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Wanted Dread and Alive

 
Album Review: Wanted Dread & Alive

  • Artist: Peter Tosh
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1981
  • Genre: Reggae

Review

Peter Tosh's final album for the Glimmer Twins' imprint label found him continuing to relish his image of urban bandit, as the Wild West-style wanted-poster graphics aptly illustrate. So does the slinky title track, which comes off as a downmarket "I Shot the Sheriff," yet done with panache. "Coming in Hot" is a classic statement of intent, while "Nothing But Love" is an inspired pop-reggae crossover affair that marks one of the few times he ever shared the mike with someone else. "The Poor Man Feel It" and "Cold Blood" retread Tosh's statutory pessimism and scorn toward the political landscape. The former song is crippled by a numbingly obvious hook that wouldn't give Bob Dylan sleepless nights ("gotta find a solution to all the pollution"), though its heartfelt compassion shines through. "Reggae-Mylitis," on the other hand, reads like a clunky roots response to "Boogie Fever," but is good, mindless fun (not a word often associated with Tosh). The longer tracks provide the most compelling moments. "Rastafari Is" would be a deadly dull roots religious lecture without the mantra-like hand percussion, organ, and lead guitar lines bobbing and weaving throughout its six minutes. "That's What They Will Do" fires a shot across the bow at people whom Tosh feels have betrayed him, with lead guitarist Darryl Thompson firing off some spiffy countrified licks. "Fools Die" is the biggest surprise, bearing little relation to Tosh's recorded output. The track builds on a simple pad of acoustic guitar and electric piano, while Pee-Wee improvises soaring flute lines behind an impassioned Tosh plea for humanity to clean up its act. It's a daring departure and an impressive mood piece; such gestures would have gone a long way elsewhere, too. There's a nagging sense of little new ground being broken, which won't bother the diehards; they're the ones who keep stuff like this in print, after all. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Coming in Hot Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (3:40)
Nothing But Love (Lyrics) Freddie Harris, Ella Mitchell Peter Tosh (5:04)
Reggae-Mylitis Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (6:35)
The Poor Man Feel It Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (4:11)
Cold Blood Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (4:40)
Wanted Dread & Alive Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (4:29)
Rastafari Is Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (6:33)
That's What They Will Do Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (4:39)
Fools Die Peter Tosh Peter Tosh (7:36)

Credits

Billy Jackson (Mixing), Keith Sterling (Keyboards), Andre Breckenridge (Trumpet), Peter Tosh (Guitar), Robbie Shakespeare (Bass), Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (Percussion), Peter Tosh (Vocals), The Tamlins (Vocals (Background)), Neville Garrick (Graphic Design), Dean Fraser (Sax (Tenor)), Peter Tosh (Keyboards), Mikey Riley (Engineer), Geoffrey Chung (Engineer), Nambo (Trombone), Mikey Chung (Guitar (Rhythm)), Julian McBrowne (Assistant Engineer), Peter Tosh (Percussion), Gwen Guthrie (Vocals), D. Madden (Trumpet), Lew Soloff (Horn), Geoffrey Chung (Mixing), Clive "Azul" Hunt (Arranger), Jon Faddis (Horn), Peter Tosh (Arranger), Darryl Thompson (Guitar), Peter Tosh (Vocals (Background)), Barry Rogers (Horn), Sly Dunbar (Drums), Noel "Scully" Simms (Percussion), Pee-Wee (Flute), David Madden (Trumpet), Robert Lyn (Keyboards), Dean Fraser (Sax (Alto)), Peter Tosh (Producer), Lou Marini (Horn)
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Wikipedia: Wanted Dread and Alive
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Wanted Dread And Alive
Studio album by Peter Tosh
Released 1981
Recorded 1981
Dynamic Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
Genre Reggae
Length ???
Label Rolling Stones Records
EMI America
Capitol Records
Producer Peter Tosh
Professional reviews
Peter Tosh chronology
Mystic Man
(1979)
Wanted Dread And Alive
(1981)
Mama Africa
(1983)

Wanted Dread And Alive is an album by Peter Tosh. It was released in 1981 in two different versions; one for USA (EMI America) and one for Europe (Rolling Stones Records). Reissued by Capitol in 2002 with bonus tracks.

Contents

Track listing (Rolling Stones Records) (1A 062-64378)

All tracks composed by Peter Tosh; except where indicated

  1. "Coming in Hot"
  2. "Nothing But Love" (Ella Mitchell, Freddie Harris)
  3. "Reggaemylitis"
  4. "Rok With Me" (Jean Watt)
  5. "Oh Bumbo Klaat"
  6. "Wanted Dread and Alive"
  7. "Rastafari Is"
  8. "Guide Me from My Friends"
  9. "Fools Die"

Track listing (EMI America) (SO-17055)

  1. "Coming in Hot"
  2. "Nothing But Love"
  3. "Reggaemylitis"
  4. "The Poor Man Feels It"
  5. "Cold Blood"
  6. "Wanted Dread and Alive"
  7. "Rastafari Is"
  8. "That's What They Will Do"
  9. "Fools Die"

Track listing (Capitol) (37693)

  1. "Coming in Hot"
  2. "Nothing But Love"
  3. "Reggaemylitis"
  4. "Rok With Me"
  5. "Oh Bumbo Klaat"
  6. "Wanted Dread and Alive"
  7. "Rastafari Is"
  8. "Guide Me from My Friends"
  9. "Fools Die (For Want of Wisdom)"
  10. "The Poor Man Feel It"
  11. "Cold Blood"
  12. "That's What They Will Do"
  13. "Rok With Me (Alternative Long Mix)"
  14. "Nothing But Love (Long Version)"

Personnel


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wanted Dread and Alive" Read more