Peter Tosh – Legalize It (1976)
[Album 708/1001]
Does your country have a Marijuana Political Party?
Canada’s Federal Marijuana party made its debut in the year 2000.
They were a single-issue party with a succinct platform/slogan: Legalize It.
Perhaps voters appreciated the party’s clear vision as that year, at least in the ridings in which they nominated candidates, they earned almost 2% of the total votes.
However, in 2018, Canada legalized cannabis.
And when Canada decided to Legalize It, I’m sure I’m not the only one who pictured a line from Finding Nemo being quoted at Marijuana party headquarters.
Now what?
.
.
Although his album title slogan would no longer be all that relevant in Canada, Peter Tosh’s Legalize It should still have an audience in 2020.
Whereas many likely classify this sort of album as summer listening, it’s exactly the type of music I appreciate in the winter.
In the same way I enjoy a bit of bleakness (such as Joy Division) in the heat of the summer, this Kingston, Jamaica studio recording provides a nice counterbalance to the sometimes less than wonderland-esque Kingston, Ontario winter weather.
And nodding my head along to the frequent song-opening percussion & off-beat guitar upstrokes here feels like an appropriate way in which to ring in the new year.
A happy 2020 to all!
…..
Verbalize the Positive
I gather Peter Tosh was an avid unicyclist – what a neat trick to break out at a concert!
1001albumsin10years 
Nice man, I like the double Kingston connection! Wicked to see you start off the new year in a chill like vibe!
Rasta Da Stephen!
It was a relaxing way to start 2020!
Smoke ’em if you got ’em!
And these days, it’s legal to get ’em!
Often in NZ the Legalise Cannabis party would leap into an early lead on election night – some tiny hippie polling booth would be the first to be counted.
But for a brief moment it looks like they’ve got a chance!
Great work on the Kingston connection!
Cheers, Joe – the two have slightly different temperatures at the moment!
What a way to start the year, Geoff – nice one!
My thanks, J – definitely a relaxing way to ring in 2020!
In my country the drug laws just got harsher. Feels like going backwards sometimes. Oh well. I should listen to this album since I enjoy Tosh’s contributions to the Wailers.
If you enjoy his Wailers work, I imagine you’d approve of this too!
I absolutely love this album.
Nice – so, you aren’t disappointed to see it made the 1001 list!
I’m thrilled, as you know I’m a big reggae booster. Was just doing some Marley research yesterday in fact — deciding on purchases.
Natty Dread / Catch a Fire / Exodus are all on the 1001 – as they should be!
The deluxe Catch A Fire I already have – it presents the album as originally recorded, and then as released, overdubbed by American musicians. Natty Dread, there’s a version with one bonus track (the one I want) and Exodus has a full-on deluxe.
Funny enough for a trio of brilliant albums, none are consecutive. That’s somewhat rare.
Happy New Year to you as well. I like what I’ve heard by Tosh. The Mick Jagger 70s collaboration was good! I have the Original Album Series 5-cd set which I’ve sampled a bit though oddly doesn’t include Tosh’s acclaimed first two albums.
That is an odd thing to omit from such a set! That Mick Jagger collaboration sounds promising too