Grab a Stack of Rock / LeBrain Train

The Contrarians Live: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!

This week I didn’t choose the subject, but I did pick the title!  Martin Popoff liked “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!”, based on the old margarine ads “I can’t believe it’s not butter!”

Yes, this week we are tackling album covers that look designed by Hipgnosis…but are not!  This will be a lot of fun, and I have my ten picks lined up with lots of Canadian content.

My Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Minimalist cover art
  2. Brown album covers
  3. Yellow album covers
  4. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  5. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  6. This Album Cover is Hell!
  7. Toys & Games
  8. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  9. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  10. They Swapped Covers!
  11. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  12. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  13. It’s A Piece of Art!
  14. Compilation Kaos!

Watch live and comment!  Martin always tries to address the comment section.

THE CONTRARIANS – Favourite Compilations – February 19 7:00 PM EST

The Collection: KISS CD Compilations (Episode 45) 2loud2oldmusic

Please join John T. Snow and I on his excellent channel, The Collection!  Snowman and I have always had a friendly competition over KISS.  He was the first to get the Vault (the BIG Vault!), and lately he has been collection KISS compilations on CD.  There are many, as you shall see in this episode.  Even with our collections combined, there are still a couple out there that elude us both.

We went chronologically, starting with the first compilation that you can buy on CD:  Double Platinum!  We then went through the entire collection, including Japanese imports, remasters, promos, oddities, Canadian compilations, and weird stuff that only Snowman could tell you about!

This episode airs tonight at 8:00 PM EST.

Bicyclelegs: Marillion – Favourite Song From Each Album – Pt. 2: 1997 – 2022

As promised, I have returned to Bicyclelegs’ excellent YouTube channel for a second round of Marillion.  Last year, we discussed our favourite songs from each studio album from 1983 to 1995.  Now, we cover the rest:

  • This Strange Engine
  • Radiat10n
  • marillion.com
  • Anoraknophobia
  • Marbles
  • Somewhere Else
  • Happiness is the Road Part 1:  Essence
  • Happiness is the Road Part 2:  The Hard Shoulder
  • Sounds That Can’t Be Made
  • Fuck Everyone and Run
  • An Hour Before It’s Dark

As usual, I changed up some songs at the last minute.  This started as an easy task, but ended with more difficulty as there are albums that just didn’t hit me and others that I haven’t spent enough time with.  But here they are, and here are the songs I liked best.

Welcome to another episode of Favourite Song From Each Album. In this series we look at the catalogue of an artist and pick our favourite song from each studio album chronologically. Today Mike Ladano from Grab A Stack Of Rock joins me to talk Marillion. Last time we picked our favourite songs from the first 8 studio albums (link below). Today we come back to cover the rest of the catalogue (1997 – 2022). Enjoy!

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Grab A Stack of Chat: A Post-Show Chat with Mike and Harrison

Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden was a shorty, so we’re having a LIVE post-show chat…right now (7:30)!  Forget Valentine’s Day!

Let’s catch up on the latest in Maiden and Grab A Stack of Rock!

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 4: Maiden Japan, Live!! + One, Live at the Rainbow

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 4: Maiden Japan, Live!! + One, Live at the Rainbow

 

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #90

Closing out the Di’Anno years, Harrison and I take a deep dive into the live releases that accompanied them.  Live!! + One was an exclusive Japanese EP that featured “Women In Uniform” (covered in Episode 2), and three live tracks, two of which were exclusive (and awesome).  Maiden Japan, of course, was the live EP that you know and love.  Live at the Rainbow was an excellent home video that featured Paul on vocals.  We tackle all this on tonight’s episode.

You will see our copies of these releases (but not Live!! + One since I didn’t buy it the one time I saw it), and hear about them in detail.  This episode is our sendoff to Paul Di’Anno, and we discuss his reasons for leaving.  And in came a young upstart named Bruce Bruce…

This short and energetic episode features just Harrison and myself, but we’ll be back next time with a new special guest, and a new lead singer!

Past episodes:

Friday February 14 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube.

The Contrarians Live: Compilation Kaos!

Dialing back the complexity this week, we were assigned a simple task:  pick 10 favourite “various artists” compilation albums.  I went with a bunch of my favourites that you have seen and heard me talk about many times.  Some, you may not know as well.  I’m looking forward to showing off some of my favourites.  That’s tonight on the Contrarians!

My Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Minimalist cover art
  2. Brown album covers
  3. Yellow album covers
  4. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  5. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  6. This Album Cover is Hell!
  7. Toys & Games
  8. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  9. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  10. They Swapped Covers!
  11. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  12. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  13. It’s A Piece of Art!

Watch live and comment!  Martin always tries to address the comment section.

THE CONTRARIANS – Favourite Compilations – February 12 7:00 PM EST

Three Australians vs. One Canadian! Lots of new rock at Grab A Stack of Rock!

Thank you to Harrison Kopp, Ashley Geisler, and Peter Kerr for joining me last night on a fun episode of Grab A Stack of Rock!

It didn’t start fun; a back injury has kept me in pain for the entire day, but some stronger painkillers kicked in mid-show and you can see the point at which I start feeling better!  What also made me feel good was spending time with three music scholars and gentlemen from the continent of Australia!

There was indeed plenty of Australian content.  I unboxed a CD by Buffalo Crows called Bovonic Empire, featuring Iron Maiden’s Paul Mario Day on lead vocals for three tracks.  We also looked at my new Rose Tattoo debut album, with eight bonus tracks.  Ash showed us some lesser known Australian bands, and Peter educated us on a few that I was unfamiliar with.   Harrison brought some Glenn Hughes, but Peter had some Trapeze without Glenn!  There was some Mel Galley education, and plenty of love for Prince.  We looked at Meat Loaf, Concrete Blonde, Elton John, Christopher Cross, Isaac Hayes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and lots more.

For formats, we saw CDs, vinyl, DVDs, and one sealed 8-track tape!

Oh!  And of course, we finally unsealed my Queen I box set.  What a purple and gold majesty it is!

Speaking of Iron Maiden, we will be back next week with 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  See you then!

The Contrarians Live: It’s A Piece of Art!

This topic comes from the mind of Jamie Laszlo.  Album covers featuring other piece of art!  It’s our first Wednesday live show after a brief two-week break.  Good timing there since I had Covid for the last two weeks, and wouldn’t have been up to do a show anyway.  Tonight I get back in the saddle.

My Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Minimalist cover art
  2. Brown album covers
  3. Yellow album covers
  4. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  5. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  6. This Album Cover is Hell!
  7. Toys & Games
  8. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  9. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  10. They Swapped Covers!
  11. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  12. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers

Watch live and comment!  Martin always tries to address the comment section.

THE CONTRARIANS – It’s a Piece of Art! – Wed. February 5 – 7:00 PM EST

Musical Odds n’ Sods: A Grab A Stack of Rock Collection

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 88: Musical Odds n’ Sods: A Grab A Stack of Rock Collection

We have had our first bump in the road with our 50 Years of Iron Maiden series:  Mike had come down with his second case of Covid.  Fortunately, we have been prepared for occurrences such as this, and we have already pre-recorded an episode to buy us a week if necessary.  This is that week:  Welcome to Musical Odds n’ Sods!

In this episode you will see topics including:

  • Fake KISS Autographs
  • Vertigo Records in Ottawa and Japanese Deep Purple imports
  • Record Store Tales
  • A Day in the Life of a Record Store Guy
  • Tom’s frozen winter beater car
  • Hot Wheels ZZ Top Eliminator car
  • Beat Up in a Mascot Suit
  • Metallica’s Fan Can #4
  • Secret method for unwrapping CDs
  • Record Store Photo Gallery
  • Unboxing 7 Japanese import CDs from Discogs
  • Unboxing Sloan Twice Removed box set
  • Dr. Kathryn Ladano “Evil Kirk” animation attempts
  • Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son MuchMusic interview (1988)
  • Easter eggs

I have to admit, I enjoy watching this episode myself.  There is so much variety here to enjoy.  Join me in the comments tonight!

 

Friday January 31 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube.

Rock Daydream Nation: Show Us Your Favourite Rock Band T-shirts!

Peter Kerr is back with Joe B, John Clauser, Melissa Nee, Tim Durling and myself for a fun topic:  Favourite rock T-shirts!  While most of the panel got their shirts from concerts, mine were a variety of store-bought and mail order!  As I mention on the show, I was always looking for shirts that no-one else at school had.

Lots of show and tell with this show.  Please enjoy!