Forty-five years ago in 1977, the Rolling Stones already had several No. 1 albums to their name — so when the band, masquerading as the Cockroaches, graced Toronto's then-300-person-capacity El Mocambo for a sort-of secret show opening for Canadian rock heroes April Wine, the set instantaneously hit legendary status.
All these years later, as the Stones gear up to celebrate their 60th anniversary, the full ElMo live set is being treated to its first official release, Live at the El Mocambo. It's due to arrive on May 13 through Universal Music.
Only four tracks from the performance — "Mannish Boy," "Crackin' Up," "Little Red Rooster" and "Around and Around" — have been captured for any official release so far (namely, 1977's Love You Live), making the full scope of Live at the El Mocambo the first of its kind.
The album — mixed by Bob Clearmountai — will be released on double-CD and 4-LP black and neon vinyl formats, as well as digitally. Comprising the Stones' full set from March 5, 1977, the release will also contain three bonus tracks recorded the previous night (March 4, 1977) at the ElMo.
In the liner notes compiled by Paul Sexton, booker Dave Bluestein remembers how they managed to sneak the boy band into the show without spoiling the surprise:
We had natural cover, because if anything got out, we could say, "No, look, April Wine is playing. That's the gig. It says so right here." Another band was added to the April Wine shows called the Cockroaches, which was the Stones' alias. On the day of the first show, the band rehearsed upstairs and soundchecked for the live recording.
A pair of those final recordings — "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" and "Rip This Joint" — are out now, and can be heard below. The rest of the tracklisting can be seen below that. The record is now available for pre-order here.
The Stones aren't the only fans of Toronto's humble ElMo; back in 2020, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl wore an El Mocambo T-shirt to vote in the US election.
Grohl's stunt followed the much-hyped refurbishing of the historic venue by new owner (and former Dragon's Den dragon) Michael Wekerle. The venue, which is now split into two separate stages, was originally scheduled to reopen after years of being shuttered just weeks before the pandemic began to wreak havoc back in March 2020.
At the time, Wekerle said he had "had conversations" with the Stones, as well as Pearl Jam, Billy Idol, the Who and more, about performing at the ElMo after its reopening. That obviously did not come to pass, but who knows what the future holds for "the Cockroaches."
Live at the El Mocambo:
1. Honky Tonk Woman (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
2. All Down the Line (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
3. Hand of Fate (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
4. Route 66 (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
5. Fool to Cry (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
6. Crazy Mama (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
7. Mannish Boy (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
8. Crackin' Up (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
9. Dance Little Sister(Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
10. Around and Around (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
11. Tumbling Dice (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
12. Hot Stuff (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
13. Star Star (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
14. Let's Spend the Night Together (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
15. Worried Life Blues (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
16. Little Red Rooster (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
17. It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It) (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
18. Rip This Joint (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
19. Brown Sugar (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
20. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
21. Melody (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
22. Luxury (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
23. Worried About You (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
All these years later, as the Stones gear up to celebrate their 60th anniversary, the full ElMo live set is being treated to its first official release, Live at the El Mocambo. It's due to arrive on May 13 through Universal Music.
Only four tracks from the performance — "Mannish Boy," "Crackin' Up," "Little Red Rooster" and "Around and Around" — have been captured for any official release so far (namely, 1977's Love You Live), making the full scope of Live at the El Mocambo the first of its kind.
The album — mixed by Bob Clearmountai — will be released on double-CD and 4-LP black and neon vinyl formats, as well as digitally. Comprising the Stones' full set from March 5, 1977, the release will also contain three bonus tracks recorded the previous night (March 4, 1977) at the ElMo.
In the liner notes compiled by Paul Sexton, booker Dave Bluestein remembers how they managed to sneak the boy band into the show without spoiling the surprise:
We had natural cover, because if anything got out, we could say, "No, look, April Wine is playing. That's the gig. It says so right here." Another band was added to the April Wine shows called the Cockroaches, which was the Stones' alias. On the day of the first show, the band rehearsed upstairs and soundchecked for the live recording.
A pair of those final recordings — "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" and "Rip This Joint" — are out now, and can be heard below. The rest of the tracklisting can be seen below that. The record is now available for pre-order here.
The Stones aren't the only fans of Toronto's humble ElMo; back in 2020, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl wore an El Mocambo T-shirt to vote in the US election.
Grohl's stunt followed the much-hyped refurbishing of the historic venue by new owner (and former Dragon's Den dragon) Michael Wekerle. The venue, which is now split into two separate stages, was originally scheduled to reopen after years of being shuttered just weeks before the pandemic began to wreak havoc back in March 2020.
At the time, Wekerle said he had "had conversations" with the Stones, as well as Pearl Jam, Billy Idol, the Who and more, about performing at the ElMo after its reopening. That obviously did not come to pass, but who knows what the future holds for "the Cockroaches."
Live at the El Mocambo:
1. Honky Tonk Woman (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
2. All Down the Line (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
3. Hand of Fate (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
4. Route 66 (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
5. Fool to Cry (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
6. Crazy Mama (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
7. Mannish Boy (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
8. Crackin' Up (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
9. Dance Little Sister(Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
10. Around and Around (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
11. Tumbling Dice (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
12. Hot Stuff (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
13. Star Star (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
14. Let's Spend the Night Together (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
15. Worried Life Blues (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
16. Little Red Rooster (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
17. It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It) (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
18. Rip This Joint (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
19. Brown Sugar (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
20. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
21. Melody (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
22. Luxury (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
23. Worried About You (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
