 |  | Not essential Peter Tosh. |  |
This album from Peter Tosh was very disappointing to me. After hearing "Complete Captured Live" and "Legalize It," I expected a lot. It didn't live up to my expectations. The songs are all repititious, long, and dare I say...boring. "Coming In Hot" and "Cold Blood" are the best songs, but there's a better version of "Coming In Hot" on "Complete Captured Live." So this is really not essential to any reggae fan's collection. If you're an absolutely die-hard Peter Tosh fan, you may want this. If not, you're better of getting these albums first: "Legalize It," "Equal Rights," "Bush Doctor," or "Complete Captured Live." Don't waste your time or money on this unless you absolutely can't live without everything Peter Tosh recorded.
August 6, 2007I love Tosh and I was fortunate enough to see him perform live several times before he died. That said, this is a very uneven release. To be sure, there are top shelf songs here that belong in any Tosh collection, including the spiritual "Rastafari Is" (although I like the extended, heavy, live version included on Complete Captured Live better), "Wanted Dread & Alive," "Reggaemylitis," "Coming In Hot," and "Guide Me From My Friends." An especially welcome treat for me is the inclusion of "Oh, Bumbo Clot" on the remastered version of the CD - this is a scathing Tosh song that he would sometimes perform live but was never released on the US vinyl edition of Wanted Dread & Alive. The two love songs on the record, the duet "Nothing But Love" and the attempted single "Rock With Me," are extremely commercial, very disappointing and always elicit a "skip track" response from me. It is not that Peter Tosh cannot write or sing a good love song - check out the great pair he put on his first release, Legalize It - it's just that these songs are sub par and sound extremely out-dated. The production of the record is good, but many of the songs lack the punch that they would later achieve live in concert. Even Tosh's next, and admittedly poppier-sounding release, Mama Africa, is more consistent in its conception and delivery. If building a Tosh collection, I would highly recommend starting with Equals Rights. Equal Rights is Tosh's finest, most polished, most consistent, and ultimately most rewarding work, filled with well-crafted, excellently performed, highly political songs. Next, I would recommend Legalize It or Bush Doctor if looking for studio releases - both have great content, excellent musicians and strong performances (though the sound quality on Legalize It is still a bit historical - but that is part of the charm for me). Next, I would investigae live Tosh material, starting with the fantastic Live & Dangerous from Boston 1976 and then moving on to the Complete Captured Live from California in 1983. I would finally fill in any remaining holes in the collection with Mama Africa, Wanted, and Mystic Man (some of the Mystic Man tracks (e.g., the title cut, "Day The Dollar Die" & "Buk-In-Hamm Palace", like several of the Wanted tracks, are more essential than Mama Africa material, but again, it is an uneven release that perhaps tried too hard to find new commercial outlets). I'd turn to the No Nuclear War disc last.
September 24, 2006"Wanted: Dread or Alive" is, by any standard, an absolute must for your Reggae music collection. Start with the best ever drum and bass combo, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, add the legendary guitar rhythms of Mikey Chung. Then, add the powerful voice and lyrical messages of Peter Tosh. You get a great traditional Reggae masterpiece.
September 17, 2005 | | Tosh's last great duet, "Nothing but Love." | |
I've left this album on repeat many a time. Every track is great. Tosh serves as a sentinel, warning us on two tracks to stay independant of friends who seem impartial but rat behind your back. The song that gave this album four stars is "Cold Blood." Tosh's vocals sound to countryish for reggae.
September 8, 2005 | | a very good well arranged Tosh album | |
this is the only Peter Tosh album I have heard, but i like it a lot and plan to get it sometime. The production is excellent, the tracks are outstanding, and it is funky and beautiful music. If you like good reggea music you should get this outstanding cd. It will become a very enjoyable staple of your collection. this cd is Just as good as any Bob Marley music you have heard before.
June 2, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
