No Nuclear War is the seventh and final studio album by the Jamaican musician Peter Tosh, released in 1987.[1] Tosh was murdered shortly after its release; he had returned to Jamaica after meetings in New York City to discuss the lack of promotion for the album.[2][3] Tosh was also upset that, despite the language in his contract with EMI Records, the album had been released in South Africa.[4] Before recording No Nuclear War, Tosh had spent four years protesting elements of his record contract.[5]
| No Nuclear War | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 39:34 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Peter Tosh, Marlene Tosh | |||
| Peter Tosh chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album received a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1988.[6]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [10] |
The Sun-Sentinel wrote that the "musicians create a lush backdrop for Tosh to address universal concerns about such topical issues as apartheid and nuclear holocaust."[11] The Los Angeles Times noted that the "singing is spirited and expressive, but the songwriting is suspect—Tosh seems to have run out of the vivid imagery that originally made his pointed social commentaries noteworthy."[9] The Boston Globe concluded that "rarely has a singer of any genre stuck so firmly to his beliefs for so long."[12]
The Omaha World-Herald determined that "Tosh's mix of parody and spirituality is refreshing, although his latest album is more of a gentle nudge than a full-fledged call to arms."[13] The Times opined that "songs about apartheid, nuclear war/peace and religious zeal are rapidly becoming the hackneyed rasta equivalents of such rock'n'roll stand-bys as cars, girls and life on the road."[14]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Peter Tosh
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Nuclear War" | 7:57 |
| 2. | "Nah Goa Jail" | 4:45 |
| 3. | "Fight Apartheid" | 5:02 |
| 4. | "Vampire" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "In My Song" | 4:16 |
| 6. | "Lessons in My Life" | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Testify" | 5:36 |
| 8. | "Come Together" | 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "No Nuclear War (Single Version)" | 3:32 |
Personnel edit
- Peter Tosh – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, horn arrangements
- Daniel “Danny AxeMan” Thompson , George "Fully" Fulwood, Leebert "Gibby" Morrison – bass guitar
- Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums
- Steve Golding – rhythm guitar
- Keith Sterling, Tyrone Downie – keyboards
- Scully Sims, Uziah Thompson – percussion
- David Madden, Dean Fraser, Junior "Chico" Chin, Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – horns
- Cynthia Schloss, June Lodge, Nadine Sutherland, Pam Hall, Ruddy Thomas – backing vocals
Technical edit
- Dennis Thompson, Peter Tosh – mixing
- Neville Garrick – cover illustration
- Adrian Boot – photography
References edit
- ^ "Peter Tosh Biography by Jo-Ann Greene". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Gunmen Kill Peter Tosh, Reggae Star, in Jamaica". The New York Times. AP. 13 Sep 1987. p. A23.
- ^ Lee, Sylvia (13 Sep 1987). "Drug Link Suspected in Peter Tosh Slaying". Newsday. p. 2.
- ^ "Peter Tosh killed by 3 gunmen". The San Diego Union-Tribune. September 13, 1987. p. A21.
- ^ Yandel, Gerry (September 20, 1987). "Peter Tosh's reggae beat lives on in his music". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. J2.
- ^ Jackson, Kevin (2014) "Tosh's call for peace", Jamaica Observer, 23 January 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^ "No Nuclear War - Peter Tosh | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Retrieved May 17, 2020 – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
- ^ a b Snowden, Don (23 Aug 1987). "Rastas: Rough, Romantic". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 65.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 712.
- ^ Gomez, Alex (16 Aug 1987). "Tosh Blends in Message". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3G.
- ^ Morse, Steve (14 Sep 1987). "Tosh Kept the Faith". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 10.
- ^ Healy, James (August 23, 1987). "Peter Tosh No Nuclear War". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald.
- ^ Sinclair, David (September 26, 1987). "Old, bold and still gold". The Times.