50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 11: Somewhere In Time
With special guest Peter Kerr
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #101
Exit Pharaohs…enter synth!?
Please welcome Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation to this epic episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden. Now that we are done with the 100th Episode festivities, we can get back to celebrating the 50th anniversary of Iron Maiden. After the lengthy Powerslave tour and resultant live album Live After Death, one member of Iron Maiden was completely burned out. The new album would be the first since The Number of the Beast to lack a Bruce Dickinson writing credit.
Not that this major detail held anything back. Bruce’s singing was still lung-burstingly powerful, and the band were writing amazing songs…this time with guitar and bass synthesizer. It was a controversial decision, but our panel was not phased. Check out what we have to say about all eight tracks, and all four B-sides.
We also take a serious deep dive into the album artwork, without any help from Wikipedia or other sources.
As usual, we close the show with Harrison’s deep dive into the tour (Somewhere On Tour) and setlists.
Scream for us, YouTube, and enjoy this comeback episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
Airing Friday May 2 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube.
Thanks to all who joined our special live episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden celebrating Live After Death. I always like to write up a little show summary every time we do a live episode. For Harrison and I, scheduling guests required pre-recording episodes for this series. However, we aim to do the live albums as live episodes, because why not? Most of them do not have special guests attached to them, but Live After Death had to be an exception, due to its importance in heavy metal. This week our special guest was show co-founder and viewer favourite Uncle Meat!
Together, the three of us broke down the album, side by side. Each side of this album has its own flavour. I had a favourite. We discuss the spectacular vocal acrobatics of Bruce Dickinson, some (perhaps) excessive crowd interactions, some nearly definitive versions of songs, and some interesting stage banter. We also go deep with the three B-sides: “Losfer Words”, “Run to the Hills” and “Running Free”.
Finally, we take a really good look at the original vinyl itself, the gatefold, the Easter eggs, and much more!
And speaking of Easter eggs, we’ll see you next week for our special live Good Friday afternoon show, and following that, our 100th episode celebration!
Recorded:
14–17 March 1985 (sides 1–3) Long Beach Arena
8–12 October 1984 (side 4) Hammersmith Odeon
Released 14 October 1985 (audio)
23 October 1985 (video)
The first release of Churchill’s speech added onto Aces High.
SIDE ONE
String of hits, five in a row. Easily the best first side of any live metal album.
Aces High – a lot of really really “clean” backing vocals – overdubs?
Revelations – “Nice to see ya, to see ya…nice.” “Written about religion, or about washing your car, actually it’s about hanging a pair of curtains.”
Lot of “extra singing” from Bruce. “yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah oh, oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah…” Also lots of variation from the album melody. Lots of extra power from Bruce vocally.
And then “Oh, oh, it is you…” “Motherfucker!” – Nicko?
SIDE TWO
“This is what NOT to do if a bird shits on ya!” One of the most famous song intros of all time?
Also lots of that “extra singing” – “Yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah…”
Followed by “Powerslave” as a serious 1-2 punch.
Ending with Beast is a great record closer. Intro is interesting as it’s pitch-changed with effects added. Also Bruce sings the complete choruses and not just “six”.
SIDE THREE
Another side of smash hits. “Hallowed” (funny twang in Bruce’s delivery)
“Iron Maiden”, “Run to the Hills”, and “Running Free” with the long audience participation section. Kind of the definitive version of this kind of concert activity.
“Hills” is the only song I like a lot less than the album version. Guitar opening sounds thin, Steve’s bass too plunky. Bruce doesn’t sound as enthused compared to Beast Over Hammersmith.
SIDE FOUR
“Wrathchild” is a brilliant addition from the Di’Anno days though “Killers” would have been great too. A definitive Bruce version of “Wrathchild”. Lots of that “extra singing” and you can hear Harris on the chorus clearly.
“Acacia” – “Speak to me, Hammersmith!” – I like Bruce’s echo – “I know a place where we can go go go go…” Great guitar solo work here.
“Damned” – “Let me see those hands, yeeeah!” Magnificent vocal performance by Bruce, top notch all the way! Lovely guitar harmonics after Bruce sings “If he had lived, he would have crucified us all!”
“Boots” – Very frantic vocal delivery with speed.
“Phantom” – an absolutely epic way to end the album. When I first got it, it was an unexpected track. It was my first time hearing it.
B-SIDES
“Losfer Words” – Feels faster and more intense than the album version. A great bonus track and the only live performance available to buy.
“Sanctuary” – Too much “extra singing” in this one!
“Murders in the Rue Morgue” – “Got a surprise for ya!”
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 10: Live After Death
A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #98
Some call it the greatest metal live album of all time. It was certainly of an unusually high quality when it was released in 1985, for Iron Maiden’s Live After Death was over 100 minutes of masterful classics, accompanied by a generous booklet with liner notes and hundreds of tour photos. It had no equal in heavy metal.
Tonight on 50 Years of Iron Maiden, Harrison and I will be live! It’s a gimmick we want to try for live albums: live episodes to celebrate the live experience! Joining us is show co-founder Uncle Meat, returning to the channel for this special deep dive. Not only is 2025 the 50th anniversary of Iron Maiden, but it is the 40th anniversary of this legendary live album. Meat and I were there in 1985, relishing every note when it was brand new.
Together we will break down all four sides of vinyl (the original CD only featured the first three sides, and the cassette had an edited version of side two, so vinyl used to be the only way to get the whole album). We will also go deep on the rarely heard live B-sides “Sanctuary”, “Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “Losfer Words”. For physical media, we will look at the 1995 2 CD reissue, the remastered 2 CD reissue, the original vinyl, and the singles…one of which didn’t even have Eddie on the cover!
Since this is a live episode, we’ll also be able to take your comments live! Don’t miss this special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.
LIVE on Friday April 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
‘Twas a cool day in both Australia and Canada when three of us braved the scorching desert sands of Powerslave! Joined by the legendary bicyclegs, Harrison and I took a deep dive into all eight tracks and all four B-sides. Each time, our guest has picked a personal favourite album and bicyclelegs’ passion for Powerslave is obvious. Join us for some deep insight into the songs, the lyrics and subject matter, the musicianship and of course the artwork!
As for physical product, we’ll see the vinyl and the new zoetrope vinyl too. There are some special Reaction figures by Super 7 relevant to the album, and some singles too.
Taking the wheel at the end, Harrison will tell us of the tour, the setlists, and the songs that were played and how frequently. Harrison is a musical tour encyclopedia, and this is always a highlight of the show.
Don’t miss this awesome episode, and be sure to like and subscribe if you haven’t already.
Friday April 4 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube.
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Maiden Grail Acquired
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode
Back in 2013, T-Rev and I hit up the Hamilton record show, where I first encountered Iron Maiden’s Live!! + One EP. I held it in my hands. I didn’t know what I was holding, and I put it back, assuming I had all the tracks already. I did not. It was $100.
A few weeks ago, John Clauser from My Music Corner was heading to a record store in Birmingham Alabama. I asked, on a lark, if he would mind picking me up a Live!! +One and he said “sure”! He packed it with care and send it to Canada. A Holy Grail item for sure, I was thrilled to get it. Now you can watch me open the record as all three of us (John, Harrison and I) take a solid look at the record. There are different versions available of varying authenticity, so let’s take a good look at this record.
Would you have bought it? Let us know in the comments.
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Run For Your Lives Dream Setlist
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK bonus episode
Welcome to our very first “bonus episode” of 50 Years of Iron Maiden! These bonus episodes will feature shorter videos on a variety of topics. With Maiden’s 2025 tour beginning in May, we wanted to get ahead of the pack and speculate on the setlist.
Harrison and I set two rules for these setlists, based on what we know from Iron Maiden themselves. 1) Each one of the first nine albums will be represented in the set, and 2) They will at least one song that has never been played live before. From there we let our imaginations run wild!
What songs do you think Maiden will play this year? What’s on your wishlist? Tell us in the comments below, and UP THE IRONS in 2025!
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 8: Drummer Spotlight
With Glen “Archie” Gamble
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #95
Do you want to know who almost replaced Nicko McBrain in Iron Maiden? Stay tuned because Archie Gamble has the details in this special episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden, on Grab A Stack of Rock!
Former Helix drummer Glen “Archie” Gamble joins us for this special drummer spotlight, bringing us insight as a touring musician. In this episode, we discuss Archie’s fandom, each drummer’s approach, Nicko’s stance on double bass, a drummer’s retirement, what challenges the new guy Simon Dawson will face, and much more.
Archie’s perspective in this episode was invaluable, as we sat down to appreciate the drummers of Iron Maiden, and catch a glimpse of life on the road and in a band.
Here comes Melissa Nee, dropping knowledge bombs all over Piece of Mind! Melissa is a long time fan, having seen the band on this actual tour. Her insight, appreciation and multitude of knowledge make this a must-watch episode!
Flying over the valley, to the Eagles’ Nest, we cover the album album track by track from “Where Eagles Dare” to “To Tame A Land”. Special attention is paid to the lyrics. Four songs on this album have accompanying books or movies, and this is covered as well. Most importantly, this album is the debut of Nicko McBrain, replacing the beloved Clive Burr on drums.
As usual, we cover the artwork, both single B-sides, and the tour. Harrison and Melissa go deep on the live show, setlist and stories. (There is one important story that happened on this tour, that we will save for the Powerslave episode.)
Please join Harrison, Melissa and I for this mission behind enemy lines: Piece of Mind!
Episode 6 of 50 Years of Iron Maiden (and episode 93 of Grab A Stack of Rock) was a learning experience as Harrison schooled us on the Beast On the Road Tour.
A fabulous live album recorded in 1982 but not released until 2002, Beast Over Hammersmith rivals Live After Death in metal mastery. The lively comments section anticipated all of our praise for this album, which you can get on vinyl, but probably not on CD without buying the Eddie’s Archive box set.
Harrison Kopp was the master of ceremonies, and this episode was all his. Hear about the unusual opener, the instrumental, the guitar solo, the B-side, and much more. Several things came up multiple times in this episode: 1) Bruce Dickinson’s voice at this point in 1982. 2) Clive Burr’s masterful performances of these songs. 3) The band’s fresh take on the songs that would later be played hundreds of times.
This is episode is certain to go down as a favourite. Join us next week with Melissa Nee, for Piece of Mind!
Recorded 20 March 1982 – 2 days before album was out, released 2 November 2002.
Never released in full on video as the band were unhappy with the quality, but you can see part on the 2004 Early Days DVD.
Opener: Murders in the Rue Morgue! Starts slow, showcasing Steve’s bass harmonics. Then goes breakneck! What a strange opener!
Wrathchild is another great Steve bass opener. This one is more along the lines of the album version, but with Bruce singing.
New song Run to the Hills is 3rd in the set! Not as breakneck speed as some versions.
Another new song, Children of the Damned. Bruce announces the album will be out March 22. Tour de force vocals and some nice guitar harmonics added in.
Crowd is very quiet except for a few pockets of cheers to open Number of the Beast. Bruce mentions the “problems” they had in the studio.
Great version of “Another Life”, with Clive absolutely on fire on the snares and cymbols. Bruce’s vocals make the lyrics more clear: “As I lay here lying on my bed.” Amazing Davey soloing here.
Screaming version of Killers next. Bruce at peak voice tackling this song. Otherwise pretty faithful to album cut, especially the guitars and guitar tone. We also learn Adrian had some bruised up ribs that night.
22 Acacia is introduced as an Adrian co-write. Another perfect performance. Bruce’s vocals are biting and growly during the intro.
Bruce says Total Eclipse isn’t really a B-side, but it is. “Didn’t have enough room on the album.” This song and Run to the Hills were on a vinyl single already. The vocals are a little haggard toward the challenging ending high notes.
Leads into instrumental Transylvania, played as it should be by Clive.
Crowd is silent during the Prisoner opening. Great hearing it like with Clive on drums. The drums are fast, frenetic and flawless. Tempo seems a bit faster in the latter part than the album.
Hallowed comes in with no intro from Bruce. Better live version than Live After Death, as Bruce sings the opening a little more true to album. Passionate singing from Bruce.
Phantom – Top performance from Bruce, expressive and soaring! Tempo feels a little faster than album.
Iron Maiden – Breakneck version!
Sanctuary – Same with Sanctuary!
Drifter – Songs tend to flow one into another. I don’t like when Bruce refers to some in the audience as a “fucking women,” but that was the 80s. I doubt he’d say this today.
Running Free – A top Bruce version, with impassioned and wild vocals.
Prowler – Crazy to hear this album opener as a closer.
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