Synopsis

Bob Marley and The Wailers rehearse "Stir It Up" in a Los Angeles studio during the 1973 Catch a Fire recording sessions. The footage presents the musicians in a relaxed, working environment rather than a staged narrative, capturing the song as it takes shape through the band's laid-back performance. Marley leads the session on vocals, while the Wailers and accompanying musicians build the warm, unhurried reggae groove around him.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video is associated with The Wailers' 1973 recording sessions in Los Angeles for Catch a Fire, the band's first album released internationally by Island Records.

• "Stir It Up" was not a new composition in 1973. Bob Marley originally wrote and recorded the song in 1967, before revisiting it for the Catch a Fire album.

• Johnny Nash's 1972 cover helped bring the song to a wider international audience before Marley and The Wailers released their own expanded version.

• The session footage is notable for its documentary character. Rather than presenting a conventional promotional storyline, it shows the musicians working through the performance in the studio.

• The recording features contributions from members of The Wailers alongside additional musicians brought into the Catch a Fire production, including guitarist Wayne Perkins and keyboard player John "Rabbit" Bundrick.

• A separate 1973 performance of "Stir It Up" was filmed for the BBC program The Old Grey Whistle Test. That appearance is especially valuable because it captures Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer performing together on film.