Peter Tosh – Bush Doctor (1978)

It would be really interesting to know how this album ended up in my record collection. I know that I got it by going through the vinyl albums at my grandmother's place. May of those albums were previously owned by one of my uncles. Then again, I know my grandmother was a huge fan of Bob Marley, so it might even be possible that I got Peter Tosh's third album Bush Doctor from my grandmother. That thought is just so funny. Tosh is a dedicated promoter of weed and Rastafarian culture. I doubt my grandmother was really aware of any of those things, but it's still pretty funny. I did also get the vinyl version of Bob Marley's Legend from her. I'm quite glad to own this album as it's very different from the other stuff I own. I probably would never have bought an album like this myself, but now I'm glad I can listen to this on vinyl at home.



Peter Tosh was an original member of The Wailers, Bob Marley's band. He later on had a very successful solo career  until he was murdered in 1987 as a result of a home invasion. He's probably the second most well-known Jamaican reggae artist after Bob Marley. His lyrics often relate to Rastafarianism and weed. There's a lot of generic reggae out there where all the songs sound the same, but I think Tosh is one of those few artists that make interesting reggae music that stand time a lot better.

The album starts with a head-noddingly groovy (You Gotta Walk) Don't Look Back. There are some influences form 70's soul music, but at the same time, I can see these kinds of songs being an influence on bands such as Dexy's Midnight Runners and Madness. Pick Myself Up is a song that could've just as easily been written by Bob Marley. There's a similar vibe. It tells a story about wanting to be like the birds that fly. I'm the Toughest sounds kind of ludicrous because this kind of message feels so out of sync with the upbeat and happy melody of the song. Soon Come irritates me a little bit, because when the phrase Soon Come is repeated over and over again, it sounds like a nonsensical word 'suncome'. Moses has a slower tempo and some great flute sequences. There is some strong christian symbolism in the song. The title-track Bush Doctor is probably my favourite song on the album, because the melody is a bit darker than in the rest of the songs. The song is all about legalising marijuana because it cures glaucoma. Stand Firm has some crazy synth sounds that already seem to predict the looming 80's. There's a nice wavy rhythm in this song. Dem Ha Fe Get a Beatin has some great horn sequences and like the name suggests, the song has been sung with stronger Jamaican accent than rest of the songs. The last track on the album is Creation that has some gospel singers singing hallelujah behind Tosh reading some religious verses about Jah. This isn't basically a reggae song though. There's just a bit of harp and sounds of the waves and birds in the background.

I don't really know that much about the Rastafarian culture and definitely I don't know too much about reggae music, which is why I'm not the best person to give any kind of objective review of this album. I just think it's great that I get to own a great album like this which is so different from the rest of my record collection.

Listen to the album on Spotify.