Videos

VHS Archives #145: Judas Priest’s Rob Halford on the Ram It Down tour guests on the Pepsi Power Hour (1988)

This is a monumental interview from my VHS collection.  I wore this tape out, as you can tell!  Judas Priest’s Rob Halford provides a lot of detail on the goings-on in 1988, that you don’t often hear.  That was the year of Ram It Down, Stock Aitken & Waterman, “Johnny B. Goode” and much more!  Hear about all that, English tax collectors, Lita Ford and more.  Watch as Michael Williams presents Rob with a gold record for Ram It Down, and Priest…Live!  

Topics discussed:

  • Why did Priest choose Canada to open the Ram It Down tour?
  • Priest’s longevity and why they have lasted so long.
  • The rotating drum seat:  Spinal Tap?  Why so many drummers?
  • Why did the guy’s pants fall down in the video for “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”?  (“The day’s not complete without an exploding head!”)
  • Why did Priest work with Stock, Aitken & Waterman in January of 1988, and what did they record?  (Hear an excerpt from “You Are Everything”.)
  • “Johnny B. Goode” and how it came about.
  • How do they keep going day after day on a year-long tour?  Are they still hungry for it?
  • What happens next with Judas Priest?
  • Violence in heavy metal.

Please enjoy this classic Rob Halford interview that I almost wore right out as a kid.  Lots of info here that is interesting to this day!

 

Contrarians Chat: NICKNAMED ALBUM COVERS! (Wednesday Live Stream)

Grant Arthur, Jamie Laszlo, Peter Kerr, Tim Durling and myself all gathered together to discuss this fun topic last night:  Albums with common “nickname” titles!  For example:  The Beatles (the White Album), Metallica (the Black Album), and Weezer (lotsa coloured albums)!  There are plenty on our lists, and I’m especially proud of one of my coloured picks.

This was my first ever panel discussion with the Contrarians, and about three years overdue.  Thank you Grant for inviting me!

There will be no episode of Grab A Stack of Rock this weekend, but we’ll be back next week!

 

VHS Archives #144: AC/DC interviewed by contest winners in Dublin on MuchMusic’s Pepsi Power Hour – 26 April 1991

On April 26 1991, AC/DC brought The Razors Edge to Dublin, Ireland.  MuchMusic were there!

Two lucky contest winners (Jerry and Kulwinder) got to co-host the Pepsi Power Hour backstage with Dan Gallagher, Angus Young, and Brian Johnson.  Not only that, but they got to do it from Dublin!  Brian is jovial, and Angus often lets him answer.  The time is brief, but this interview covers the following subjects.  The answers are almost always comical, so be sure to watch this excellent tape!

  • How does Brian maintain the energy levels on stage?
  • Is it loud on stage?
  • What video Angus wants to see.
  • What fans can expect at Donington.
  • What do you get out of playing live?
  • How does Brian keep his voice conditioned so well?

Watch Brian get the MuchMusic name wrong, twice!  This interview is light, comedy gold.  Enjoy!

VHS Archives #143: Helix Acoustic on MuchMusic – 1993 interview with Brian Vollmer and Greg Fraser by Natalie Richard

A sharp looking Brian Vollmer was accompanied by new Helix guitarist Greg Fraser (Brighton Rock) in a Slayer shirt for this acoustic performance!  The show was Start Me Up on Saturday afternoon, and Natalie Richard was the host.  It’s A Business Doing Pleasure was the new album, and it was a slightly more acoustic affair for the band.

Topics discussed:

  • Inspiration for writing the new songs, and working with Marc Ribler.
  • Special guests on the new album.
  • Sleepin’ in the doghouse again!
  • Doing an album after losing Paul Hackman.
  • Touring the new album.
  • A stunning acoustic version of “Tug of War” from the new album (and the only performance available with Frase on guitar).
  • Brian’s morning routine (which he still maintains today).
  • The super-8 videos used in “That Day Is Gonna Come”, and what inspired the song.
  • The very first platinum album that MuchMusic received – Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge by Helix!

The Battle of ’84: Iron Maiden – Powerslave vs. Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 62: The Battle of ’84: Iron Maiden – Powerslave vs. Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith

It is finally time:  the Battle of ’84 has arrived!  40 years ago, two metal monsters released crucial albums:

  • Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith – 13 January 1984 – peaked at #18 in the US and went platinum.
  • Iron Maiden – Powerslave – 3 Sept 1984 – peaked at #21 in the US and went platinum.

But which album, track for track, is better?

Tonight, Peter Jones and I will attempt to answer that question.  After appearing once with Pete on a favourite episode of Rock Daydream Nation, he finally joins Grab A Stack of Rock.  Peter is a musician, who understands the vocabulary of drums and will explain it all tonight.  (Check out his latest Contrarians episode with Martin Popoff!)  Will the drumming colour his impressions of these two landmark albums of the 80s?  We shall see tonight.

We shall dissect each and every track, including the bonus tracks & B-sides.  Who shall reign?  Find out tonight…live!

 

 

Friday June 7 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

This is likely the last evening show of the summer of 2024.  Afternoon shows occur at 3:00 PM on Fridays, when I have an available co-host.  Thanks for watching, and stay tuned…

The next show is an interview with author Angie Moon, regarding her debut music/true time book, Crime of the Century, June 21 on Grab A Stack of Rock!

VIDEO: Fox on the Run! May 30 to June 2 2024 at the Cottage

First the first time in the Cottage Video Series, we have:

  • A fox!
  • Rock Daydream Nation!
  • Fireworks in super slow-mo!
  • An Amazon delivery!
  • A war for territory:  Blue Jay vs. Chipmunk!
  • And of course the food and scenery that you expect!

Enjoy!

 

Rock Daydream Nation: Deep Purple – Stormbringer – Did this album push Blackmore to leave Purple?

I need to remember for fortunate I am.  Some time in 2023, I was approached by an Australian man named Peter Kerr to do a show on the Vinnie Vincent Invasion for his channel, Rock Daydream Nation.  He had seen me around on social media, and we hit it off immediately.  Meeting Peter has led to some of the best shows I’ve done, including a couple on Grab A Stack of Rock.  This week on Rock Daydream Nation, Peter and I went back to one of our core deep love bands:  the Purples.  Deep Purple Mk III in fact, and the sometimes maligned Stormbringer LP.

As per the deep dive format, we begin with first impressions.  Mine begin with a cheap cassette copy bought at Encore Records in Kitchener Ontario.  We then go track by track through the whole album, side A and side B.  By the time we offer our final thoughts, it is plenty obvious that we love Stormbringer.  Blackmore may have disliked the funk, but we like when he plays funky.  We touch on Rainbow,  Whitesnake and much more.

We drive into some Deep Purple history here, so grab a coffee and enjoy this deep dive!

That’s a Wrap: Top Five Albums After a Long Gap, with Metal Roger and John Clauser plus the Mad Metal Man!

A big thank you to Metal Roger for the topic, and thanks to John Clauser for an awesome show!  The topic tonight was Roger’s:  Top five albums after a long gap between.  There was no crossover on any of our lists.  I went mostly mainstream with my bands.  Clauser surprised us with a lot of bands I didn’t know, but were popular in the comments.  A nice Steve Augeri band too! Metal Roger did industrial, metal, and beardliness.

My list is below, and included two Japanese imports and a couple of special editions with DVDs.

At the end of the day, the mighty Harrison Kopp the Mad Metal Man himself turned up with a list of his own, which surprisingly lacked any Blaze Bayley.  A huge thanks to Harrison for coming on last night.

Tune in next week for the Battle of ’84 with Pete Jones:  Defenders of the Faith vs. Powerslave!

I cheated.

TIE

KISS – Sonic Boom (2009) – 11 year gap from 1998’s Psycho-Circus

Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth (2012) – 14 year gap from 1998’s Van Halen III (8 year gap from 2004’s Best of Both Worlds)

Faith No More – Sol Invictus (2015) – 18 year gap from 1997’s Album of the Year

Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers (1984) – 9 year gap from 1975’s Come Taste the Band

Styx – The Mission (2018) – 15 year gap from 2003’s Cyclorama (13 year gap from 2005’s Big Bang Theory)

Extreme – Six (2023) – 15 year gap from 2008’s Saudades de Rock

Top Five Albums After a Long Gap, with Metal Roger and John Clauser

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 61: Top Five Albums After a Long Gap, with Metal Roger and John Clauser

‘Twas Metal Roger who suggested this week’s topic.  What are our Top Five Albums after a Long Gap?  Well, Chinese Democracy is an obvious example, but there are many more, ecpecially from the last decade or two.  It took 24 years for The Who to release a new album (Endless Wire) and then another 13 years to release the followup Who.  For the sake of this exercise, we are arbitrarily saying at minimum, at least a five year wait to qualify an album for this list.

Joining us will be Johnny Clauser from My Music Corner, which is doubly good since Roger has no physical product to show off for his picks!  (Come on, Roger!)  I have eight picks and have to narrow it down to five, which I will probably do at the last minute.

This will also be John and Roger’s first shows at the cottage.  We hope for clear weather and chipmunks!  Join us live in the comments.  We love to talk to the audience!

 

Friday May 31 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

#1129: Summer’s Here and the Time Is Right

Last summer was different.  I felt like I had something to prove.  I lost the co-host that was responsible for the lion’s share of my views, and I wanted to pivot back to music.  Grab A Stack of Rock was envisioned as an “easy” show, where I didn’t have to do any prep or homework.  I was ready to work hard again and I think we did that.  We brought back lists and deep dives and the show was so much better for it.

This year is a little different in another way, which is my old co-hosts are occupied.  Harrison is busy focusing on his health.  Other co-hosts have their own shows now.  Others still are focusing on family.  I can’t blame them for that.  In a way, my show has been a bit like the Alice Cooper backing band.  Just as he launched the careers of Kip Winger and many more, my show has launched others into the Youtube-sphere.  That show out of Thunder Bay Ontario wouldn’t exist without my rocket boosters.  With that in mind, I think this summer will be something of a slowdown.

This week we’re back at the cottage with John Clauser and Metal Roger.  It’ll be their first cottage show.

What will the summer bring?  Fewer shows perhaps, but Grab A Stack of Rock will still continue, perhaps with a few different faces that we didn’t have last summer.  Some familiar ones as well.  Grant from the Rock Warehaus wants to hang out on the front porch again this summer.  I’m also thinking of doing a midnight outdoors show.  We’ll see what the summer has in store, but one thing I don’t need to do is prove anything to anyone.  We did that last year and we’re better off for it.