Grab a Stack of Rock / LeBrain Train

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Women In Uniform 2014 remix 7″ single

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Women In Uniform 2014 remix 7″ single

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

Thanks to viewer Ian Cocks for alerting us to another single we needed to review for a bonus episode!  In the early 2000s, Iron Maiden reissued some classic singles with brand new B-sides.  What we did not know when we recorded that episode, is that Iron Maiden dropped another reissue single in 2014…with technically a new A-side!  Or, at least a revised A-side.  “Women In Uniform” had a remix which was released physically in 2014 as a limited edition vinyl 7″ single.  The new mix is immediately obvious, which is why Ian contacted us to ask about it.  He forwarded a link to a YouTube video, but was this remix available physically?

Dutifully, Mike ordered an expensive single on Discogs (12 years too late to avoid the “late tax”), while Harrison saved his money and waited for the verdict.  When Mike confirmed the remix was on the 2014 single, we recorded this bonus episode.  With ample visuals, join us for this special instalment, and learn everything we know about this unusual single (with a fair share of conjecture)!  Maiden diehards will want this added to their collections immediately!

Wednesday April 29 at 12:00 Noon EST, 1:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

The Contrarians: M.E.A.T Magazine: A Retrospective

Thank you again to Marco D’Auria for inviting me for this special episode of the Contrarians!  Together we go back in time and honour M.E.A.T Magazine, Drew Masters, and all the great bands of the era like Slam Glory, Russian Blue, Slash Puppet and Blackglama!

 

All my Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Nicknamed Album Covers
  2. Minimalist cover art
  3. Brown album covers
  4. Yellow album covers
  5. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  6. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  7. This Album Cover is Hell!
  8. Toys & Games
  9. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  10. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  11. They Swapped Covers!
  12. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  13. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  14. It’s A Piece of Art!
  15. Compilation Kaos!
  16. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!
  17. Amped Up!
  18. Packaging Fails
  19. Where’s the Band?
  20. Slippery When Wet
  21. Greetings From New York
  22. Done With Mirrors
  23. Eyes Without A Face
  24. Rock Out With Your Clock Out!
  25. Album Covers You Can Hear
  26. Album Covers You Can Smell
  27. Huh?!? Album Covers that Send the Wrong Message
  28. Top 5 Wild Encounters at the Record Store

🅻🅸🆅🅴: Top Five Artists Who Do NOT Rock! With Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation

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

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 144: Top Five Artists Who Do NOT Rock! With Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation

Peter Kerr is back!  The Rock Daydream Nation host has been tearing up YouTube with mega interviews!  John Corabi, Sebastian Bach, Reb Beach, and many more…but tonight he sits with Mike and Harrison about a decidedly different topic.  Tonight, Peter discusses his Top Five Artists who do NOT rock!

We at Grab A Stack of Rock have diverse tastes from myriad genres.  On tonight’s show, allow us to open your minds to the worlds of Pop, Disco, Jazz, Classical, Country and beyond.  We will pick five each.  Will there be overlap?  What genres won’t we see tonight?  Will Harrison demonstrate Polka dancing?  We just don’t know!

For fans of physical media, tonight we’ll see releases on all four major formats:  CD, cassette, LP and the mighty 8-Track cartridge.  Don’t miss this live event.  We love to interact in the comments, so join us at 7:00 PM EST!

 

 

Click here for the link to the live show

This will be the first COTTAGE SHOW of the 2026 season!

Friday April 24 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

John the MusicNut: Latter Day Albums: The Live Cut: Rainbow – Boston 1981 with Mike Ladano and Harrison Kopp

For only the second time in history, Harrison Kopp and Mike Ladano appear together on another show!  With Rock Daydream Nation being the first to record the pair, John the Music Nut is second to know a good team when he sees one!  In the past, Harrison and Mike have only appeared separately on other programs, such as Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, bicyclelegs and of course Rock Daydream Nation.  It pleases me greatly to finally join Harrison on another show.

The Music Nut asked Harrison and I what albums we’d be interested in covering on his series, The Live Cut?  Without much deliberation, we settled upon Boston 1981, an archival live album by Rainbow.   Featuring a personal favourite lineup, it’s Ritchie Blackmore with Joe Lynn Turner, Don Airey, Bobby Rondinelli and Roger Glover.  The Difficult To Cure tour featured a number of new songs, along with a smattering of songs from the Dio and Graham Bonnet eras, with one Deep Purple cover.  We compare the album to other Rainbow live offers, and dissect the performances by each member of the band.

This is an album that, like many, I purchased, listened to, and filed away.  It was a pleasure to dig it up and listen to it intently for a few days.

My show notes are at bottom, but please watch this awesome episode on the Music Nut Channel!

 

 

 

Spotlight Kid – Straightforward version, Joe in peak voice.  Don Airey really shows why he was the guy to replace Lord in Purple, with his organ work off the top.

Love’s No Friend –  Striking version.  First Graham track and Joe handles it just fine (if not better).  Loads of solos and Airey organ.  Joe’s vocal is very bluesy and expressive.  Roger on backing vocals?  TOP Blackmore blues solo.

I Surrender – “Harpichord” intro but a straightforward version.  Blacker’s solo is slow, low and fun.

Man On the Silver Mountain – first foray into Dio – nice Don Airey organ screech at the start.  I hate when Joe sings “take my spirits hiiiiiiigh!” but it is toned down a bit on this version.  Very short version.

Catch the Rainbow – 14 minutes.  I like Joe’s vocal take on this classic.  Don also sounds very regal. Slows down for long solo section around 6 minutes.  Blackmore plays with band for a bit and then a true solo begins unaccompanied.  Goes into Greensleeves.  Band comes crashing back in for more instrumental brilliance.  Lots of pick scrapes, awesome licks, drum fills.   Joe has a long vocal workout (“Let it shine!”) at the end.

Can’t Happen Here – Another short fire cracker, a welcome break.

Lost In Hollywood – Starts with a cool Airey solo and then Blackmore brings the riff, faster and heavier than album.  The noise solo at the end is always interesting to me in a noise-art way.

Difficult to Cure – The usual.  6:45 version.  Does all the things you expect it to do.  Long Bobby Rondinelli drum solo, nothing special.

Long Live Rock N’ Roll – Feels more melodic than the older versions.  Joe really stretches out.  Lots of jamming and instrumental work.

Smoke on the Water – Includes Lazy, Woman From Tokyo.

🅻🅸🆅🅴: Lenticular Cover Art collections with bicyclelegs talks music

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

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 143: Lenticular Cover Art collections with bicyclelegs talks music

When a new release is announced with a “lenticular” cover edition, do you always jump at the chance?  Harrison does.  Harrison loves those “three-dimensional”, moving images in his music collection.  So does Mike, and bicycelegs!  Together we will show you just about everything we have in our music collections with lenticular cover art.

Lenticular art is nothing new.  For centuries before its invention, humans have been trying to create moving images.  Lenticular art involves taking two or more images, interlacing them, and presenting them behind a piece of glass or plastic with ridged lines throughout.  The result is a moving, three-dimensional image.

Tonight we’ll look at some items that you’re familiar with, and many that you are not.  From newer releases to old classics from the 1990s, we have a variety to show.  Please join us tonight for this fun and educational episode!  We will be live, and we love interacting in the comments.

 

Click here for the link to the live show

Friday April 17 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

John the MusicNut: Latter Day Albums: Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade with Mike Ladano

A reunion was in order!  After our very fun Live Cut episode with Robert Lawson on Steve Earle’s Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator, I hooked up with John the Music Nut once again to dig into some cool country.  The topic this time is Steve Earle’s Washington Square Serenade, a different album for him that took many by surprise.  After a move to New York city, and falling in love with singer Allison Moorer, Steve shifted gears.  Working with John King of the Dust Brothers, Earle incorporated loops and electronic elements into his music for the first time.  The results were nothing short of astounding.  “Purists” may balk at the idea, but what Earle recorded here is a very special album.

Please join John and I for an in-depth episode on this album and its contents.  In his words:

 

On the latest episode of the Latter Day Albums series, our friend Mike Ladano from @GrabAStackofRocK returns to the channel as we discuss Steve Earle’s 12th album entitled Washington Square Serenade. Released on September 25, 2007, this would be the first of several releases on New West Records and would win the Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana album in 2008. What do you think of Steve Earle’s music as well as this album? Please let us know in the comments!

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 32: En Vivo!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 32:  En Vivo!

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode – 15th Anniversary of the Santiago Chile concert!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #142

Another Maiden live album?  Another 50 Years of Iron Maiden live episode.  Hitting the skies in a brand new Ed Force One jet, our heavy metal heroes embarked upon “the road” once again.  With the new space and science fiction-themed Final Frontier album providing new Eddies and new songs, the Maiden live show evolved once again.  With six new songs (including intro “Satellite 15”) and an alien hybrid Eddie, Iron Maiden roared into Santiago, Chile intending to record a live DVD and Blu-ray.  Recorded on this day, 15 years ago,  April 10 2011, history was made and documented.  The album was released almost a year later, on March 26 2012.

Join Mike and Harrison live, as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the En Vivo! concert.  Another double live CD and DVD or Blu-ray set, we will take you through the entire track list song by song.  The visual aspects of the show will be accounted for, and the unique split-screen editing will be assessed.  The bonus DVD includes a music video (and a short behind the scenes clip) and a 90 minute documentary called “Behind the Beast”.  We will take you through each in our usual detailed manner.

Is this just another Maiden live album?  What tracks stand out?  How does it compare to other live albums?  We’ll assess the whole thing and let you know.

Please join us live if you can.  We love interacting in the comments, and these live albums give us an excuse to do these Maiden episodes as live ones.  You make it worth it!

Friday April 10 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴: Feel Good Friday Afternoon! 1:00 PM EST – Top Five Albums that Make Us Feel Good! With Dan @OffTheCharts

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

Special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode at a Special Time – Good Friday Afternoon! 1:00 PM EST 

Episode 141: Top Five Albums that Make Us Feel Good! With Dan @OffTheCharts

We’re back!  It’s the Fourth Annual Good Friday Afternoon show on Grab a Stack of Rock!   We have done this every year since 2023, and this one is a special one for us!  It is a little different from past Good Friday episodes.  This time it’s less a hangout, and more a list show with lots of physical music!

Episode 141 trailer – Top Five Albums that Make Us Feel Good

We decided to bring the sunshine by talking about music that makes us feel good.  Top Five Albums.  Some of the greatest music we’ve ever heard in our lives.  We’ll also be playing a song from each our lists:  music videos of great songs that make us feel great!

Special guest Dan Chartrand will be joining to discuss our Top Five lists.  As always you can count on physical product on all three major physical formats:  Cassette, CD and LP.  These formats are the tangible versions of the music that brought smiles to our faces so many times over the years.   We’re talking music that goes back with us for decades in some cases.  Other music is newer.  What you will get from us this afternoon is going to be pure love for the albums that always bring us joy.

This is a show about physical music!  We will also be doing a MASSIVE, $550 unboxing – stay tuned!

Please join us 🅻🅸🆅🅴 for this annual tradition.  There will be music, videos, and surprises in store!


Friday April 3 at  1:00 PM EST, 2:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: From Fear To Eternity – The Best Of 1990-2010

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: From Fear To Eternity – The Best Of 1990-2010

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

Iron Maiden have certainly done many compilations since the reunion era began.  Last time we looked at Somewhere Back In Time, which covered the 1980s.  Leaving no loose ends, the followup album From Fear To Eternity covers 1990 to 2000.  It is Maiden’s sixth compilation album, and fourth 2 CD set of that kind.  It follows a blueprint set by Somewhere Back In Time, but with some notable inclusions and exclusions.

The cover art on this album is given a special inspection in this episode, as Mike and Harrison point out every Easter egg and reference to prior albums.  We also take a good look at the inside cover, a nice piece of art in itself.  This episode is a feast for the eyes!

Not quite long enough to make into an officially numbered episode, but informative and interesting nonetheless, From Fear To Eternity is a good solid look at an era of Maiden that snobs often ignore:  the underrated 1990s, the glory of the reunion era, and some of the best epic long-bombers of Maiden’s career.  Don’t believe us?  Join tonight for the fun.  It’s all for the love of Maiden.  Up the Irons!

 

Friday March 27 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Hot Metal

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: ‘Hot Metal’

Featuring Tim Durling from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

 

This special bonus episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden would not be possible without the efforts of Tim Durling of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, who years ago informed us of a long-forgotten Iron Maiden cassette release from 1986.  On TVC episode 351 (“Rare CDs”), during a portion where I was showing of my Iron Maiden First Ten Years box set, Tim told us of a cassette release exclusive to the A&A Records and Tapes chain in Canada.  Mike has a long history with A&A, being something of a home base for him during his highschool years.  Tim acquired and sent Mike the cassette of this odd release:  Iron Maiden – Hot Metal, an A&A three track “sampler” exclusive, on Capitol Records.

In this episode we take a good look at this release, which featured a nice three-page foldout with lots to look at.  The tape is clearly geared to new fans who are still buying Iron Maiden catalogue releases, as you’ll see when we dive deep into the innards of the tape.  Priced at just 99 cents, the cassette is essentially a “cassingle” of the “Wasted Years” 12″, but with a twist.  Join Mike and Harrison for a mini-episode suited to this mini-cassette!

Join us for some memories of A&A Records and Tapes (and Compact Discs!), and a close look at a really nice cassette release with quality music and content inside.  Special thanks to Tim’s Vinyl Confessions for providing the video content from his episode providing background on the tape, and actually sending us a copy!

This special episode will run at a special time, see below and hope to see you in the comments.

 

Wednesday March 25 at  7:00 AM EST, 8:00 AM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist: