Love You Live

Love You Live is a double live album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1977. The album is drawn from Tour of the Americas shows in the United States in the summer of 1975, Tour of Europe shows in 1976 and performances from the infamous El Mocambo nightclub concert venue in Toronto in 1977. It is the band's third official full-length live release.

History
The album was overdubbed and mixed from late May to mid-June 1977; it features Billy Preston and Ian Stewart on piano. Love You Live's artwork was prepared by Andy Warhol, and the pencil smears seen across the front were added to Warhol's dismay by Mick Jagger. Released in September 1977, the album was well-received and managed to reach #3 in the UK and #5 in the US, where it went gold.

Love You Live was The Rolling Stones' final album whereby Rolling Stones Records would be internationally distributed by Warner Music. The band's next several albums would be distributed through EMI worldwide, while they remained with Warner in North America only.

Love You Live was the final album where Keith Richard's name would be spelled as such, returning his surname to "Richards" beginning with 1978's Some Girls. Keith Richards had just been busted for the possession of Heroin in Canada, after recording for this album.

The Stones decided to round out the live album by adding a second side of live club recordings performed at the El Mocambo Club in Toronto on March 4 and 5, 1977. The intention was to rip through a set of the sort of classic blues and R&B covers that sealed their reputation back at the Crawdaddy Club in 1963. Yet while the rest of The Rolling Stones arrived in Toronto on the scheduled day, ready to rehearse, Richards was still back in London. Eight days and dozens of angry phone calls and telegrams from his bandmates later, Richards and Pallenberg decided to join the others. Whilst flying to Toronto, Richards shot up in the plane's lavatory, and absent-mindedly chucked his drug paraphernalia into his wife's handbag which was immediately searched by customs upon landing. Though the Mounties and Canada customs officials allowed them to travel on to the hotel, the couple would be in for a surprise a couple of days later. Richards was awoken four days later by Canadian police who had already ransacked his room and found his stash of drugs which were large enough under Canadian law for Richards to face some serious trafficking charges, let alone possession.

Amazingly, considering the circumstances -and Jagger's paranoia that Richards could bring down the heat on all of them- The Rolling Stones consistently blew the roof off the El Mocambo club; the versions of "Mannish Boy" and "Around and Around" on "Love You Live" particularly capturing the raunch of the performances. According to the band itself, the March 4 concert was shaky and troubled, but the March 5 gig was terrific. It must be noted that the versions that appear on album are heavily overdubbed, mostly with layers of new guitars. In the process, the Stones gained a very high profile groupie; none other than Margaret Trudeau, whose marriage to the Prime Minister was on shaky ground. Typically, Jagger decided to try cozy up to Mrs. Trudeau in order to see if she could use some of her influence to help get Richards off the hook. To no avail; ultimately it was Ronnie Wood "Madcap Maggie" really hit it off with; naturally the press caught wind of their affair and created a firestorm Pierre Trudeau had not seen since the FLQ Crisis seven years before. Fortunately for the Canadian government, the Wood/Maggie affair blew over. April Wine opened for the band, and The Rolling Stones appeared secretly under fake band names on the bill so the majority of the fans thought they were attending an April Wine concert. April Wine also recorded their live album Live at the El Mocambo at these same concerts.

The album is dedicated to the memory of audio engineer Keith Harwood "Those whom the gods love grow young". Harwood died in a drug-induced car accident shortly before the album's release.

A couple of minor song title differences occur on Love You Live: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is spelled with a "g" instead of the usual apostrophe (although it is corrected on the CD reissue), while "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" loses its bracketed title.

In 1998, Love You Live was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records.

Track listing
All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, except where noted.

Side one
"Intro: Excerpt from Fanfare for the Common Man" (Aaron Copland) – 1:24
"Honky Tonk Women" – 3:19
"If You Can't Rock Me"/"Get off of My Cloud" – 5:00
"Happy" – 2:55
"Hot Stuff" – 4:35
"Star Star" – 4:10
Side two
"Tumbling Dice" – 4:00
"Fingerprint File" – 5:17
"You Gotta Move" (Fred McDowell/Rev. Gary Davis) – 4:19
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" – 7:42
Side three
"Mannish Boy" (Ellas McDaniel/McKinley Morganfield/Mel London) – 6:28
"Crackin' Up" (Ellas McDaniel) – 5:40
"Little Red Rooster" (Willie Dixon) – 4:39
"Around And Around" (Chuck Berry) – 4:09
Side four
"It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" – 4:31
"Brown Sugar" – 3:11
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 4:03
"Sympathy for the Devil" – 7:51
Recording dates
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"Intro: Excerpt From 'Fanfare for the Common Man'" (Aaron Copland) – 1:24
"Honky Tonk Women" – 3:19
June 5, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"If You Can't Rock Me"/"Get off of My Cloud" – 5:00
May 27, 1976: Earls Court, London
"Happy" – 2:55
June 5, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Hot Stuff" – 4:35
June 6, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Star Star" – 4:10
June 6, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Tumbling Dice" – 4:00
June 7, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Fingerprint File" – 5:17
June 17, 1975: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto
"You Gotta Move" (Fred McDowell/Rev. Gary Davis) – 4:19
June 5, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" – 7:42
June 7, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Mannish Boy" (Ellas McDaniel/McKinley Morganfield/Mel London) – 6:28
March 4 or 5, 1977: El Mocambo Tavern, Toronto
"Crackin' Up" (Ellas McDaniel) – 5:40
March 4 or 5, 1977: El Mocambo Tavern, Toronto
"Little Red Rooster" (Willie Dixon) – 4:39
March 4 or 5, 1977: El Mocambo Tavern, Toronto
"Around And Around" (Chuck Berry) – 4:09
March 4 or 5, 1977: El Mocambo Tavern, Toronto
"It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" – 4:31
June 17, 1975: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto
"Brown Sugar" – 3:11
June 6, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 4:03
June 7, 1976: Les Abattoirs, Paris
"Sympathy for the Devil" – 7:51
July 9, 1975: Inglewood Forum, Los Angeles
Personnel
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger – lead vocals and harmonica
Keith Richards – guitar and backing vocals
Charlie Watts – drums
Ronnie Wood – guitar
Bill Wyman – bass guitar
Additional musicians
Ollie Brown – percussion
Billy Preston – piano, clavinet, and backing vocals
Ian Stewart – piano
Chart positions
Year Chart Position
1977 UK Top 60 Albums 3
1977
1978
Billboard Pop Albums
Billboard Pop Albums
5
106