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Sep 08, 2011 Web Exclusive By Austin Trunick

Between his split from The Wailers in 1974 and his untimely murder in 1987, Peter Tosh laid down a solo legacy that included several of reggae’s most essential, classic albums. Columbia/Legacy has reissued Tosh’s first (and best) two solo albums, Legalize It and Equal Rights, in deluxe editions packed with rare and previously unreleased bonus materials.

With 1976’s Legalize It, Tosh not only created an album that showcased his individual talents apart from Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and the rest of his former group, but made his own political beliefs loud and clear. From the title and cover art alone, it’s easy to pass on the record as a novelty pro-marijuana diatribe, but look past the surface and you’ll catch Tosh’s larger message. On his debut he’s championing a lifestyle and belief system that promotes personal freedom and global equality. Recorded during a stretch of scary political violence surrounding the 1976 Jamaican elections, Tosh was making bold statements in a time and place where it was dangerous to do so. He does it with the humor and clever wordplay his songwriting became known for, and lays the groundwork for the much more politicized musical output to come. His sense of humor is most easily seen in the racy “Ketchy Shuby;” Legalize It also includes one of the best reggae love songs of the era in “Why Must I Cry.

The second disc of Legalize It features Tosh’s original mix of the album, which he had sent out to labels to pique their interest before Columbia ultimately took the album. It’s a must-hear for fans of the album—the songs appear here in much more bare-bones versions than what made the final release. Here, the vocals are mixed much more prominently in front, where the final version had added various effects and additional instrumentation that made many of the songs sound funkier. Both discs are filled out with demo and alternate versions of the songs, and then topped off by a set of six rare dub versions. They’re all interesting listens, but the original mix of the album is the star attraction.

Tosh followed up with Equal Rights, an album that was even more focused and politically charged than its predecessor. In under 40 minutes, Tosh speaks out against racial segregation in “Apartheid” and political oppressors in “Downpresser Man,” and calls for higher standards of equality and a strengthened global community in such songs as “Equal Rights” and “African.” The best-known song of the set is Tosh’s solo version of “Get Up, Stand Up,” which he co-wrote with Marley and has never sounded angrier than it does here.

The first disc of Equal Rights is filled out with seven additional out-takes from the original sessions. The original release was a very trim and focused effort, but the added songs fatten up the album and make for a great, extended listening experience. Similar to the deluxe Legazlize It, the second disc is filled with alternate takes, demos, and dub versions of each of the album’s tracks. Nothing here is as interesting as the previous album’s alternate mix, but the out-take songs on disc one more than make up for that. Both albums’ liner notes, by reggae historian Roger Steffens and Tosh’s former manager, Herbie Miller, do a wonderful job of providing context around each LP’s origins and the climate in which they were recorded.

Both Legalize It and Equal Rights are essential classics of the genre, and are beautifully presented here in the Legacy format. It’s hard to imagine an edition that better packages the material with worthwhile extras without becoming extraneous. Highly recommended. (www.legacyrecordings.com)

Author rating: 9/10