Peter Tosh – Legalize It (1976 Columbia First US Pressing)

Peter Tosh released his debut solo album, Legalize It, in 1976 after his departure from the Wailers. The album is a direct political statement: its title track is an explicit advocacy for marijuana legalization, accompanied by a cover image of Tosh sitting in a field of cannabis plants. The album arrived at a moment when reggae was gaining international attention through Bob Marley's success, and Tosh used that platform to deliver some of the most uncompromising political music in the genre's history. The 1976 US Columbia pressing is the primary format for American collectors.

Peter Tosh and His Political Music

Peter Tosh (born Winston Hubert McIntosh, 1944-1987) was a founding member of the Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer. The original Wailers broke apart in the early 1970s as Marley's solo career absorbed the group's commercial momentum. Tosh's response was to pursue an even more explicitly political direction than Marley, with Legalize It as the declaration of that approach.

The title track was banned from Jamaica's radio stations, a reaction that only amplified its impact. The album addressed not just marijuana but broader themes of Rastafarian spirituality, Black consciousness, and resistance to oppression. Tosh's militant tone contrasted with Marley's more internationally palatable approach but spoke directly to a politically engaged reggae audience.

Tosh was awarded the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 1988 for the compilation No Nuclear War, and he is recognized as one of the foundational artists of reggae. His assassination in September 1987 cut short a career that was producing increasingly powerful music.

The US Columbia Pressing

Legalize It was originally released in Jamaica on Tosh's own Intel-Diplo HIM label. The US edition was licensed to Columbia Records (catalog number PC 34253) for American distribution in 1976. This pressing is what most American collectors and audiophiles seek.

Identifying the US Columbia first pressing:

• Catalog number: PC 34253 on the label and spine

• Columbia Records label: The specific label design used by Columbia in 1976

• Matrix: Dead wax markings for the original US pressing

• Cover printing: The original cover with Tosh's photograph in the cannabis field, printed for US distribution

The album was also issued in the UK on Virgin Records (V2061) in the same year, and UK pressings have their own collector community.

The Music

Legalize It contains nine tracks, with the title track as the opener. Other notable songs include "Burial," "Whatcha Gonna Do," and "Brand New Second Hand." The album was produced by Tosh with additional production input, and it features the core reggae rhythm section work that characterized the best Jamaican studio recordings of the period.

The album is considered by reggae historians as one of the essential documents of the genre's political phase, alongside albums by Marley, Burning Spear, and Culture.

Condition Assessment

US Columbia pressings from 1976 are assessed on the Goldmine standard:

Value Guide

Discogs sales data confirms these ranges for the US Columbia pressing. The original Jamaican pressing on Intel-Diplo HIM is significantly rarer and commands higher premiums, as does the UK Virgin pressing in comparable condition.

Tosh's Legacy

Legalize It established Peter Tosh as a soloist with a distinct and uncompromising political voice. The album's central demand has become one of the defining issues of the half-century since its release, with marijuana legalization policies now adopted across much of North America and parts of Europe. Tosh's prescience and his willingness to stake his career on the issue in 1976 give the album a resonance beyond its musical merits.

For reggae collectors, it is an essential first pressing.

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