The Best of Peter Tosh: Dread Don't Die

As Gold Collection wasn't much of a wrap-up, concentrating so heavily on the No Nuclear War set, and certainly didn't deserve any gold medals, EMI/Capitol had another go with this compilation, although to call it The Best of Peter Tosh: Dread Don't Die is such a misnomer, it's a wonder they weren't sued for libel. This time, Wanted Dread & Alive and Mama Africa are the focus, with two further songs culled off the former, while the title track again is pulled from the latter, along with two different numbers from the set. "(You Gotta Walk And) Don't Look Back" comes courtesy of Bush Doctor, "Crystal Ball" from Mystic Man, while the two live tracks are drawn from Captured Live, which EMI's previous compilation totally ignored. Wanted was Tosh's most commercial album and Mama his most emotive, albeit musically entirely accessible, so this set once more gives new fans an incredibly unbalanced view of the artist. For collectors, however, the pot is sweetened by "That's What They Will Do," a song recorded around the time of the Wanted album, but not included on that set. If this is EMI's idea of the best of Tosh, they've got a lot to learn. And if dread don't die, it's because he's still seeking retribution.