Grab a Stack of Rock / LeBrain Train

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #111

Iron Maiden’s first official compilation album came at an interesting time.  Many bands release such albums after a massive success, to keep capitalizing upon it and keep the artist on the charts.  In Maiden’s career, the first compilation came during the dark times of the 1990s, when sales were lower and tickets were not flying out the door.  Welcome to Best of the Beast, available in several configurations.  There was a single CD (which we ignore for the purposes of this episode), a beefed up double CD, and a Holy Grail 4 LP set with exclusive extra tracks.

Taking a roughly reverse-chronological approach, Best of the Best contained a new single called “Virus”, unreleased live tracks, and the Soundhouse Tapes reissued.  Harrison and I cover every single track, what might have been missing, and all the B-sides to the “Virus” single.  We also take a deep dive into the artwork for the album, single, and postcards included.  The album itself was a deluxe package with plenty of Eddies to enjoy.

Have you decided that you don’t need Best of the Beast because it is “merely” a compilation?  Harrison and I will convince you otherwise, tonight on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Friday August 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 687: Night Ranger Deep Dive #12 (High Road)

Please join Tim Durling and myself for this deep dive into Night Ranger’s fabulous 2014 album, High Road.  This is a really special CD to me, with some great tracks including the title song, “I’m Coming Home” and “Don’t Live Here Anymore.  Jack Blade, Brad Gillis, Kelly Keagy, Joel Hoekstra and Eric Levy really made a special album with this, and a pinnacle of the reunion era if you asked me.

Tim is doing this series of deep dives to celebrate his new book, Sing Me Away: The Night Ranger Album Review.  You can get it on your local Amazon and check out an analysis of every Night Ranger album from a panel of experts.  Including me!

Check out this episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, which will premiere later today.

Ozzy’s Impact: Peter Kerr, Ashley Geisler, and Jake discuss Osbourne’s Albums

For the love of the Ozzman, friends gathered together to mourn and celebrate the unique talents and charms of one John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne.

Peter Kerr stated, if you walked up to an average person and asked them to name one icon of heavy metal, they’re likely to answer “Ozzy Osbourne”.  As a founding member of Black Sabbath, whose 1970 debut is generally credited for creating “heavy metal”, Ozzy was on the ground floor as the voice and face of the founding fathers.  Ozzy deserves far more credit than we could shower on him in just 80 minutes.

Joining me was Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation, his fellow countryman Ash Geisler, and Jake (Not From State Farm) in his live debut on Grab A Stack of Rock.  Each of us brought parts of our collections and stories of the ways in which Ozzy impacted our lives.  We also had a special video clip from Uncle Meat, on Ozzy’s effect on his life trajectory.

Each of us had some stacks of Ozzy rock to show.  Ash had some cool radio broadcast stuff and some interesting early CD pressings of Sabbath classics, not to mention a rare early Sabbath single in a picture sleeve.  Peter and Jake brought their Diary/Blizzard box sets, and some favourite records.  Mike provided Japanese imports, box sets, bonus tracks, and stories of discovery.

Peter came to us with some perspective from Bob Daisley, who he interviewed on Rock Daydream Nation.  Ozzy’s vocal prowess in the early days was emphasized, and we also addressed that final concert that everyone is still talking about.

We ended the show with Uncle Meat’s performance of “Fairies Wear Boots”, with his old band Heavy Cutting.

On a sad note, we also paid tribute to a cast member of the Grab A Stack Gang that we lost this week.  Yes, we didn’t just lose Ozzy, Hulk Hogan, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Chuck Mangione.  We also lost the beloved, fan favourite Gimley the Cat.  I said a few words for Gimley, who was always by Rob Daniels’ side on his every appearance.  I am sorry for your loss Rob.

Thank you for joining us on this very special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.  Next week:  back to 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Memories of Ozz

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

With special guests Peter Kerr, Ash Geisler and Jake NFSF

Episode 110: Memories of Ozz

We had no plan for this.  Tonight’s episode was supposed to be a regular, old-fashioned Grab A Stack of Rock, where we grab a bunch of albums and talk about them at random.  Unfortunately the Metal gods had another plan, and they called upon Ozzy Osbourne to join them in Rock Heaven.  And so our plans were upturned.

Peter Kerr and Ash Geisler remain on the guestlist to talk about Ozzy Osbourne.  Favourite memories, favourite albums, favourite songs.  Things that mean something to us.  Ways in which Ozzy touched our lives.  Peter has interviewed Bob Daisley and John Sinclair, and has that perspective to add.  Unfortunately Harrison Kopp the Mad Metal Man felt unqualified to join, so in his stead will be Jake (Not From State Farm) for a special appearance.

I will never forget my Grandma buying me an Ozzy tape as a gift.  I don’t think she picked it herself, given the cover art.  I will always smile when I think of road tripping with my friend Peter, to the sound of the early Black Sabbath stuff.  Specifically, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” from the recently acquired Ozzy Osbourne Years box set.  Or, my dad discovering Ozzy in the 2000s when he made his mainstream TV debut.

Jake, Ash and Peter will bring their own stories to the fore.  Join us tonight as we salute the original Madman of Metal, on Grab A Stack of Rock.

Friday July 25 at 7:00 PM EST, 8 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: The Coolest Iron Maiden Cassette You’ve Ever Seen!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode:
Fear of the Cassette?  The Coolest Iron Maiden Cassette You’ve Ever Seen!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

Lamentably, sometimes we acquire an Iron Maiden goodie well after the episode for that album airs.  In this case, the aforementioned goodie was acquired because of a specific episode.

In episode 15, Fear of the Dark, I showed Harrison an image of the 1992 Canadian cassette edition, which to our eyes, featured a superior front cover design.  Wanting one for himself, Harrison went shopping on Discogs for cassettes.

What he got wasn’t just Fear of the Dark.  He got more.  Alot more.  But enough of our yackin’!  Go check out the episode, which is live now on YouTube as an Iron Maiden bonus this week.

 

Enjoy on YouTube.

 

Handy YouTube Playlist:

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 18: The X Factor with Jake (Not From State Farm)

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 18: The X Factor

With special guest Jake (Not From State Farm)

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #109

For weeks we have been building to this moment.  The Fear of the Dark era ends, and a new singer is required.  After considering Doogie White, who went on to success with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Iron Maiden chose Wolfbane’s Blaze Bayley as their new lead singer.  While Blaze had a connection opening for Maiden, his selection was a surprise to some.  A power baritone, Blaze was not an operatic singer like Bruce Dickinson.  Nor was he a complex punky shouter like Paul Di’Anno.  What would the new Iron Maiden sound like?  We tackle that subject and much more on tonight’s epic episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

For the first time since No Prayer for the Dying back in the beginning of June, Harrison and I are joined by a special guest to dissect this album.  You may know Jake (Not From State Farm) from his appearance with me on John Clauser’s Music Corner.  Jake asked for these episodes (the pair of Blaze studio albums) because of his deep love for this era.  Both Jake and Harrison come at this album from the perspective of having a special connection with the music of Blaze.  Mike on the other hand is more simply an Iron Maiden fan, and provides a sense of balance.  We hope.

This is the longest episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden to date!  Why?  Because we have so much to discuss:

  • 14 original studio songs including three Japanese bonus tracks (B-sides elsewhere)
  • Two cover songs (B-sides:  The Who and UFO)
  • The cover art by Hugh Syme (two versions)
  • A deep analysis of the lyrical themes
  • Our personal stories and connections with The X Factor
  • Facts and trivia
  • The tour and setlist
  • The Blaze Bayley interview tracks (B-sides) of which we have five segments to play for you

As usual you can expect us to be comprehensive, and we do not disappoint in this episode.

We hope you can make the premiere tonight where I always try to interact in the comment section!  Up the irons, and into the unknown!

 

Friday July 18 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

* I wanna shoot myself for saying the “STATE” of Quebec instead of “PROVINCE” in this episode. UGH. What a mis-speak. So embarassing!

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #108

Scream for me, YouTube! For the “Final” time, Bruce Dickinson takes the stage with Iron Maiden, at Pinewood Studios in the UK.  It was a big pay-per-view worldwide TV broadcast.  Recorded 28 Aug 1993, the Air Raid Siren bid farewell after 11 years in Iron Maiden.

Released on VHS on 5 September 1994, the Raising Hell show is controversial for one main reason:  Simon Drake.  A “horror magician” that was invited not to open the show, but to perform alongside and during the show, Drake’s “magic” was a unique addition to Iron Maiden.  Drake had his own segments on a side stage, but also interacted with the band on “From Here to Eternity” and other segments.

Even watching the show without Drake’s segments, it’s an odd one for Iron Maiden.  A smaller stage inside a studio is an unusual place to see an Iron Maiden concert.  Still, history unfolded that night, and Harrison and I are here to tell you all about it.  And show you, too:  we will run a selection of the Simon Drake bits for you to…enjoy?

Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden ends the reign of Bruce, as we soon embark on the era of Blaze.  Tune in tonight and join the comments!

 

Friday July 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Music & Mental Health: The Return of Jex Russell THIS MORNING on Grab A Stack of Rock

SPECIAL TIME!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 107: Ask Jex Anything! Music and Mental Health

Music and mental health:  what’s the connection?  Quite a lot actually!  But let’s get right to the point.  This episode is “Ask Jex Anything”.  You may have noticed that my Friendly Frenchman Co-host has not been on the show as much as he was during the 2023 summer season.  Jex is happy to be back, at least for now, and to talk about what he’s been up to in the meantime.  Jex will be taking all questions live!

We will also be discussing mental health and music.  Music is essential to the mental health of guys like Jex and I, and we are happy to open up. For the first time, I will discuss a chapter of my story that I have never talked about publicly.  We hope to reduce stigma and to encourage healthy ways of dealing with life…like listening to music.

Because this is Grab A Stack of Rock, we have some music to show.  I have chosen some special albums from my collection to discuss, along two themes:  songs about battles with mental health, and artists with their own battles to fight.

Don’t miss this special live episode.  Ask Jex anything…ANYTHING!  See you this morning in the comments!

Saturday July 5 at 8:00 AM EST, 9 AM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #106

Scream for me, YouTube!  Harrison and Mike will be live Friday evening, July 4, for our next episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  This period is a busy one in Maiden history.  The 1992 Fear on the Road tour resulted in a live album, 1993’s A Real Live One, which contained no overlap with previous live album Live After Death (ignoring Maiden England for this comparison).  The point was value, but was that a good idea?  The intention was always to follow it with A Real Dead One, but Bruce’s announcement that he was leaving Iron Maiden in 1993 put the dampers over the whole affair.  After Bruce had played his final show and was diving into making his solo album Balls to Picasso, Iron Maiden released a double live Live at Donington to commemorate the significant 1992 live gig with Bruce in the band.

There was also a VHS release of Bruce’s final show called Raising Hell, but we will tackle that subject in the next live episode.  For this week, we are covering 4 CDs of live Maiden, plus all the B-sides.  That means you’re getting A Real Live One, A Real Dead One, Live At Donington, plus the live singles for “Fear of the Dark” and “Hallowed Be That Name”.  Every song – that is how we do it here on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Artwork is an interesting subject to tackle when it comes to these albums.  Derek Riggs was back after a one-album absence, to provide artwork on A Real Live One and A Real Dead One.  Donington was issued with a simple white “bootleg” cover, the Maiden logo stamped in black, and no booklet.  Some consider this release to be an early form of an “official bootleg” release.   All these albums were reissued in 1998 with some changes.  A Real Live One and A Real Dead One were combined into one, and Donington was given actual cover art this time by Marillion artist Mark Wilkinson, featuring a demonic bat-Eddie 1992 concert goers would recognise from the show.  Mark will reappear in this series down the line….

Harrison and Mike will attempt to digest all of this live Maiden tonight, live.  Join us in the comments!

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

TWO SHOW WEEKEND! 50 Years of Iron Maiden, and the return of Jex Russell on Grab A Stack of Rock 🅻🅸🆅🅴 !

I am pleased to announce that Jex Russell is returning to the Grab A Stack of Rock live arena this Saturday morning.  In addition to that, Harrison Kopp and Mike will still be doing Episode 16 of 50 Years of Iron Maiden on Friday night, at our usual time.  Here are the details.

Friday July 4 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.: Grab A Stack of Rock Episode 106
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One
Mike and Harrison will tackle FOUR CDs of live Iron Maiden…live!

Saturday July 5 at 8:00 A.M. E.S.T.: Grab A Stack of Rock Episode 107
Ask Jex Anything! Music and Mental Health
Jex Russell returns to Grab A Stack of Rock for his first full live episode since fall 2024. Jex has had a lot of “Where have you been?” questions and he is eager to answer. We’ll be talking about music, mental health, and the importance of taking little moments for yourself. Mike will talk about his own journey with a chapter of his tale that he has never told before.

Don’t miss these two crucial live episodes of Grab A Stack of Rock!

Find us on YouTube!