Bob Marley & The Wailers
October 31, 1973 · Record Plant Sausalito
The Wailers hitchhiked to California in 1973 after Sly Stone dropped them from his tour, and on Halloween night arrived at the Record Plant for a KSAN broadcast Tom Donahue put on the air himself. Most of what would later be released as Talkin' Blues came from this session, making it one of the earliest widely circulated live documents of Bob Marley & The Wailers performing in the United States. The band was still two years from international breakthrough, playing to a small studio audience rather than the stadiums that would follow. It remains one of the most historically significant broadcasts in the entire KSAN Record Plant series.
- Type
- Live Broadcast
- Date Recorded
- October 31, 1973
- Date Broadcast
- October 31, 1973
KSAN 95 FM broadcast. Record Plant Sausalito, 10/31/1973. Tom Donahue series. CENSUS 2026-05-30, enriched 2026-05-31: Recording CONFIRMED. Best source (URL1): Internet Archive full broadcast with Tom Donahue intro. Alt (URL2): Discogs 'Live At The Record Plant 73' vinyl (blocked from sale). PERSONNEL: Bob Marley (vocals/guitar), Peter Tosh (vocals/guitar), Joe Higgs (vocals/percussion, replacing Bunny Livingston who declined to tour), Aston 'Familyman' Barrett (bass), Carlton 'Carly' Barrett (drums), Earl 'Wire' Lindo (keyboards). SETLIST (per Talkin' Blues and Internet Archive): Rasta Man Chant (acoustic, Bob/Peter/Joe with hand drums only) / Burnin' and Lootin' / Kinky Reggae / You Can't Blame the Youth (Tosh lead) / Get Up Stand Up / Stop That Train / Walk the Proud Land / and others from Catch A Fire and Burnin'. OFFICIAL: Majority of 'Talkin' Blues' (Tuff Gong, 1991) drawn from this broadcast. Also Spotify/Qobuz/Deezer remasters, YouTube. Rights: Tuff Gong / Marley estate. PROVENANCE: A pre-FM soundboard transfer is said to circulate among collectors, distinct from the Talkin' Blues remastered audio. The broadcast opens with an acoustic Rasta Man Chant, Bob, Peter, and Joe with only hand drums, before the full band launches. Donahue introduced the set. Recording Type: FM Broadcast / Soundboard. Quality: Lossless available. Audio: Yes. Setlist: Yes. Confidence: High. ARTICLE: see Articles table (rich-page candidate, Priority 1 flagship).
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