Legalize It

The title is famous enough to conceal the album around it. Listen past the opening declaration and Peter Tosh becomes a more varied singer: wounded, amused, devotional and direct. His substantial low voice sits comfortably inside the bass-led arrangements, letting a sustained note carry weight without constantly increasing its volume.

Legalize It appeared in 1976 as the former Wailer’s first solo studio album. Its title song advocates cannabis legalisation, but the nine-track programme is not a single-issue speech. Short, clipped accompaniment creates a useful contrast with the longer shapes of the singing. The bass keeps moving underneath, so an apparently relaxed performance can still feel purposeful. That relationship offers an accessible entry into the record before every lyric is understood.

A sequence of changing attitudes

Burial and Whatcha Gonna Do follow the title track; No Sympathy and Why Must I Cry bring relationship troubles into focus. Later, Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) makes spiritual commitment explicit, while Ketchy Shuby changes the mood again. Stay for the extended space of Till Your Well Runs Dry and the closing Brand New Second Hand. The continuity lies in the sound of Tosh’s voice, not in all nine songs making the same argument.

Reputation has more than one date

The British Official Charts entry reached number 54 for one week in September 1976. That is a contemporary measure of reach, not proof of a critical consensus. Robert Christgau’s album assessment awarded B and expressed reservations; in his 1999 compilation review he stressed the force of Tosh’s social statements. Judging a whole programme and recognising the persistence of individual songs are different activities.

Begin with nine tracks

The linked Apple edition matches the official nine-song listing. The 2011 Legacy expansion adds demos, alternative mixes and dubs, valuable material that changes the length and perspective of a first encounter. Start with the original sequence. Follow the bass for one song, then shift attention to the spaces after the vocal phrases. The contrast between rhythmic movement and lingering melody helps explain how firmness and tenderness can inhabit the same album.