No Nuclear War
The final album of reggae legendPeter Tosh's career could scarcely have been steeped in more irony. Long one of Jamaica's most radical and outspoken musical voices, the ex-Wailer spent long years of the '80s out of the spotlight only to return in late 1987 a seemingly changed man. Savvy in the ways of fusing Jamaican rhythms with Western pop styles, Tosh's efforts here often seem labored and decidedly overproduced, all too often mirroring the West's own tired and seemingly aimless pop formulas during the era. Even more jarring was the album's lyrical tone, a limp, can't-we-all-get-along pacificism that would have sounded noble coming from the mouth of a folk singer, but shocking from a man who'd long incited his countrymen to "Get Up, Stand Up" and fight for "Equal Rights." Instead Tosh stalked a nuclear straw man on the title track (has there ever been apro-nuclear war pop star?) and espoused world peace with tired Lennonisms like "Come Together." There are hints elsewhere that Tosh was trying to find a way to reconcile his past musical adventures with contemporary trends, but it was not to be. On September 11, 1987, Tosh and six of his friends and musical associates were massacred by gunmen in the star's own home.– Jerry McCulley