Grab a Stack of Rock / LeBrain Train

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Johnny Metal has SEEN Burning Ambition!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode:  Johnny Metal has SEEN Burning Ambition!

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode – 3:00 PM afternoon show

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

2026 sees the release of the official Iron Maiden documentary Burning Ambition.  This milestone certainly deserves its own episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Fortunately, Johnny Metal saw the film on May 7.  He came to us with his thoughts, and we’d like to share them with you today.  This afternoon, May 8, we are doing our first Grab A Stack of Rock afternoon cottage show of the season.  Johnny will be joining Mike to share his review of the film.  (Meanwhile, Harrison will slumber in Australia, preparing for a weekend of recording.)

Please join Johnny and Mike, live this afternoon, to talk Burning Ambition!

Friday May 8 at  3:00 PM EST, 4:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 33: The Book of Souls with Reed Little

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 33: The Book of Souls

Special Guest:  Reed Little

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK episode 146

Iron Maiden surprised many in 2015 when they announced that their new album, The Book of Souls, would be a double CD set clocking in at over 92 minutes.  Those who were tiring of long Iron Maiden epics would be faced with five bonafide long-bombers, including the longest Iron Maiden song of all time, “Empire of the Clouds”.  Led by single “Speed of Light”, The Book of Souls would go #1 in Australia, #2 in Canada, and #4 in the US.  That is where our three co-hosts are from for this appropriately long episode.

Joining Mike and Harrison tonight is Reed “Attention to Detail” Little of the Contrarians.  As usual, Reed brings his analytical mind to the table with some interesting notations.  Together we break down all 11 songs, as well as the first (and last) Iron Maiden B-side in several years:  “Maiden Voyage” from the Record Store Day single for “Empire of the Clouds”.  This spoken-word track features Bruce and Nicko, and we’ll let you hear some of it tonight.

This episode is completely unedited.  After covering the 11 songs, the tour, and artwork, we will leave you completely exhausted.  Join us in the comments tonight!

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

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

SHOW RECAP: Top Seven Black Crowes Tracks with Uncle Meat and Alex Winter

By request of Henry Wright, the “fourth member of the band” here at Grab A Stack of Rock, here is a recap of Friday, May 1st’s episode.  It was episode 145:  Top Seven Black Crowes Songs.  For this episode we had three passionate fans:  Mike, Uncle Meat, and new guest Alex Winter.  Alex also brought some great physical product, including vinyl and promotional items.  We also learned about some shadowy corners of the discography (such as iTunes Originals) and a man with a Black Crowes tattoo on his leg.  With plenty of personal connections and agonizing cuts, here are our top Crowes tracks:

ALEX WINTER

7. Profane Prophecy (A Pound of Feathers)
6. I Ain’t Hiding (Before the Frost…Until the Freeze)
5. Blackberry (Three Snakes and One Charm)
4. Go Tell The Congregation (By Your Side)
3. Jealous Again (Shake Your Moneymaker)
2. Remedy (The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion)
1. She Talks To Angels (Shake Your Moneymaker)

UNCLE MEAT

7. Nebekanezer (Three Snakes and One Charm)
6. Midnight From the Inside Out (Lions)
5. Horsehead (By Your Side)
4. Descending (amorica)
3. No Speak No Slave (The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion)
2. Wiser Time (amorica)
1. Thorn In My Pride (The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion)

 

MIKE

7.  You Wear It Well (1972)
6. I Ain’t Hiding (Before the Frost…Until the Freeze)
5. Kicking My Heart Around (By Your Side)
4. Words You Throw Away (Shake Your Moneymaker deluxe)
3. Twice As Hard (Shake Your Moneymaker)
2. The Garden Gate (Before the Frost…Until the Freeze – vinyl version)
1. Descending (amorica)

Grab A Stack of Rock episode 145:  Top Seven Black Crowes Tracks with Uncle Meat and Alex Winter

Show summary:

Please welcome to the show, from the Contrarians and his own channel Tainted Decibels, musical scholar Alex Winter!  Looking for a good theme to get Alex on a list show with Grab A Stack of Rock, Uncle Meat tossed ideas out and we all grabbed on to The Black Crowes as a topic we’d be eager to sink our beaks into.  Formed in Atlanta Georgia in 1984 by the Brothers Robinson, the Crowes have broken up and reunited twice.  They are currently in a “together” phase, and already on the second full-length album of this third era of the Crowes.  With their new album A Pound of Feathers on shelves, the time is right to pay tribute to this ever-changing flock.

We decided on a Top Seven list as a new format.  Better than a Top Five, but still hoping to do it in a timely manner.  Let’s give it a shot.

All Black Crowes songs are on the table, and the table is open for discussion!   

 

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴: Top Seven Black Crowes Tracks with Uncle Meat and Alex Winter

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

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 145:  Top Seven Black Crowes Tracks with Uncle Meat and Alex Winter

Please welcome to the show, from the Contrarians and his own channel Tainted Decibels, musical scholar Alex Winter!  Looking for a good theme to get Alex on a list show with Grab A Stack of Rock, Uncle Meat tossed ideas out and we all grabbed on to The Black Crowes as a topic we’d be eager to sink our beaks into.  Formed in Atlanta Georgia in 1984 by the Brothers Robinson, the Crowes have broken up and reunited twice.  They are currently in a “together” phase, and already on the second full-length album of this third era of the Crowes.  With their new album A Pound of Feathers on shelves, the time is right to pay tribute to this ever-changing flock.

We decided on a Top Seven list as a new format.  Better than a Top Five, but still hoping to do it in a timely manner.  Let’s give it a shot.

All Black Crowes songs are on the table, and the table is open for discussion!    We love to interact in the comments, so join us at 7:00 PM EST!

Click here for the link to the live show

 

Friday May 1 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

The Contrarians: Wild Record Store Stories Part II

Thank you again to Marco D’Auria for inviting me for this special episode of the Contrarians! Join us for some more Record Store Tales, including how the Beat Goes On got started selling used CDs in 1994! Hear how 15 CDs quickly turned into 5000. Lots of great memories and crazy stories. Give it a watch.

 

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
    29. Tribute to M.E.A.T Magazine
    30. Wild Record Store Stories Part II

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.