Stir It Up
Bob Marley & The Wailers
The 2023 Record Store Day edition of Stir It Up is a limited‑edition 7‑inch single from Bob Marley & The Wailers, issued by Island/UMC to mark the 50th anniversary of the Catch A Fire album. Rather than reusing the familiar LP mix, the release spotlights an “Alternate Jamaican Version” of “Stir It Up,” cut originally for the Jamaican market before Chris Blackwell’s London overdubs, giving listeners a rougher, more intimate take on one of Marley’s most beloved love songs. Pressed in small quantities for RSD 2023, it comes housed in a replica‑style Island/Tuff Gong sleeve aimed squarely at collectors and vinyl devotees.
The single contains two tracks: on Side A, “Stir It Up (Alternate Jamaican Version),” and on Side B, “Stir It Up (Alternate Jamaican Instrumental),” which strips away most of the vocals to highlight the guitar chops, organ bubbles, and gentle, loping rhythm section. Together, they offer a window into how the song sounded in Jamaica before it was refashioned for international release, with a drier mix, more prominent rhythm guitar, and a looser feel than the later Catch A Fire take. Framed by RSD materials and store copy as a heritage item, the 7‑inch serves less as a standalone “album” than as a focused archival snapshot, appealing to Marley fans interested in the sonic details of his early‑’70s studio work and the difference between Jamaican and Island‑market mixes.
Stir It Up
Bob Marley & The Wailers
The 2023 Record Store Day edition of Stir It Up is a limited‑edition 7‑inch single from Bob Marley & The Wailers, issued by Island/UMC to mark the 50th anniversary of the Catch A Fire album. Rather than reusing the familiar LP mix, the release spotlights an “Alternate Jamaican Version” of “Stir It Up,” cut originally for the Jamaican market before Chris Blackwell’s London overdubs, giving listeners a rougher, more intimate take on one of Marley’s most beloved love songs. Pressed in small quantities for RSD 2023, it comes housed in a replica‑style Island/Tuff Gong sleeve aimed squarely at collectors and vinyl devotees.
The single contains two tracks: on Side A, “Stir It Up (Alternate Jamaican Version),” and on Side B, “Stir It Up (Alternate Jamaican Instrumental),” which strips away most of the vocals to highlight the guitar chops, organ bubbles, and gentle, loping rhythm section. Together, they offer a window into how the song sounded in Jamaica before it was refashioned for international release, with a drier mix, more prominent rhythm guitar, and a looser feel than the later Catch A Fire take. Framed by RSD materials and store copy as a heritage item, the 7‑inch serves less as a standalone “album” than as a focused archival snapshot, appealing to Marley fans interested in the sonic details of his early‑’70s studio work and the difference between Jamaican and Island‑market mixes.