Legalize It

I bought this on vinyl in 1976, almost 40 yrs ago, on a different planet, in a different solar system, in a galaxy far, far away. At least that's how it feels now at six plus decades of "puttin' in time on this Bardo." There is, however, one advantage of out-living your usefulness: what goes 'round, eventually, comes 'round again. I'm referring to the second disc of this Legacy Edition, which for sheer beauty of originality & creativeness more than compensates for the banality of a "shit-stem" which promotes the complete opposite of those qualities. It is indeed unfortunate that the introduction of Reggae into the planetary awareness necessitated a 'Westernization' of its very Jamaican roots. The contrast between the two editions of this album demonstrates this in an unusually stark manner. The same comparison can be made in the case of The Wailers' "Catch A Fire," the first disc of the 2001 Deluxe Edition, with its original Jamaican mix. These are essential contributions to the primal spirit of Reggae. It is, in this context, important to mention the Legacy Edition of Tosh's "Equal Rights," as it allows a window into Peter's mind as he develops what would become one of the most politically powerful expressions of Reggae's message. It is a hopeful sign that the Reggae Revival now underway in Jamaica will initiate a second wave of influence, the first having suffered such serious setbacks with Marley's death and Tosh's murder. "Everyone is cryin' out for Peace, but nobody cryin' out for Justice, Equal Rights & Justice."

I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed in Comment Man's earlier review. "Legalize It" was one of my gateway albums into the world of reggae back when it first came out in 1976. However, after further exploration, I headed for much deeper waters and never looked back. After discovering the likes of The Abyssinians, Culture, Burning Spear and The Wailers early Lee Perry-produced material, I eventually dismissed "Legalize It," as I viewed it as too slick and an obvious attempt to "crossover" to the international market. It wasn't the choice of tunes or Mr. Tosh's performance that bothered me but the (at times) lame overdubs that killed the record for me, especially the overuse of cheesy synthesizer sounds that completely ruined tracks like "What'cha Gonna Do" and "Ketchy Shuby" among others. But to re-visit the record after all these years and hear the original Jamaican mix was an extraordinary listening experience. Others will no doubt disagree but I find that the JA version blows the more commercial CBS version away. The album is altogether more rootsy and the original JA mix allows Mr. Tosh's vocals, full of dread and menace, to really shine. The beauty of this Legacy Edition is that you don't have to choose--fans who prefer the album as they've always known it will be very pleased with the fine remastering and upgraded packaging, while others will delight in hearing both mixes and all the bonus material. Either way, at $14 or so, this purchase was a no-brainer for me and should fully satisfy old fans and newcomers alike. Crank it and enjoy, friends!

LEGALIZE IT is the first solo album released by the legendary Peter Tosh who was the rebel of The Wailers and one of the most under appreciated artists of the 20th century. He accomplished so much prior to his tragic death in 1987, he was a self taught musician who taught Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer how to play guitar. His songs were the most revolutionary in the bands catalog and his strong personality was both admired an feared. He and Bunny left The Wailers in 1974 and began their own careers to more openly express their own message and ideas. Bob had begun to dominate the band with his immense talent and they felt that their message needed to be more readily explored and accessible.Peter, never being one to shy away from a controversial topic, hit the ground running with this wonderful album. The album cover and title track caused quite the stir when released and Tosh wouldn't have had it any other way! He was known to fire up a joint right before walking out on stage and allow the ganja to inspire him throughout the performance. The lyrics of the song speaks to the hypocrisy of the laws against weed when, as his sang, judges, lawyers, nurses, doctors, patients, animals, etc where actively partaking of the herb. But this album is much more that his platform for the defense of ganja.He also touches upon sadness/heartache (No Sympathy & Why Must I Cry), Rastafarian Spiritualism (Igziabether), death (Burial) amongst other topics and this is also an album that showcases his overall genius as a musician as he wrote, produced, played guitar. Although this technically is a solo album, members of The Wailers also performed or co wrote a couple of songs, Why Must I Cry: Tosh & Marley, Till Your Well Runs Dry: Tosh/Wailer with Al Anderson, Aston Barrett, Carlie Barrett, Tyrone Downie, Donald Kinsey, Robbie Lee, Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Robert Shakespeare providing instrumentation and background vocals.This is a great album by Tosh and the beginning of a wonderful solo career that would produce some of the best music that Reggae would have to offer. His stature over the years has grown immensely as more people came to truly understand the wisdom of his songs and message. He was already, in many places, as popular as his friend and bandmate Marley. He has been described as the Malcolm X of the Reggae/Rastafarian movement while Bob was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Both necessary and needed to get the message and wisdom of Jah out to the masses.This is an all time classic worth all the praise it receives and should be a part of any lover of great music collection. Peter Tosh is one of those rare and precious artists who lived the message they sang about. He knew what it was to be oppressed and wrongly accused for standing up for ones rights and sadly, he paid the ultimate price. He, like Marley, was taken from us far too soon and I always believed that if both had lived, they would have ultimately gotten back together with Bunny and the rest of the band to record again.While this never happened, we do have the greatest legacy they could have left to us their fans, their incredible songs and lives lived in service of Jah! And that, afterall, is the greatest testament to the genius of a musician and the compassion of a human being.

This is the first Peter Tosh album I heard back in the early 80s around the time I discovered Bob Marley and the wailers and Tosh being one of the original three wailers. One of the all-time greatest reggae records ever and wonderful album cover! Legalize it!!

Great album! As I said on my review for "Equal Rights" I'm not a smoker, never been. I'm not into politics either. I'm loving it for the music and vibe. As with "Equal Rights" this reissue is a killer with all the bonuses. But if you're not into PT so much, and you want only a taste of what he sounds like, get the "Gold Collection". If you're like me you'll end up buying the 3 of them anyway (Gold.../Legalize.../Equal...) and groove to them. So you'll give your Bob Marley cd's a break, lol!

This is everything and I have on repeat . Fire. Nothing but fire

Peter Tosh's debut solo album is a real classic of Jamaican music, the epic title track has become a slogan for Marijuana reform laws across the world and one of Tosh's most beloved songs. It also includes "What You Gonna Do?", "Why Must I Cry", "Igziabeher" and "Ketchy Shuby" alongside updated versions of "No Sympathy", "Burial", "Till Your Well Runs Dry" and "Brand New Second Hand" which he had originally recorded as a member of The Wailers.The deluxe Legacy edition includes the original Jamaican recordings and demos, as well as dub mixes, alternate versions and outtakes, all of which are incredible to hear in remastered glory. The only track missing is "Ketchy Shuby Instrumental" which appeared on the single disc remastered release as a bonus track.A must own album for all music listeners.

Legalise ItI have reviewed separately “Scrolls of the prophet” – a 1976 - 78 selection (Best of?) of Peter Tosh musicThis is probably the first of the series of political records that he produced after leaving the Wailers , and whatever your views on the legal status of marijuana , .you cannot knock the classical Jamaican reggae and his tackling of so many political issues. Other reviews here on Amazon have listed the issues he tackled in his song writing. I am no classical Reggae fan and have come to the music late and yes it is 70’s music – and none the worse for that. Well worth exploring.

FAB ALBUM

Quite good sound

One of the best Roots Reggae albums of all time. Peter tosh was such a talented artist with an incredible voice. Must have!