20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Peter Tosh

Album Review

Every great group has its mixture of elements, and the Wailers were no exception. They were far from just Bob Marley's band. Marley's ambition and drive, his fine songwriting skills, and his talent as a diplomat were a huge part of their success, certainly, but Bunny Wailer's harmony singing and mystic philosophical base were key ingredients, too. And one should never underestimate the contributions of Peter Tosh, the real political conscience of the band, and the best musician, adept at guitar, organ, and melodica. This brief collection bears witness to Tosh's abilities with a sequence of his solo sides, including four classics he cut with Joe Gibbs ("Black Dignity," "Here Comes the Judge," "Arise Blackman," "Maga Dog") and a quartet of self-produced songs recorded at Treasure Isle Studio ("Can't Blame the Youth," "No Mercy," "Mark of the Beast," "Burial"), not to mention a wonderfully nuanced cover of George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun," making this set a decent introduction to Tosh's post-Wailers work. There are too many missing pieces ("Brand New Secondhand," "Legalize It," "Downpressor Man," "Stepping Razor," "400 Years," "I'm the Toughest") to make this the best single-disc purchase, though.