adrian smith

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 25: Visions of the Beast featuring Bob Cesca from Camp Chaos

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 25:  Visions of the Beast featuring Bob Cesca from Camp Chaos

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #124

Back in 1999/2000, a little video called “Napster Bad!” went viral.  You know it, you shared it, you loved it.  Well, not Harrison because he was not born yet.  Bob Cesca (founder of Camp Chaos) created that video and many others, including official music videos for bands such as Motley Crue, Yes, and…Iron Maiden!

Bob is a talented jack of many trades, and also a massive Rush fan.  In this effortless interview, Bob tells us everything you wanted to know about him and Iron Maiden.  2003’s Visions of the Beast double DVD was a massive collection, and Camp Chaos did six music videos for it.  These videos mixed animation with the original familiar music video footage.  We break them all down in detail, including how to access the Easter Eggs.  How was he contacted by the Maiden camp?  How much input did Iron Maiden have on his creative process?  Why did he choose certain Eddies and settings, and how did he decide what to edit out of the originals to make way for animation?  It is a fascinating trip back in time, as current events impacted some of the videos, even though the songs themselves were oldies.  Hey…are there 10 ME-109s out of the sun…or not?

Bob also answered all our non-Maiden questions, such as why James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich have no noses in “Napster Bad”?

After Bob had answered all our questions, Harrison and Mike took a deep dive on the rest of the contents of the DVD set.  If you owned Visions of the Beast back in the day, own it now, or not yet…you will want to pop it in after this episode.

Please welcome Mr. Bob Cesca to Grab A Stack of Rock, and 50 Years of Iron Maiden!  Join us at the premiere in the comments tonight – we love interacting with you!

A big thanks to Tim Durling for introducing us to Bob!

Friday November 7 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 24: Eddie’s Archive and Edward the Great

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 24: Eddie’s Archive and Edward the Great

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #121

Post-Brave New World, Iron Maiden were back on top.  With the struggles of the 1990s well behind them, Iron Maiden forged forward with new releases such as Rock In Rio, Edward the Great, and Eddie’s Archive.  Rock in Rio was a double-live, the likes not seen since last Bruce was in.  We covered this in our previous episode.  The latter two were Iron Maiden collections aimed at two very different groups of fans.

Edward the Great was a “hits compilation” aimed at new fans.  As a single disc compilation, it was limited by its length, and an interesting selection of tracks.  As a whole, it offered nothing besides new artwork for the seasoned Iron Maiden fan.  They were advised to save their money and buy the massive, limited edition Eddie’s Archive instead.

The Archive was a generous six-disc collection of three:

Discs 1 & 2 – BBC Archives.  We covered the first four songs in this set on our debut episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden, so we won’t be tackling these again tonight.  These discs span professional BBC recordings from 1980 to ’88.

Discs 3 & 4 – Beast Over Hammersmith.  Episode 6 of 50 Years of Iron Maiden was dedicated to this double-live album, so there is little need to repeat our praise.

Discs 5 & 6 – Best of the B’Sides.  We already critiqued all of these songs on the relevant albums, so our commentary here is focused more on value to the fan.

Mike and Harrison will break down the above releases, including Edward the Great, and have lots to show as well.  The goodies on display include two complete Eddie’s Archives:  One pre-ordered and delivered back in 2002, with rear sticker still intact, and one “Archive of Theseus” that Harrison will explain the origins of.

This magnificent metal episode is brought to you by the letter E, not to mention Mike and Harrison.  Please check out the premiere tonight if you can!  We love to interact in the comments section.

Friday October 17 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 23: Rock in Rio

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 23: Rock in Rio

Special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #120

It was with great joy that we anticipated Iron Maiden’s first live album since Donington 1992:  Rock In Rio!  A decade had passed, and with it, three new studio albums, all of which are represented in the live set.  The new six-man Iron Maiden lineup was on fire, and little did we know it would become the most stable lineup in the band’s history.  Though they had released live B-sides from the Ed Hunter tour, Rock In Rio was the first full live album with the new lineup, and of course, new songs!  We even got a live DVD out of it.

In Rio, Iron Maiden played to approximately 250,000 people; the second largest crowd of their entire career, only topped by the 350,000 people who saw them in Rio in 1985.  They hit the stage with a setlist generous on new songs, classic hits, and respectful nods to the Blaze era.

Harrison and I will break down the album, produced by Kevin Shirley, track by track in tonight’s special live episode.  Don’t miss this one as we always enjoy interacting with the comments, and we can do this best when we are live.

Much like Iron Maiden, we are best when we are live.  Check it out tonight!

Friday October 10 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 22: Brave New World with Davey Cretin

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 22:  Brave New World

Special Guest:  Davey Cretin from Cretin Classics

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #118

How do you move on from a special interview with former Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley?  By going to the next album, of course!  After the wildly successful Ed Hunter reunion tour, the new six-man Iron Maiden lineup of Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain were tasked with creating a new Iron Maiden studio album.  With new producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley at the boards (whom they tested out on “Wrathchild 1999” – see Episode 21), the band had to capture their classic sound with modern production and a new three-guitar configuration.

The band toiled away in the studio as fans speculated.  Finally we were given a preview of the new Maiden sound on the first single “The Wicker Man”.  This was followed by the rapturous release of Brave New World on 29 May 2000.  Together, with the legendary Davey Cretin of Cretin Classics, Harrison and Mike break down the album’s 10 tracks in incredible detail.  You simply will not find a better analysis of this album anywhere else on the internet.

We don’t just dive deep into the album.  As usual, you can expect us to tackle all the live B-sides from “The Wicker Man” and “Out of the Silent Planet”.  We will also look at some very rare CD singles, including the elusive remix of “The Wicker Man” with additional lyrics.  We will also have a good look at the album and singles artwork, and even a special edition DVD of the Wicker Man movie with Edward Woodward and Sir Christopher Lee.

Before we’re done, Harrison will take us through the Brave New World tour, the setlists and the performances.  Expect the level of detail, analysis and pure love that you have come to know from 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  It’s all here as we enter the brave new world of the Maiden reunion era!

 

Friday September 26 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 21: Ed Hunter album & game

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 21:  Ed Hunter

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #115

Maiden were back in a big way.  Though the video game began life with Blaze Bayley on lead vocals, when it was finally released, Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith were both back in the band!  The ironic thing about this was that neither of them were depicted in the game, though Blaze was!

A 3 CD set, Ed Hunter was the first release with Bruce and Adrian back in the band.  A “greatest hits” album and a video game all in one, Ed Hunter was a must-buy for Maiden diehards, especially in the United States where it contained a bonus track:  “Wrathchild 1999 (New Vocal Version with Bruce Dickinson)”.  Standard versions contained 20 tracks split over one-and-a-half discs, with the tracks selected by the fans in an online poll.  We break it down track by track, and compare to the previous “hits” album, Best of the Beast, while also discussing the new track which was also available on a promotional CD single with band art.

As for the game?  The last disc-and-a-half of space featured the game and installation software.  Harrison got his copy working!  He got out a vintage computer and some video capture software, and recorded himself playing and winning the game!  We provide a highlights reel from Harrison’s video, to give you a feel for the gameplay and graphics.  (Epilepsy warnings will appear when appropriate.)

This release also featured a tour.  A big one!  Harrison breaks down the setlist, and what tracks from that tour were released in live versions.

Maiden were back…and so is 50 Years of Iron Maiden!

Friday September 5 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Collections! Stories! Maiden on Vinyl, Bottlecaps & More!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode:
Collections! Stories! Maiden on Vinyl, Bottlecaps & More!

With special guest Aaron “Mr. Books” KMA and Jex Russell

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

Originally run:  June 16 2023.  Now edited with new content.

This special bonus episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden may be an old show from 2023, but most Maiden viewers never saw it, so I re-edited it and we’re running it again!  This episode was a special fun one that we did with Aaron “Mr. Books” KMA, showing off parts of our Maiden collections.

Aaron, being Mr. Books, had one of Bruce Dickinson’s novels on hand.  He also had a near-mint collection of Trooper beer bottle caps, and a rare Iron Maiden menu from Toronto.  Harrison tended to focus on CDs.  He had some rare bootlegs, including a DVD.  For myself, I was eager to show off my Maiden vinyl collection at the time, including coloured vinyl, picture discs, some sealed records, and much more.  Early on, Jex Russell showed up just to crash the party!

Speaking of books, we also took a look (for the very first time) at a Maiden book that features Mike himself.  Chances are, you’ve never seen this book before.  You definitely have never seen it on 50 Years of Iron Maiden before.

This was the infamous night that Jen had a seizure, fell, and almost broke her jaw.  I’ve edited most of that stuff out but some remnants remain.

Friday June 27 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Unboxing Martin Popoff’s Hallowed By Their Name: The Unofficial Iron Maiden Bible

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Unboxing Martin Popoff’s Hallowed By Their Name: The Unofficial Iron Maiden Bible

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

Welcome to a special “teaser” episode!  At long last, Martin Popoff’s Unofficial Iron Maiden Bible, called Hallowed By Their Name, has arrived at Grab A Stack HQ!  Check out this monstrosity in the bonus video below.

This is a gorgeous book, and heavy as the metal it represents.  Looking much like an actual hardcover bible, this book covers the entire 50 year history of the band, with loads of full colour pictures and 666 fully loaded pages.

Check out the unboxing video and let’s look forward to talking to Martin about this incredible book in the future.

Video is up now!   Enjoy on YouTube.

 

 

 

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Run For Your Lives setlist analysis

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode

Run For Your Lives setlist analysis

A few months ago, Harrison and I sat down and did our wishlists and speculation on the 2025 Run For Your Lives tour.  With the first two shows in Budapest completed, Harrison and I reconvened to discuss the actual setlists in this special bonus episode.

Yes, there will be two episodes of 50 Years of Iron Maiden this week!  We will also be back this Friday to talk about the one album they ignored on this tour…

With an eye towards a deep analysis, Harrison and I went through the entire set track by track.  Harrison touches on the performances and Bruce’s voice, while I focused more on my satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the songs selected, based on the parameters set out by the band themselves.  Of course, we also have to address the “new guy”, Simon Dawson, which we do!  And what about poor Janick?  Find out….

This episode is live now, June 4 at midnight, so check it out.

Airing Wednesday June 4 at 12:00 A.M. E.S.T.    Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of Iron Maiden: Yes, we will be talking about the setlist…

Happy Friday everyone!  As mentioned on last week’s episode, Harrison and I are taking this week off.  Instead of an episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden tonight, we are re-running the debut MarriedandHeels episode, in solidarity with our friend and former co-host who needs some support today.

The topic everyone is talking about is the new Iron Maiden Run For Your Lives tour setlist.  Harrison and I are itching to talk about it with you, and we will.  Soon, we’ll be recording a bonus episode to talk about this new set.

I hope everyone else is doing well this week, and we’ll see you soon once again on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

See below for our fun and frivolous “setlist speculation” episode from a few months ago.

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A Far-Ranging Chat: The First Ten Years box set and More…

I’m a bit of a perfectionist.  I felt our episode on The First Ten Years box set by Iron Maiden was longer and more comprehensive.  Harrison also felt the episode deserved some expansion.  That’s why we did a live post-show chat after 50 Years of Iron Maiden last night.

An informal but semi-formatted chat, Harrison and I showed off a Japanese printing of the Purgatory / Maiden Japan CD that we forgot to show on the actual episode.  We also brought you some interesting facts from the fine people at Reddit.  This live bonus chat really is an essential part of the actual bonus episode.  That sounds confusing, but you know what I mean.

We also delved a little into the solo careers of Blaze Bayley (thank you @darcyska for the question) and Bruce Dickinson.   That tangent took us to the Ripper era of Judas Priest, and a discussion of the bleak 1990s.  We foreshadowed some coming episodes in 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  Next week will be a live show, and the first 50 Years of Iron Maiden episode to come to you live from the cottage.  We are doing Maiden England next.

As an added bonus we, re-told the story of how I acquired this holy grail of a box set.  We also ran a clip (Inception-style) that didn’t make it into our 100th episode, and finally a very special video showcasing the comedy of Jex Russell.

Thanks for watching, a shout-out to Henry Wright, John Clauser, Chris Sarre, Melissa Nee and D’Arcy Briggs for the comments.  We’ll be back for more soon.

Check out the full show below.

In 1990, Iron Maiden reissued all their 20 singles/EPs (except The Soundhouse Tapes) individually, on CD and vinyl.  Each CD and record held two singles/EPs.  The only missing track was “Wrathchild” from Maiden Japan, which will be discussed in the episode.  But what about the box itself?  You could send away a special coupon for the box that holds them all, for either CD or vinyl formats.  As the fortunate owner of this box set, we has to cover it in this bonus episode.

 

 

 

 

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“Running Free” & “Sanctuary”
1. “Running Free”
2. “Burning Ambition”
3. “Sanctuary”
4. “Drifter” (Live in 1980)
5. “I’ve Got the Fire” (Live in 1980) 3:14
6. “Listen With Nicko! Part. I”

“Women in Uniform” & “Twilight Zone”
1. “Women in Uniform”
2. “Invasion”
3. “Phantom of the Opera” (Live in 1980)
4. “Twilight Zone”
5. “Wrathchild”
6. “Listen With Nicko! Part. II”

“Purgatory” & “Maiden Japan (EP)
1. “Purgatory”
2. “Genghis Khan”
3. “Running Free” (Live in 1981)
4. “Remember Tomorrow” (Live in 1981)
5. “Killers” (Live in 1981)
6. “Innocent Exile” (Live in 1981)
7. “Listen With Nicko! Part. III”

“Run to the Hills” & “The Number of the Beast”
1. “Run to the Hills”
2. “Total Eclipse”
3. “The Number of the Beast”
4. “Remember Tomorrow” (Live in 1981)
5. “Listen With Nicko! Part. IV”

“Flight of Icarus” & “The Trooper”
1. “Flight of Icarus”
2. “I’ve Got the Fire”
3. “The Trooper”
4. “Cross-Eyed Mary”
5. “Listen With Nicko! Part. V”

“2 Minutes to Midnight” & “Aces High”
1. “2 Minutes to Midnight”
2. “Rainbow’s Gold”
3. “Mission From ‘Arry”
4. “Aces High”
5. “King of Twilight”
6. “The Number of the Beast” (Live in 1983)
7. “Listen With Nicko! Part. VI”

“Running Free” (Live) & “Run to the Hills” (Live)
1. “Running Free” (Live in 1985)
2. “Sanctuary” (Live in 1985)
3. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” (Live in 1984)
4. “Run to the Hills” (Live in 1985)
5. “Phantom of the Opera” (Live in 1984)
6. “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” (Live in 1984)
7. “Listen With Nicko! Part. VII”

“Wasted Years” & “Stranger in a Strange Land”
1. “Wasted Years”
2. “Reach Out”
3. “Sheriff of Huddersfield”
4. “Stranger in a Strange Land”
5. “That Girl”
6. “Juanita”
7. “Listen With Nicko! Part. VIII”

“Can I Play With Madness” & “The Evil That Men Do”
1. “Can I Play With Madness”
2. “Black Bart Blues”
3. “Massacre”
4. “The Evil That Men Do”
5. “Prowler” (1988 Version)
6. “Charlotte the Harlot” (1988 Version)
7. “Listen With Nicko! Part. IX” McBrain

“The Clairvoyant” (Live) & “Infinite Dreams” (Live)
1. “The Clairvoyant” (Live in 1988)
2. “The Prisoner” (Live in 1988)
3. “Heaven Can Wait” (Live in 1988)
4. “Infinite Dreams” (Live in 1988)
5. “Killers” (Live in 1988)
6. “Still Life” (Live in 1988)
7. “Listen With Nicko! Part. X” McBrain