Peter Tosh — Legalize It | Reggae's #2 — Or Should He Be #1?
Bob Marley got two warring politicians to hold hands on stage. Peter Tosh stood on that same stage and spent half an hour berating them to their faces with a spliff. That's the difference — and you can hear it all over Legalize It. Reggae Summer Vol. 2 begins, and we're not doing it alone. Brian Wallace — aka @DUBROBOT — is back on the show for the second time: saxophonist, engineer, the man who taught us reggae in the first place, and basically the third member of Black Market Dub. He joined us last year for Exodus, and he's here to bridge the records all summer. Brandon picked Peter Tosh's 1976 debut, Legalize It — the first solo record from the Wailer who refused to make the message palatable. It's basically the Wailers minus Bob (Bunny Wailer, Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt all turn up), it sounds like a loose jam played to perfection, and it lives in two wildly different mixes most people have never compared. What we get into: Who's reggae's real #2 behind Marley — and the case that Tosh could've been #1 "Chris Whiteworst": how Blackwell shorting the band on tour money blew up the Wailers Legalize It as the reggae All Things Must Pass — a suppressed songwriter finally let loose The raw, bone-dry Jamaican mix vs. the Spector-ized CBS/New York mix (and what each one buries) Al Anderson flown to New York to overdub guitars; Sly & Robbie waiting in the wings for Equal Rights The UFO-shaped guitar Tosh welded for himself Synths way ahead of their time — thunder, a wind machine, and chirping birds hiding in the mix "You've got to legalize it" — protest as accusation, not Kumbaya California festival weed culture vs. sufferers' music "Brand New Second Hand": the "How Do You Sleep?" shot fired straight at Bob Standouts — Why Must I Cry, Whatcha Gonna Do, and Brian's deep cuts off the dub plates 🎤 Tell us: who's YOUR #2 reggae artist behind Marley? And which mix wins — Jamaican or New York? Best comments get read on the next episode. Or email [email protected]. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:15:20 - Legalize Me 00:55:57 - CBS Mixes vs Jamaican Mixes 01:41:24 - Standout Songs & Favorite/Best 02:12:51 - Final Thoughts and Next Pick 👉 More Playback episodes (album deep dives, music arguments, reggae, rock, hip-hop, soul, dub & more): • Playback Podcast – Album Deep Dives & Long... 🔊 Support & follow: Patreon — / blackmarketdub Bandcamp — https://blackmarketdub.bandcamp.com Escape Hatch Records — https://escapehatchrecords.com Instagram — / blackmarket_dub YouTube — / blackmarketdub For fans of Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, The Wailers, Bunny Wailer, Equal Rights, Bush Doctor, Sly & Robbie, Al Anderson, roots reggae, dub, Rastafari, protest music, and album deep dives from a musician's perspective.
