Videos

Exploiting Their Supremacy: Top Five Metallica Deep Cuts on Grab A Stack of Rock

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

Episode 43:  Top 5 METALLICA Deep Cuts

It is finally time to do Metallica some Justice!

We planned to do a Metallica show back on May 5, but regular readers know what happened that day.  I had to cancel, and deal with a former co-host instead.  There always seems to be something getting in the way of Metallica.  This week we lost my dear Uncle Paul, but the show will go on, and I will pay tribute to this great man on Friday night.

Cinco de Listo is back!  We wait with baited (Motor)breath to see what Top Five Deep Cuts our expert panel will be presenting this time!  On hand will be:

We are going simple with the rules.  A “deep cut” in this case simply means a non-single.  There will be lots of complaints I’m sure, but let’s focus on the great songs instead!  Hopefully we will name some tunes you absolutely need to hear.

Will Justice be done?  Our Merry Band of Metal Fans will do out best tonight at 8:00 PM sharp, Eastern Standard Time.

 

A week off next week — super secret regal recording with Peter Kerr instead!  We’ll be back December 15.

LIVE Friday Dec 1 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

The Awesomeness of Blaze Bayley – Celebrating 40 years of music with Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Three cheers for the Mad Metal Man!  For over a year of co-hosting Grab A Stack of Rock, he has earned the right to pick his own show topic!  His punch card is full, witness below and see for yourself!  And what did he pick with his full punch card?  He picked Blaze Bayley!  And he doubled down.  Foregoing the rules (again), Harrison didn’t pick a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten.  No, Harrison technically picked 22 songs.  All Blaze or Blaze Bayley-branded versions.

I chose songs from all three eras of Blaze:  Wolfsbane, Iron Maiden, and solo.

Harrison and I only had one song in common.  That means combined we have given you 32 songs to check out.  Harrison and I also provided a lot of context and background to our picks (Harrison more so than I!) and we hope that this episode is in-depth enough for the Blaze diehards.  And we know there are Blaze diehards out there.

We also took a look at some physical rarities:  Two Iron Maiden X Factor Japanese CDs, an X Factor singles box set, two lenticular Virtual XI CDs, a “Holy Grail” live album, one CD that Mike needs, one CD that Harrison needs, and a Wolfsbane cassette.

I sincerely hope you take the time to watch this passionate, insightful episode about a singer that deserves more of your attention, Blaze Bayley.

 

 

Tune in next week as we dive into Metallica!

 

We get (Future)Real with BLAZE BAYLEY (Iron Maiden, Wolfsbane, Blaze)! Top 11 of the Silicon Messiah! Celebrating 40 years of music on Grab A Stack of Rock!

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

Episode 42:  Top 11 of the Silicon Messiah, Blaze Bayley!

This time Harrison’s not here by contractual obligation only.  The Mad Metal Man is in the driver’s seat for one of his favourite artists of all time:  Blaze Bayley!

From his time in Wolfsbane, to his two underrated Iron Maiden platters, and his exceptional solo career, tonight we’ll be talking all things Blaze!  There will be a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten tunes, and as an added bonus, Harrison will break down all the Easter eggs in his amazing Blaze Bayley show art.  How many can you spot?  Leave them in the comments, and check out the show tonight to see if you were right.

Blaze Bayley has two studio albums with Iron Maiden, plus a double greatest hits compilation.  As a solo artist he has released ten studio albums and seven live albums.  Wolfsbane did five studio albums and a number of singles and EPs.  He has toured with Paul Di’Anno, Geoff Tate and Ripper Owens.  There is a lot of music to choose from.

WARNING:  There will be shenanigans.

Blaze Bayley – “Born as a Stranger”, yet sharp as “Steel”!  Long may he reign.  Appreciate the man and the music with us tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock.

 

LIVE Friday Nov 24 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

#1095: Mental Health Plan: Gutterballs! (Jen Kicks Mike’s Butt at Bowling – with video)

RECORD STORE TALES #1095:
Mental Health Plan: Gutterballs! (Jen Kicks Mike’s Butt at Bowling – with video)

Part of my mental health plan this winter is getting out more.  Movies, dinners, that sort of thing.  Jen loves bowling, so she took me out bowling for the first time in many years.  Five pin bowling is her jam.  Her lanes at Towne Bowl just closed, but Victoria Bowl isn’t far.  We rolled in to roll, right at noon.

Now, it’s no secret I’ve been having problems with my right arm.  You’ve seen it on Grab A Stack of Rock all wrapped up in braces and Tensor bandages.  There’s some serious pain going on there and sometimes even working on a mouse all day can leave me in agony.  So, this was a big test for me.  Can I bowl for an hour?  Is this a viable option for spending time in the winter?

The answer to both questions is yes (sorta), and yes.  Sorta, because though I could bowl for an hour, I got noticeably worse after about 30 minutes and Jen proceeded to kick my entire ass.

Jen had the best score of her bowling career to date.  I started strong, but pulled one of my worst scores on my last game.

We had a lot of fun.  Because we were so early in the day, we had a whole side of the place to ourselves.  We were at ease and because there was nobody else around, I filmed a bit of it.  I’m always at my happiest when I can be creative, and I was able to bring that side of it into the game.

My elbow is paying for it now, and my right hand and wrist are a bit rough, but that’s how you build up strength and get past this stuff.  Next time I’ll stretch first, though – that was a mistake.  My thighs….

But we did it, and we had a great time doing it.  Mission accomplished.

Kicking winter’s ass one pin at a time.  Let it begin.

Music:  The Last Train by Tee Bone Erickson

 

You can see my score decline as the pain set in.

Rock Daydream Nation: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet – Did this album neuter 80s Hard Rock?

Here is the latest in a series of super-secret collaborations I have been working on! Peter Kerr invited me back onto Rock Daydream Nation to discuss Bon Jovi’s landmark breakthrough, Slippery When Wet.  Did this album essentially ruin hard rock for the next four years?  Peter and I took opposing views, though hardcore Bon Jovi fans will be happy with neither of us after watching this episode.

The thing I disagreed with Peter the most on was his assessment of the talents of Richie Sambora.  I encourage Peter to check out some of the tracks I mentioned in this episode to appreciate the talents of the guitarist (and vocalist).

I hope we don’t get killed by mobs of angry Bon Jovi Karens for this video.  Proceed with caution!

Get Up and make it work! Top Five Van Halen Bangers, our dream Best Of All Worlds setlist, and much more!

And the cradle DID rock, for tonight, four rock music fans revealed their Top Five Van Halen bangers.  ‘Twas brilliant to see.  Harrison Kopp was in classic Kontrarian mode as you will see with his list.  The first disqualification in the history of the show!  Harrison redeemed himself later, and his #1 pick was one I was onside with.

The new guy PLA brought with him a love of music that goes back to the teen years.  Jex’s good friend was a blast on the show, and he is welcome back any time.  The wonderful thing here is that years ago, Jex had the foresight to record PLA’s reaction to the Van Halen banger “Get Up” on video.  We ran that video tonight, and it really captured the spirit of what a Van Halen banger does.

We dug deep with deep cuts and hits.  We showed off rare CDs, vinyl, and even a cassette.  I presented my dream Best Of All Worlds setlist.  We discussed the tour, pros and cons, and our panel was mostly pro.  The comments were divided.  Peter Kerr was anti-tour, while Chris P was very pro.

Van Halen praise, love, and appreciation were in plentiful supply on this episode.  Take a glimpse at our collections and please enjoy our lists.  There were a number of duplicate songs, and some brilliant picks.  If you are interested in Van Halen but don’t know where to start…grab a coffee and listen to us blather on all night about a band we really love.

See ya next week.

Tonight: Top Five VAN HALEN BANGERS + Sammy Hagar “Best Of All Worlds Tour” with Jex & PLA!

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

Episode 41:  BEST OF ALL WORLDS!  Top Five VAN HALEN BANGERS with Jex & PLA

 

We’re back!  Harrison and I took a couple weeks off to recharge and work on some other creative projects, but here we are, back in business again with Jex Russell and PLA!  But who is PLA?

PLA is from the YouTube channel PLA Addiction.  He’s a music nut and close friend of Jex.  These guys have been a creative force on YouTube for years and I’ve been wanting to get them together live on Grab A Stack of Rock for a while now.  Tonight we run through our “Top Five Van Halen Bangers”!  Why?  You’ll have to see for yourself tonight, but I’ll drop you a teaser.

The real reason I wanted to get PLA on the show is that a few years back, Jex made a “reaction video” of PLA hearing the Van Halen song “Get Up” for the first time.  After seeing that video, I knew I wanted to get these two guys together on my show to talk Van Halen.  It was a priceless video, and we’ll run it tonight on the show.

We absolutely have to discuss the Sammy Hagar Best of All Worlds Tour with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham!  I will be revealing my dream (buyt realistic) setlist tonight on the show.

Get up and make it work, because tonight it’s Top Five Van Halen Bangers with Jex and PLA!

LIVE Friday Nov 17 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

VIDEO: Jex Unboxes a Stack of Rock!

Collectors: aren’t we something?  Sometimes we end up with duplicates because we can’t remember what we ordered, or own already! I promised Jex a parcel several months ago, and I finally gathered enough excess music to fill a box.

Jex was kind enough to film an unboxing video, seen below.  I sent him some review copies, some CDs from my collection that I owned in duplicate, a sticker and a special surprise from the analog age!  Now get writin’ Jex, you have work to do!

SPOILER:  Great bubble wrap popping in this video.  So satisfying.

What out of this box would you have been most excited for?  Let me know in the comments.  I think I know Harrison’s answer already.

And don’t miss Jex with Harrison and new guest PLA tomorrow on Grab A Stack of Rock!

VIDEO: Target Practice! Jen Opens Our Very Last Lego Marvel Series 2 Minifig – LANGUAGE!

I swear to God, this really is the last one. I have lost track of how many duplicates we’ve unboxed, but there is no point in ever buying one of these Lego Marvel Minifig blind packs ever again.

For those playing at home:  I have had numerous triplicates, such as Echo, Werewolf By Night, and Agatha Harkness.  I have many duplicates, such as Mr. Night and Hawkeye.  I never managed to get Moon Knight, Kate Bishop, She-Hulk, or Beast.  Harrison has offered to send me his extra Kate Bishop.  I have donated two duplicates to Jex Russell for his kids, and given two others to my sister to sell.  I’m scavenging the rest for pieces for a new Tee Bone Man spinoff series called Jen In Space. You can see some of the Jen In Space minifigs in the thumbnail photo.

Thank you Jen for the gift, and thank you for doing this unboxing.

Thank you Harrison for the suggestion that I use this minifig for target practice…

I’m out of the minifig game.  It was fun at the start, but like any addiction, it became a chore later on.

 

Whitesnake’s The Purple Album (Gold Edition) – Taking a look at all my Whitesnake “Colour” Albums – Red, White, Blues, Purple and more! [VIDEO]

For a good review (if I do say so myself) of the original 2015 releases of The Purple Album, click here!

 

David Coverdale has been remix-happy of late.  Nothing wrong with that, I just have a hard time overcoming my passion for original versions of songs that I spent time living and loving for many years.  Obviously I can’t have too much issue with it if I keep throwing money at him.  Thank you Encore Records for holding this pricey item for me.  $60 for 2 CDs and a Blu-ray disc.  Details in the scans below, along with images of my other related Whitesnake discs.

Enjoy the video below, taking a gander at all the different colours of Whitesnake!