Who are The Cockroaches and What Have They Done With The Stones?
It all started back in Canada. The Rolling Stones were trying to tack a 4th disc onto a double album set. The record label had asked the lads for a 2 disc release (4 sides), and the guys only had enough decent material for 3. So, they slipped into Toronto and booked 2 shows at the El Mocambo club. The idea was, let’s get The Rolling Stones onstage in a tiny, gritty, sweaty club for an evening. We’ll roll tape, and hope like hell we get the stuff we need for that 4th side! Of course, what happened was VERY different. What’s the old saying? “Nothing makes the Great Spirit laugh harder than Man when he makes plans“? Something like that. Keith wound up getting busted…BIG time. He was arrested (along with his longtime girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg) and it nearly brought about the end of The Rolling Stones! But that’s another story.
After posting bail, the band played the shows at El Mocambo on March 4th and 5th, 1977. The marquee outside the club read “Tonight Only: The Cockroaches”. The winners of a local radio contest were teased with the notion of winning tickets to see “April Wine with Special Guests, The Cockroaches” or something like that. The resulting Stones album was called “Love You Live”. It’s one of their better live records. And, years later, in 2022, the FULL “El Mocambo” recordings were released, along with the “Tonight Only, The Cockroaches” fake/band gig shirts. The fans who didn’t really know about the original show were in a tailspin. And now? Mick, Keith, Ronnie and the gang have decided to resurrect that old alias to tease their latest album. Word on the street is, the NEW record will be titled “Foreign Tongues” and should hit shelves any minute now. Summer 2026, I’ll bet.