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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: You’re Gonna Love Our Maiden Bootleg Collections!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: You’re Gonna Love Our Maiden Bootleg Collections!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

If we knew only one thing about Harrison, it is that he loves live music.  Like many fans of live music, Harrison has attained quite a collection of Maiden bootlegs.  Simply put, Harrison’s goal (and Mike’s as well, though not nearly as complete) is to get a live album or bootleg from every Iron Maiden tour.  In the perfect world, we’d both own live versions of every Maiden song ever played live.  There are many, such as “Caught Somewhere In Time”, that were played live but never recorded or released live.  And that where bootlegs come in.

In this episode we look at our “Maiden boots”, all CD unfortunately.  We always like to have a variety of audio formats to show you, but this time all we have is CDs.  But a lot of them, we do have!

Please join us for the premiere – we love to interact in the comments!  See you tonight.

Friday May 29 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

SHOW NOTES:  We only have a couple episodes left to do, but will be taking a break from 50 Years of Iron Maiden for a short time.  Grab A Stack of Rock will continue regularly, and 50 Years of Iron Maiden will return as soon as possible.

 

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 34: The Book of Souls: Live Chapter – May 22 Show #2

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 34:  The Book of Souls: Live Chapter

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK episode 149

Harrison and Mike are racing to the end of 50 Years of Iron Maiden!  After the Book of Souls studio album, Iron Maiden reliably provided us with a Live Chapter to mull over.  Featuring a host of new songs and a clutch of classics, The Book of Souls: Live Chapter is a fine retelling of these stories in the live setting.  This one was released in audio and video form, but Maiden declined to release a DVD or Blu-ray.  Instead the live show was given to us for free on YouTube.  Still, we have already had so many live albums and videos to discuss.  What will this Live Chapter offer us this time?

As usual, Mike and Harrison will break down the album track by track.  Harrison will discuss the tour, what songs were played, dropped and never seen again.  Expect our usual thorough approach and maybe a surprise too!

Join us live in the comments – we always appreciate your participation!


Friday May 22 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 When the Live Version is Our Definitive Version! With Joey Suto of Rock Show Critique

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

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 147: When the Live Version is Our Definitive Version! With Joey Suto of Rock Show Critique

Please welcome Joey Suto of Rock Show Critique to the cast!  We have a fun and varied show for you tonight, with lots of physical product.  Expect CDs, vinyl, and maybe some tapes too.  Tonight we’ll be looking at songs where the live version is our definitive version!  This is a topic right up the Mad Metal Man’s alley!

Surely, you can name a few yourself.  Some will be appearing in tonight’s show!  Think about songs where the live version is always the go-to for you.  And which live version?  A newer one?  A vintage one?  We’ll hear 30 picks tonight, not including overlap.  (Disclaimer for the pedantic:  We don’t care how much of a recording is “live” for this exercise.)

Join us live, as we love to interact in the comments!

Friday May 15 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 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.

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 32: En Vivo!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 32:  En Vivo!

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode – 15th Anniversary of the Santiago Chile concert!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #142

Another Maiden live album?  Another 50 Years of Iron Maiden live episode.  Hitting the skies in a brand new Ed Force One jet, our heavy metal heroes embarked upon “the road” once again.  With the new space and science fiction-themed Final Frontier album providing new Eddies and new songs, the Maiden live show evolved once again.  With six new songs (including intro “Satellite 15”) and an alien hybrid Eddie, Iron Maiden roared into Santiago, Chile intending to record a live DVD and Blu-ray.  Recorded on this day, 15 years ago,  April 10 2011, history was made and documented.  The album was released almost a year later, on March 26 2012.

Join Mike and Harrison live, as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the En Vivo! concert.  Another double live CD and DVD or Blu-ray set, we will take you through the entire track list song by song.  The visual aspects of the show will be accounted for, and the unique split-screen editing will be assessed.  The bonus DVD includes a music video (and a short behind the scenes clip) and a 90 minute documentary called “Behind the Beast”.  We will take you through each in our usual detailed manner.

Is this just another Maiden live album?  What tracks stand out?  How does it compare to other live albums?  We’ll assess the whole thing and let you know.

Please join us live if you can.  We love interacting in the comments, and these live albums give us an excuse to do these Maiden episodes as live ones.  You make it worth it!

Friday April 10 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: From Fear To Eternity – The Best Of 1990-2010

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: From Fear To Eternity – The Best Of 1990-2010

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

Iron Maiden have certainly done many compilations since the reunion era began.  Last time we looked at Somewhere Back In Time, which covered the 1980s.  Leaving no loose ends, the followup album From Fear To Eternity covers 1990 to 2000.  It is Maiden’s sixth compilation album, and fourth 2 CD set of that kind.  It follows a blueprint set by Somewhere Back In Time, but with some notable inclusions and exclusions.

The cover art on this album is given a special inspection in this episode, as Mike and Harrison point out every Easter egg and reference to prior albums.  We also take a good look at the inside cover, a nice piece of art in itself.  This episode is a feast for the eyes!

Not quite long enough to make into an officially numbered episode, but informative and interesting nonetheless, From Fear To Eternity is a good solid look at an era of Maiden that snobs often ignore:  the underrated 1990s, the glory of the reunion era, and some of the best epic long-bombers of Maiden’s career.  Don’t believe us?  Join tonight for the fun.  It’s all for the love of Maiden.  Up the Irons!

 

Friday March 27 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Hot Metal

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: ‘Hot Metal’

Featuring Tim Durling from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode

 

This special bonus episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden would not be possible without the efforts of Tim Durling of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, who years ago informed us of a long-forgotten Iron Maiden cassette release from 1986.  On TVC episode 351 (“Rare CDs”), during a portion where I was showing of my Iron Maiden First Ten Years box set, Tim told us of a cassette release exclusive to the A&A Records and Tapes chain in Canada.  Mike has a long history with A&A, being something of a home base for him during his highschool years.  Tim acquired and sent Mike the cassette of this odd release:  Iron Maiden – Hot Metal, an A&A three track “sampler” exclusive, on Capitol Records.

In this episode we take a good look at this release, which featured a nice three-page foldout with lots to look at.  The tape is clearly geared to new fans who are still buying Iron Maiden catalogue releases, as you’ll see when we dive deep into the innards of the tape.  Priced at just 99 cents, the cassette is essentially a “cassingle” of the “Wasted Years” 12″, but with a twist.  Join Mike and Harrison for a mini-episode suited to this mini-cassette!

Join us for some memories of A&A Records and Tapes (and Compact Discs!), and a close look at a really nice cassette release with quality music and content inside.  Special thanks to Tim’s Vinyl Confessions for providing the video content from his episode providing background on the tape, and actually sending us a copy!

This special episode will run at a special time, see below and hope to see you in the comments.

 

Wednesday March 25 at  7:00 AM EST, 8:00 AM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 31: The Final Frontier

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 31:  The Final Frontier

With special guest D’Arcy Briggs

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #140

When Iron Maiden returned on 13 August 2010 with a new studio album The Final Frontier, for the first time in a long time, it felt like “just another Iron Maiden album”.  There were no gimmicks, no comebacks, just 10 new songs.  Many of the new songs were longer and looser.  The beginning of the new Iron Maiden?  We at 50 Years of Iron Maiden try to appreciate each album as they stand on their own, and in this episode we break it down track by track, retrieving nuggets of gold.

Joining Mike and Harrison this time is new guest D’Arcy Briggs from the @Darcyska YouTube channel.  D’Arcy was glad to be able to choose this album.  He explains why in the episode.  Once again, we have the right guest for the right record.  This is a passionate episode with depth and appreciation for an album that often slips through the cracks.

Unfortunately, for the first time in Iron Maiden history, we have a new studio album with no new B-sides.  We do have singles, but no additional songs.

Once our trio of fans breaks down the album for analysis, Harrison will run us through the tour and setlists.  Would many of these songs reappear on tours down the road?  Harrison has the details.  And of course, we’ll address the controversial artwork!

Please join us for this premiere as we love to interact in the comments!

Friday March 6 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

SCHEDULE NOTE:  CLOCKS CHANGE ON SUNDAY – DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 30: Somewhere Back In Time & Flight 666

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 30: Somewhere Back In Time & Flight 666

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #139

Scream for me, YouTube!  In May 2008, Iron Maiden released a new “best of” CD, unlike the previous four.  Yes, that makes Somewhere Back In Time– The Best of: 1980-1989 the fifth Iron Maiden “best of”.  Despite the title, it has no songs from the first two albums, subbing in live versions with Bruce singing.  The actual tracklist focused on the Dickinson albums from 1982-1988 (Number of the Beast to Seventh Son).  Then, Maiden embarked upon a tour designed to recreate the Live After Death era, with some added goodies (and Eddies) from Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son (plus one song that didn’t fit).

Singer Bruce Dickinson, who was also a licensed pilot, had an idea:  would it be possible to modify a passenger jet to carry all their gear and crew, and fly it from gig to gig no matter how far?

It was indeed possible (if not difficult), and Ed Force One took to the skies to bring Iron Maiden to their fans around the world.  In the pilot’s seat:  Bruce himself!

The first leg of the Somewhere Back In Time tour was documented by Sam Dunn and Banger films for a movie:  Flight 666.  This film played theatrically, and was eventually released on a double DVD set with the movie and all the complete songs.  There was a complete soundtrack on CD and vinyl, and tonight we’re going to look at it all.

Mike and Harrison will dive deep into the film, the songs and the tour.  Mike has over 2000 words of notes, and copies of Flight 666 on CD, DVD and vinyl.  We will tackle Somewhere Back In Time itself as an album, and Harrison will discuss the tour legs that followed.

This will truly be an epic episode, so do not miss it.  We love to interact with the comments.

 

Friday February 27 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 28: Death on the Road

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 28: Death on the Road

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode with guest Jex Russell

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #135

Scream for me, YouTube!  We’re back with our first live Maiden episode of 2026.  We try and do the live albums as live episodes, since we love that live show experience so much.  With us this time is a lucky owner of the Death on the Road DVD, Mr. Jex Russell!  We first saw his copy of the DVD back in June 26 on a special episode on our Maiden collections.  That set being such a rarity, we had to get Jex back on board when it was time to talk about it.

The early 2000s were an incredibly busy time for Iron Maiden, and for the first time ever we had two consecutive live albums after two consecutive studio albums.  This leads to natural comparisons with Rock In Rio, which also received CD and DVD releases.

Tonight we go all-in for the live album, breaking it down track by track.  Harrison and Jex will have their DVD copies on hand to detail us on its contents.  All three of us will be live to answer your questions and comments as we go!  Don’t miss this special live episode!

 

Friday January 23 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

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