Cant Fool Me Again (02:33) 13 Leave My Business (03:21) 14 Love (02:54) 15 A Little Love Version 4 (02:40) 16 We Can Make It Uptight (02:55) 17 Evil Version (02:13) 18 My Sympathy (02:21) |
| Can't Blame the Youth : Allmusic album Review : The JAD label has worked hard scouring out the corners of the Wailers canon, from which theyve created sumptuous box sets dedicated to the bands post-Studio One, pre-Island recordings, a complex era that the enclosed booklets carefully dissected, following the band from producer to producer and label to label. Now, with Cant Blame the Youth, JAD takes a look specifically at Peter Toshs work with the Wailers and on his own during this period. Obviously, this 18-song set is not definitive -- Tosh composed and performed many more songs than are included here, including the one considered his solo debut, "Pound Get a Blow." However, this compilation does present a grand overview of the artists oeuvre. Toshs reputation as "The Toughest" of the tough was reinforced by songs like "Them a Fi Get a Beatin," but it was militant numbers like the title track, "Arise Blackman," "Four Hundred Years," and "Here Comes the Judge" that singled the artist out as one of the islands top social commentators. In contrast to those blistering cultural numbers were surprising pop covers, ones not foisted on him by money-hungry producers but chosen by Tosh himself. Thus, listeners find a laid-back version of the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" and a truly terrifying cover of "Little Green Apples." And the same singer who snarled out a vitriolic version of Bessie Smiths "Taint Nobodys Bizness If I Do" (under the title "Leave My Business") composed and sang the pretty romantic ballad "Love." In later years, Toshs own guitar would feature ever more heavily on his records, but back at this time he was attempting to pass himself off as a keyboardist. The last four tracks on this set, all instrumentals featuring a soloing Tosh on melodica, give ample evidence why the Wailer would never garner renown in this arena, but does offer more proof of his pop leanings. Time simplifies all, and the Wailers legacy now boils down to the peaceful and loving Bob Marley, the devout Bunny Wailer, and the angry, militant Tosh. Cant Blame the Youth helps reveal a much more complex artist and person than such stereotyping allows. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 36 Title: Black Dignity: Early Works of the Steppin Razor Released: 2005 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:10:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Brand New Second Hand (03:11) 2 Them a fe a Beaten (01:53) 3 Reuben (02:03) 4 Stop the Train (02:20) 5 Here Comes the Judge (03:28) 6 Rebelution (03:19) 7 Ah So (03:17) 8 Soon Come (02:20) 9 Memphis (02:08) 10 Arise Blackman (02:39) 11 400 Years (02:33) 12 Maga Dog (04:24) 13 Skanky Dog (02:36) 14 Boney Dog (02:38) 15 Fat Dog (03:00) 16 Maingy Dog (03:03) 17 Go Tell It on the Mountain (03:12) 18 Nobodys Business (03:11) 19 Downpresser (03:13) 20 Rudies Medley (03:12) 21 Cant See You (02:42) 22 Black Dignity (03:39) 23 (Earths) Rightful Ruler (02:33) 24 Brand New Second Hand (alternate version) (03:58) |
| Black Dignity: Early Works of the Steppin' Razor : Allmusic album Review : Black Dignity is by no means the only Peter Tosh collection anyone should own, since it covers a tumultuous sliver of time. The tracks here are Trojan Records-associated songs that come from the early 70s, a time when Tosh was issuing solo singles out of resentment for the slow pace his band, the Wailers, was taking and resentment for the back seat he was taking to the Wailers leader, Bob Marley. You miss the earlier Tosh carving out a solo career and all the post-Wailers success that was to come, but the Wailers most distrustful and urgent member didnt issue anything without a purpose. The singles here are all important and as the excellent, career-spanning liner notes by Rick Glanvill point out, the producers Tosh was working with were in their prime, most notably Joe Gibbs. It was a producer/singer match made in heaven with Gibbs tempering Toshs venom with sweet but very certain soul. On the Gibbs tracks it feels like that tense moment right before the kettle is about boil, something youll feel when the excellent "Maga Dog" comes through the speakers. Black Dignity fills a void just by including the heralded Gibbs version of the track, but it also includes no less than four mostly faceless dub versions of the song that contain little or no involvement from Tosh (to be fair, the cover does mention "and friends"). The wild "Here Comes the Judge" -- which is followed by two of its dubs -- and the earthy, nyahbinghi-flavored "(Earths) Rightful Ruler" are also crucial cuts the collection makes easy to obtain, the latter featuring an appearance by a young, very different-sounding U-Roy. The Lee "Scratch " Perry tracks are the Tosh-centered cuts he did with the Wailers and do a good job of representing the singers contribution to the group. "Brand New Second Hand" shows what the Wailers were like with Tosh at the controls and makes a great argument that there should have been more of it. The track list doesnt flow as well as one would hope, but this is a more academic outing without any best-of disguise. Taking that into account and looking at the scant bit of Tosh Trojan has in its vaults, one cant help but respect how well Black Dignity brings the singers "lost years" into the light. Start elsewhere if youre a newcomer, because this is a gap-filling gift for hardcore fans. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 36 Title: Talking Revolution Released: 2005-11-15 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:36:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (04:21) 2 Four Hundred Years (06:02) 3 Stepping Razor (03:44) 4 Speech (00:40) 5 Funeral (Burial)/Speech (12:17) 6 Equal Rights (07:08) 7 Speech (07:20) 8 Legalise It/Get Up, Stand Up (18:13) 1 Fools Die (Wisdom) (03:15) 2 Jah Guide (03:49) 3 I Am That I Am (03:29) 4 Fire Fire (Babylon Burning) (03:07) 5 Pick Myself Up (02:14) 6 Stop That Train (04:25) 7 Handsome Johnny (02:29) 8 Dont Wanna Get Busted (02:26) 9 Peter Speaks About the Half Way Tree Incident (03:55) 10 Legalise It (04:04) 11 Get Up, Stand Up (03:20) |
 | Album: 32 of 36 Title: The Very Best of Jimmy Cliff & Peter Tosh Released: 2006-07-17 Tracks: 30 Duration: 2:15:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Reggae Nights (04:05) 2 I Can See Clearly Now (03:16) 3 We Are All Alone (04:31) 4 Hot Shot (03:58) 5 Reggae Down Babylon (04:17) 6 Reggae Street (03:37) 7 Special (03:47) 8 American Sweet (03:41) 9 Love Me Love Me (04:17) 10 Rub a Dub Partners (02:56) 11 Rock Children (03:53) 12 Brown Eyes (03:31) 13 Sunshine in the Music (04:49) 14 Hanging Fire (05:23) 15 Girls and Cars (05:02) 1 Get Up, Stand Up (03:23) 2 One Love (Avec Bob Marley) (03:16) 3 Legalize It (04:41) 4 Stepping Razor (05:41) 5 Downpressor Man (06:20) 6 Equal Rights (05:49) 7 (You Gotta Walk and) Dont Look Back (05:12) 8 African (03:38) 9 Bush Doctor (03:56) 10 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (04:32) 11 Fools Die (07:34) 12 Ketchy Shuby (04:57) 13 I Am That I Am (04:22) 14 Jah Guide (04:24) 15 Till Your Well Runs Dry (06:08) |
 | Album: 33 of 36 Title: The Best Of Peter Tosh Released: 2008-07-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:03:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bush Doctor (04:04) 2 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 3 Coming in Hot (03:37) 4 Get Up, Stand Up (live) (05:10) 5 (You Gotta Walk and) Dont Look Back (05:19) 6 Maga Dog (04:27) 7 Mystic Man (05:56) 8 Glasshouse (05:52) 9 Pick Myself Up (04:02) 10 Reggaemylitis (06:33) 11 Mama Africa (07:57) 12 Rastafari Is (06:30) |
 | Album: 34 of 36 Title: Playlist: The Very Best of Peter Tosh Released: 2009-01-13 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:09:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Legalize It (04:39) 2 Steppin Razor (05:46) 3 Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) (04:35) 4 400 Years (live) (06:06) 5 Get Up, Stand Up (03:28) 6 Ketchy Shuby (04:56) 7 (You Got To Walk) Dont Look Back (05:15) 8 Downpressor Man (06:23) 9 Till Your Well Runs Dry (06:07) 10 African (03:40) 11 Mystery Babylon (Unreleased Version Of Babylon Queendom) (03:30) 12 Mark Of The Beast (2008 Live Edit) (05:02) 13 Burial (03:53) 14 Equal Rights (05:56) |
| Playlist: The Very Best of Peter Tosh : Allmusic album Review : Because of the giant shadow that Bob Marley casts over Jamaican music, its easy to forget that the Wailers, with Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingston were very much a group in the beginning, and that Tosh and Livingston were far from just bystanders in the equation. In truth tall, proud, and defiant, Tosh was never a bystander in much of anything in his life, and while he wasnt as prolific as Marley as a songwriter, and nowhere near as, well, cuddly, if thats the right term, he still produced some stunning work, as this succinct 14-track (theres a 15th CD-R track here as well) collection makes clear. All the key songs from his post-Wailers career are here, including "Legalize It," the vicious "Stepping Razor" ("Im dangerous," Tosh sings, and he was, in a way that Marley wasnt), the panoramic "400 Years," and "Downpressor Man," among others, and the end result is a tight, wall to wall portrait of a proud, angry man with a huge heart and a lot of soul. | ||
 | Album: 35 of 36 Title: Bush Doctor / No Nuclear War Released: 2012-03-27 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:52:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (05:20) 2 Pick Myself Up (04:02) 3 Im the Toughest (03:57) 4 Soon Come (03:59) 5 Moses - The Prophet (03:39) 6 Bush Doctor (04:08) 7 Stand Firm (06:12) 8 Dem Ha fe Get a Beatin (04:15) 9 Creation (06:35) 10 Lessons in My Life [outtake] (05:36) 11 Soon Come [long version] (05:19) 12 Im the Toughest [long version] (05:12) 13 Bush Doctor (long version) (05:44) 14 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (long version) (05:01) 15 Tough Rock Soft Stones (Previously Unreleased) (04:31) 1 No Nuclear War (08:00) 2 Nah Goa Jail (04:49) 3 Fight Apartheid (04:57) 4 Vampire (03:34) 5 In My Song (04:16) 6 Lessons in My Life (03:51) 7 Testify (05:30) 8 Come Together (04:23) |
 | Album: 36 of 36 Title: Original Album Series Released: 2014-08-12 Tracks: 44 Duration: 3:35:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 (You Gotta Walk) Dont Look Back (05:20) 2 Pick Myself Up (04:02) 3 Im the Toughest (03:57) 4 Soon Come (03:59) 5 Moses - The Prophet (03:39) 6 Bush Doctor (04:08) 7 Stand Firm (06:13) 8 Dem Ha fe Get a Beatin (04:16) 9 Creation (06:28) 1 Mystic Man (05:56) 2 Recruiting Soldiers (04:26) 3 Cant You See (03:42) 4 Jah Seh No (04:39) 5 Fight On (03:20) 6 Buk-In-Hamm Palace (08:47) 7 The Day the Dollar Die (04:50) 8 Crystal Ball (05:11) 9 Rumours Of War (03:25) 1 Coming in Hot (03:40) 2 Nothing But Love (03:47) 3 Reggaemylitis (06:35) 4 Rok With Me (03:44) 5 Oh Bumbo Klaat (04:45) 6 Wanted Dread and Alive (04:28) 7 Rastafari Is (06:34) 8 Guide Me From My Friends (04:02) 9 Fools Die (For Want of Reason) (07:44) 1 Mama Africa (07:56) 2 Glasshouse (05:53) 3 Not Gonna Give It Up (05:45) 4 Stop That Train (04:01) 5 Johnny B. Goode (04:03) 6 Where You Gonna Run (04:09) 7 Peace Treaty (04:21) 8 Feel No Way (03:29) 9 Maga Dog (04:25) 1 No Nuclear War (08:00) 2 Nah Goa Jail (04:49) 3 Fight Apartheid (04:57) 4 Vampire (03:32) 5 In My Song (04:16) 6 Lessons in My Life (03:51) 7 Testify (05:28) 8 Come Together (04:23) |