Peter Tosh - Mystic Man (1979)

Having flirted with commercial acceptance on "Bush Doctor", the former Wailers guitarist reasserted his cranky contrarian militancy on this album which is why he never reached the mega-stardom of his countryman Bob Marley. Unlike his old Wailers bandmate, Tosh had little interest in leavening his music's fiercely political bent, which effectively cemented his acquired-taste status (at least to American audiences). "Rumors of War" and "Fight On" explicitly address black majority rule in South Africa, a subject that few '70s artists even touched. Similarly, "Recruiting Soldiers" vows to physically round up enough fighters for the inevitable resistance, while "Jah She No" casts the poor's struggle to survive in stark, elemental terms ("Must righteous live in pain/And always look to shame?"). "Mystic Man" is a proud declaration of Tosh's lifestyle, which he pointedly contrasts against Western consumerist decadence (among other things, swearing off frankfurters, hamburgers, and any notions of drinking "pink, yellow, blue, green soda"). "Buk-in-hamm Palace is the biggest departure, building its outlaw theme of smoking marijuana in the Queen of England's home over a bubbling disco rhythm. It's easily the most accessible moment here, driven by Tosh's crack backup band of the time, Word, Sound & Power. There's no doubting Tosh's sincerity, though it sometimes founders in clichés and clunky lyric writing (like "Crystal Ball"'s coupling of "city" and "sh*tty"). From a strict songwriting viewpoint, "Mystic Man" isn't as distinctive as its predecessors, but a representative snapshot of Tosh's provocative artistry. "The Day the Dollar Die" is a roots classic, in which Tosh pleads his case for capitalism's demise over a shimmering pop-reggae groove  proof he could craft compelling tunes to match his message.

Track listing

01.  Mystic Man  (Peter Tosh)  - 5:54

02.  Recruiting Soldiers  (Peter Tosh)  - 4:26

03.  Can't You See  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:42

04.  Jah Seh No  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:20

05.  Fight On  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:20

06.  Buk-In-Hamm Palace  (Peter Tosh)  - 4:39

07.  The Day The Dollar Die  (Peter Tosh)  - 4:48

08.  Crystal Ball  (Peter Tosh)  - 5:11

09.  Rumours Of War  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:25

Released:  1979

Recorded at:  Dynamic Sound Studio, Kingston, Jamaica

Genre:  Reggae

Length:  44:24

Label:  Rolling Stones Records

Producer:  Peter Tosh, Word, Sound and Power (Keith Sterling, Mikey Chung, Robbie Lyn, Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar)

Recorded By & Mixed By:  Geoffrey Chung

Personnel

Peter Tosh - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards

Brenda White, Gwen Guthrie, The Tamlins, Yvonne Lewis - Backing Vocals

Robbie Shakespeare - Bass, Guitar

Sly Dunbar - Drums, Percussion

Mikey Chung - Keyboards, Guitar, Percussion

Robbie Lyn - Organ, Piano 

Uziah "Sticky" Thompson - Percussion

George Young - Alto Saxophone, Flute

Howard Johnson - Baritone Saxophone

Lou Marini - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Ed Walsh  - Synthesizer [Oberheim]

Barry Rogers - Trombone

Mike Lawrence - Trumpet

Sammy Figueroa - Percussion

Keith Sterling - Acoustic piano 

Ed Elizalde - Lead guitar