Equal Rights [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Peter Tosh | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 6, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000JH23
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,719 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Even though Captured Live might be Peter Tosh's greatest recorded gift, this 1977 studio album was his best--by far--away from the stage. Equal Rights opens with two great salvos, "Get Up, Stand Up" and "Downpressor Man," both of them politically unequivocal in their support, aptly, of human rights and political equity. In his post-Wailers days, Tosh seemed ever in dialogue with his conscience and his obsession with Bob Marley's fame. Tosh sought a place for himself somewhere between reggae and pop (check out the Mick Jagger and Tosh duet, "(You Gotta Walk and) Don't Look Back" on the hits pack Scrolls of the Prophet). In itself, such a desire isn't at all surprising, but it did impact Tosh's music even on his best studio album. But even with any wrinkles, Equal Rights holds a spot firmly as one of the best reggae albums of the 1970s. In this reissue, it comes with a pair of live bonus tracks, "Pick Myself Up" and "African," both recorded live and charged with the best Tosh energy. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

Equal Rights brought together Peter Tosh s dedications to the revolutionary movements growing in Africa, and the mysticism and wonders of his personal growth as a prophet, poet, preacher and world-class musical trailblazer. The album included a number of songs that became human rights anthems over the next two decades: Get Up, Stand Up, Downpressor Man, African, Apartheid, and the title tune. There were also intensely personal songs of his revelations as a Rasta: I Am That I Am and Jah Guide ; and the ultimate rude boy, proto-punk declaration of Stepping Razor, by reggae s original roots-rock and Rasta ragamuffin. EQUAL RIGHTS (LEGACY EDITION) presents the original eight-song, 40-minute album as it has been embedded in listeners heads for decades. Then the the disc follows up with seven previously unreleased outtakes from the original album recording sessions, offering a different program of compositions. CD two presents a well-sequenced mix of 15 tracks about half of which are previously unreleased . These include original session alternate and extended versions, and extremely rare dubs. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Monument to Reggae and Classic Rock, February 5, 2005

By 

Matthew Channon (Sandy, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Equal Rights (Audio CD)

I don't remember the first time I heard this album or where I bought it or how I even knew to buy it, but I've owned Peter Tosh's "Equal Rights" since I was 14 or 15 (well over 15 years ago now). I can't recall listening to reggae without listening to this and I loved it then as much as I enjoy it now. Growing up with it for half of my life and being one of my all time favorites, it was only a matter of time before I bought this digitally remastered set with bonus tracks by Columbia Records.

I have fond memories of sitting outside in the summertime listening to this album either with friends or by myself with no school and nothing to do; they seemed like simpler times. I never listened to a lot of "mainstream" music even as a teenager. My radio consisted of the CDs I owned (or borrowed) which was largely an assortment of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots & the Maytals and like artists preferring Reggae to most other music.

Being constantly around Reggae through friends and their older brothers, I like to think I had an ear for good Reggae even back then but the fact that I loved "Equal Rights" right away probably had a lot to do with my dad who raised me listening to Rock groups like Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks etc. Because this album is an excellent crossover between both genres it's not hard to see why it appeals to me and so many other people as well. Of course, that doesn't mean most fans of Rock will like it. After all, it is still Reggae.

Peter Tosh's second solo album after leaving Bob Marley & the Wailers is definately his greatest (in studio). His music has matured significantly since his first album, "Legalize It" and backed by the "rhythm twins" Sly and Robbie, this album becomes a classic by monumental proportions. Many people argue that "Legalize It" is still better but the music for "Equal Rights" is much more unified, most of the songs sticking to the theme of the album while the tracks on "Legalize It" are remakes of old Peter Tosh singles ranging from politics to love to dance, making for a somewhat patchy (albeit, very good) set.

The beginning of this masterpiece sets the tone with his own political anthem "Get Up, Stand Up," which he originally wrote for "Burnin'" the Wailer's second album with Island. While the version he sang with Bob Marley may be more lively and even made it to Marley's greatest hits CD, "Legend," the Peter Tosh version we have here is the far superior one. I'm glad Tosh decided to remake this song for his second album. Still too few people know that he is the author of it and to see its lyrics on Bob Marley t-shirts and posters is especially annoying.

The standard of the set stays consistant throughout with brilliant reworkings of songs like "Downpresser Man," as well as original material like "I Am that I Am" and "Jah Guide." But Peter Tosh also went boldly where most Reggae artists at the time were afraid to go (Bob Marley included) with songs like the album's title track and also my personal favorite, "Apartheid." More than once would Peter Tosh's life be threatened because of his unwavering and outspoken stance on racial and political injustices in Afrcia and Jamaica. His very vocal opinion, on this album particularly, influenced many other Reggae artists to start speaking out as evidenced by Bob Marley's own tribute to African liberation, his classic "Survival" album released two years later.

Interestingly enough, what would become his signature song, "Stepping Razor" is the only track here that wasn't written by Peter Tosh himself. Joe Gibbs, an early Wailers mentor, originally wrote the song for Jamaica's annual song festival. Peter Tosh took it over and made it his own. It's the most commercialized song on the set and is almost too Rock n' Roll, but why carp. This album is an essential Reggae classic that needs to be listened too again and again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 10 star lp, September 21, 2000

By 

Sean M. Kelly (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Equal Rights (Audio CD)

Few lps in any genre can be defined as absolute classics. Reggae has a few such lp's (Burining Spear's "Marcus Garvey," the Wailers' "Catch a Fire," Big Youth's "Screaming Target," Lee Perry's "Arkology" box set), and among them is "Equal Rights," Peter Tosh's tour de force.

The tracks on this lp are second to none- Scatching, rebellious, on the edge, much like Tosh himself. Few lps have as potent a 1-2 opening punch as "Get Up Stand Up" and "Downpressor Man" offer this lp, only to be reinforced by the amazing "Stepping razor," "African," and "Apartheid" (Tosh's being the 1st vocal anti-apartheid song in reggae, so far as I know), and "I Am That I Am" and "Jah Guide" reinforce Tosh's roots credibility as a rastafarian. Add to that the 2 bonus live tracks and you have a nearly flawless lp.

Few lps have the complete start to finish impact of this one, and therefore this lp for me ranks with Burning Spear's "Marcus Garvey" lp as the most powerful in the history of reggae. An absolute must have in your reggae collection.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EQUAL RIGHTS 2CD LEGACY EDITION 2011, July 6, 2011

By 

W. T. Hoffman "artist and musician" (Pennsylvania, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Equal Rights (Legacy Edition) (Audio CD)

The LEGACY EDITION for this album, is out and out the VERY BEST LEGACY EDITION I own, and I own a lot of them. EQUAL RIGHTS has always been one of my favorite reggae albums, filled with many of my favorite songs (Steppin Razor, Get up Stand Up, I Am That I Am, Equal Rights, etc.) However, the LEGACY EDITION has done something REMARKABLE. IT has culled from the original sessions, an entire LP worth of NEW MATERIAL. So, where did all these new songs come from? Well, like the LEGALIZE IT album, the EQUAL RIGHTS album was recorded years after TOSH left the Wailers. Tosh's early solo albums included songs recorded with the Wailers, as well as "SINGLES" recorded for the Jamaican Market back in 1973-1976. For those of your who have Tosh's HONORARY CITIZEN box set, you already own versions of many of these songs included on the LEGACY EDITION as bonus cuts. BUT! You dont own the 1977 RERECORDED versions of those songs cut during the EQUAL RIGHTS sessions. Playing the Jamaican single versions of VAMPIRE (aka DRACULA), MARK OF THE BEAST, or YOU CANT BLAME THE YOUTH next to the versions on the Legacy Edition, sounds like playing poorly made demos with the bass cranked up too high, next to top notch recordings from world class studios. (BTW, these original JAMAICAN singles were recorded at RANDY's STUDIO, where the riddim tracks were also recorded for EQUAL RIGHTS album. Then, the songs' drum and bass parts were brought to Miami, so Columbia Records could make sure TOSH was recording an album for the international market.) EACH BONUS TRACK (outtake) has the same excellent production quality, that you have on any other song from EQUAL RIGHTS. After all, by this time, LEGALIZE IT was a huge international hit, and TOSH's star was rising fast. All i can say, is listening to the outtakes, was like hearing "EQUAL RIGHTS" as a double album.

If this new release only added these unreleased OUTTAKES to the end of CD ONE, I'd still think of it as a fantastic release. BUT, CD TWO has even BETTER SURPRISES! To begin with, the second CD contains two more studio versions of GET UP STAND UP. (That makes 6 studio versions Tosh or the Wailers released of that song!) There's an extended version of EQUAL RIGHTS that runs nearly 7 minutes long, and an alternate version of APARTHEID that runs OVER 7 minutes. There are also a couple of demos, for VAMPIRE and JAH MAN. (These demos aren't much different than the studio versions.) BUT YOU ALSO GET A COMPLETE "EQUAL RIGHTS" ALBUM, in a DUB VERSION! YA MON! Just like GARVEY'S GHOST by Burning Spear, what most consider TOSH's masterpiece (and one of the true masterpieces of the genre), NOW HAS A DUB VERSION! What's more, these dubs will blow your mind. Tosh had always been a big fan of DUB reggae, having made dub plates of many of his Jamaican singles for B-sides. With SLY AND ROBBIE for his Riddim section, the dub plates automatically sound incredible, since just listening to SLY AND ROBBIE play alone, is a treat. Most of these DUBS, however, don't play with space, and loops, in the same manner you hear on THE DUB FACTOR by Black Uhuru. Dub Reggae kept developing during the mid-late 70s, not reaching its zenith til the 80s, and the Ascendency of BLACK UHURU after Marley's death. For example, the dub for STEPPIN RAZOR, called HEAVY RAZOR, is comprised of the bass part, Peter Tosh singing, and some incidental percussion. This minor Dub masterpiece STILL sounds revelatory, since you get to hear Peter Tosh's vocals IN YOUR FACE. There are Dub plates for all but one of the OUTTAKES--each of them are super. Especially the one for VAMPIRE. Its not the VAMPIRE (aka "Dracula") DUB that already circulated around Jamaica the previous year, since its made from the new studio recording. Some of the Dubs were B-sides, but 5 of the dub plates were SO RARE, that only a couple of DJs in London got them for toasting. Except for the dub of one song, all of these dubs were made during the ORIGINAL SESSIONS for the album, under TOSH's watchful eyes.

I know some of the LEGACY EDITIONS seem like the music companies trying to squeeze another penny from the consumer, by making the fans to buy the original album AGAIN, in order to get a concert, a mono version of the studio album, or some studio jams. THIS EDITION is so far beyond that! You have the original lenght of EQUAL RIGHTS doubled, with songs that are among TOSH'S BEST. ALSO, you have 9 DUB VERSIONs of the songs from CD one, so that you own a DUB VERSION of the original EQUAL RIGHTS album! Add into this, great artwork, and a 23 page booklet that fully explains the political hotbed that was JAMAICA during this time, when both MARLEY and TOSH survived seperate murder attempts. I recommend this purchase to all citizens of Humanity, and certainly to all reggae fans. As for TOSH fans, all I can tell you, is the LEGACY EDITION supercedes the original album, and you KNOW that's saying something. Just supply your own spliff, or chalice. RASTA SEZ IRAE!