Rolling Stones: Live at the El Mocambo 1977 (2CD)

A legendary event in the Rolling Stones' incredible 60-year history is released in full for the first time. "Live At The El Mocambo" marks the first official release of the group's two famous secret concerts at the 300-capacity Toronto club in March 1977. It features the Stones' complete March 5 set plus three bonus tracks from March 4, remixed by Bob Clearmountain. Only four of the performances found their way onto the "Love You Live" album that followed in September 1977, which featured mostly recordings from the 1975 and 1976 tours, while the complete set had never been heard before. By the time the Stones took the stage at "El Mo," a staple of Toronto's music scene since the 1940s, punk and disco were in full swing. They were probably ready to say goodbye to a band that had already been at the top of their game for 15 years. On two nights, in an intimate setting in one of their favorite cities, they were going to make that prediction look foolish indeed. The performances became a reality after El Mocambo was identified as a potential venue for a secret booking. A radio contest gave away tickets to Canadian rock heroes April Wine, who were backed by an unknown band called The Cockroaches. Guess who that was supposed to be...? On the nights, of course, April Wine were the opening act themselves, and so it was that the Stones rolled back the years to the exciting club incarnation of their early years. Against all odds, the band produced two evenings of exhilarating music that Toronto and Rolling Stones legends still talk about today. It was a set list for all seasons, from Muddy Waters' 'Mannish Boy' and Bo Diddley's 'Crackin' Up' to classics like 'Let's Spend The Night Together' and 'Tumbling Dice' and back to the blues with Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues" and Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster." There was the live debut of 'Worried About You', which wasn't heard in studio form until 1981's 'Tattoo You', and other highlights from 'Honky Tonk Woman' to 'Hot Stuff'. Forty-five years later, this is a trip back to the intensity of the Crawdaddy Club in the Stones' earliest days, as relived by the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band.