Peter Tosh - Legalize It - Remastered (1999) FLAC

Singer, musician, composer, and rebel Peter Tosh cut a swathe
through Jamaican music, both as a founding member of the Wailers and
as a solo artist. He helped reggae cross over to mainstream
audiences in the late '70s, touring with the Rolling Stones and
scoring an international hit with a duet with Mick Jagger.

Tosh was an outspoken Rastafarian, and some of his most popular
music explored Rasta culture and politically charged anti-war
sentiments. His 1976 solo breakout album Legalize It and its title
track centered around demands for the reform of laws pertaining to
marijuana, and the cover art featured Tosh puffing away in a field
of ganja. He was killed in 1987, but left behind a wealth of music -
both with the Wailers and his ample body of solo work - that made
him one of reggae's preeminent greats.

After years of being overshadowed by Bob Marley, 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 Tosh's most lightweight album in the sense
that it is his least political. This is not meant as a criticism -
in fact, Tosh's playfulness and joy ('Ketchy Shuby') only add to the
album's 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 album's 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 Tosh's position as a giant in reggae, and the
album is one of the best albums of the genre.