El Mocambo, Toronto; 40 years ago

Pretty self-explanatory
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GCM
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Joined: Sat Dec 16, 2006 12:51 pm

El Mocambo, Toronto; 40 years ago

Post by GCM »

A personal recollection, if you'll indulge me...

I find it hard to believe that the concert at the El Mocambo club in Toronto was 40 years ago. In the UK, we were starved of live Elvis material until then, with only the odd B side and a couple of tracks on the "Live Stiffs" album available.
The concert took place on 6th March, a month before I was able to see Elvis for the first time at the tinnitus inducing Satellite City, a small club above the legndary Apollo Theatre at the top of Renfield Street in Glasgow.
My first knowledge of the Toronto show came via John Peel, who played a few tracks each night. I saved them onto cassette and was enthralled at how brilliant the concert had been and also by the sheer power of the Attractions. At the time, I was friendly with an avid bootleg collecter and he obtained the full 60 minute radio broadcast that included a few tracks by Nick Lowe at the end. The quality of that was terrific, better than my John Peel tape and also better than the ropey vinyl version I got from a small record shop in Glasgow.
I've listened to the show many times since, with the idiotic "yeehah!" shouts somehow adding to the whole thing. It's a great snapshot of a magnificent band in the early days and if you don't have it, you ought to!
sulky lad
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Re: El Mocambo, Toronto; 40 years ago

Post by sulky lad »

A perfect summation - thanks GCM.
I'm sure there have been lots of posts about this legendary concert including people who were or who claimed to be the YeeHaw man and it remains legendary to those of us who love the early EC material especially. It remains one of my favourite recordings of EC (and I've got a few !! :roll: ) and the sheer virtuosity and pace of The Attractions throughout still gives me goosebumps when I play it - which I will do tonight to celebrate the second night - which was allegedly also recorded but never released - C'mon Elvis, it ain't doing any good in the vaults, is it ?... and while you're at it, how about the complete Aberdeen show in 1981, the RAH with the London Philharmonic, the second Palomino Club from 1979 ................
jardine
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Re: El Mocambo, Toronto; 40 years ago

Post by jardine »

I lived in Toronto at the time and that concert was broadcast on FM radio -- i think CHUM-FM??? I taped it on cassette at the time...
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