Wanted Dread & Alive

by Peter Tosh

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	01/10/2025
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	5021732442598

Tracks

1. Coming in Hot [2002 Remaster]
2. Nothing But Love [2002 Remaster]
3. Reggae Mylitis [2002 Remaster]
4. Rok with Me [2002 Remaster]
5. Oh Bumbo Klaat [2002 Remaster]
6. Wanted Dread and Alive [2002 Remaster]
7. Rastafari Is [2002 Remaster]
8. Guide Me From My Friends [2002 Remaster]
9. Fools Die (For Want of Wisdom) [2002 Remaster]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Peter Tosh   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Gwen Guthrie   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
Lew Soloff   Guest Artist,Horn
Jon Faddis   Guest Artist,Horn
Sly Dunbar   Guest Artist,Drums
Robbie Shakespeare   Guest Artist,Bass
Pee-Wee   Flute
Dean Fraser   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Alto)
Lou Marini   Horn
Mikey Chung   Guitar (Rhythm)
Darryl Thompson   Guitar
Keith Sterling   Keyboards
Barry Rogers   Horn
The Tamlins   Vocals (Background)
David Madden   Trumpet
Robert Lyn   Keyboards
Uziah "Sticky" Thompson   Percussion
Noel "Scully" Simms   Percussion
Andre Breckenridge   Trumpet
D. Madden   Trumpet
Nambo   Trombone

Technical Credits

Theresa DelPozzo   Producer
Fred Harris   Composer
Noel Hern   Engineer
Mikey Riley   Engineer
Herbie Miller   Producer
James Nichols   Engineer
Clive "Azul" Hunt   Arranger
Jean Watt   Composer
Geoffrey Chung   Mixing,Engineer
Peter Tosh   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Nigel Reeve   Engineer,Digital Remastering
Freddie Harris   Composer
Michael Riley   Engineer
Nick Webb   Digital Remastering,Engineer
Ella Mitchell   Composer
Neville Garrick   Graphic Design
Julian McBrowne   Assistant Engineer
Billy Jackson   Mixing