Light Your Spliff: Peter Tosh classic reissued by Spaziale Recordings
One of our absolute favourite records fully remastered for Record Store Day
Peter Tosh and some trees
“Light your spliff
Light your chalice
Make we smoke it in Buk In Hamm Palace”
Following on from their recent releases of must-have music from John Ozila, Tumblack, Exodus and more, the Spaziale team continue their mission to introduce rare and forgotten sounds to new audiences. Here, they present the brilliant ‘Buk-In-Hamm Palace’ from reggae legend Peter Tosh, remastered and officially reissued for Record Store Day 2020.
Originally released on Rolling Stones Records as part of the 1979 ‘Mystic Man’ album, ‘Buck-In-Hamm Palace’ was co-produced by Mick Jagger and Jamaica’s Word, Sound And Power team. The 12” single contained the dance-floor dynamite ‘Dubbing In Buk-In-Hamm’ mix, which appears on here alongside the vocal mix, along with a previously unreleased ‘Studio Version’.
Whether Tosh ever actually partook in a smoke-up on the palace grounds (and if he did, whether or not he was joined by royalty) is perhaps open to debate, but the quality of the music that the event or fantasy inspired is not. Some kind of reggae-disco hybrid with a stoner-rock soul, the dub version rolls over eight-plus minutes of effortless groove and heavy bass — courtesy of rhythm titans Sly & Robbie — and is embellished by unending waves of psych-guitar, horn stabs, chord progressions and vocal hooks. The ‘Studio Version’ contains all of the vital components of the dub but in a concentrated form, and it’s inclusion makes the record extra collectible. Since it’s never been released before, it’s this mix we offer a sneak preview of here.
With a solo canon including the likes of ‘Legalize It’ and ‘Steppin’ Razor’, it’s tough to choose a favourite from Peter Tosh, but for sheer spaced-out dance floor appeal, this one gets our vote. If you don’t already own a copy, don’t sleep on this.
Peter Tosh ‘Buck-In-Hamm Palace’ is out on Spaziale Recordings on 20 June. You can order it here
