dennis stratton

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.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

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.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

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.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

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.

 

 

 

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

50 Years of Iron Maiden: Updated Playlist

Playlist below has been updated.  All episode dates subject to change.  Tomorrow is our 10th episode, not including bonus shorts!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 4: Maiden Japan, Live!! + One, Live at the Rainbow

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 4: Maiden Japan, Live!! + One, Live at the Rainbow

 

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #90

Closing out the Di’Anno years, Harrison and I take a deep dive into the live releases that accompanied them.  Live!! + One was an exclusive Japanese EP that featured “Women In Uniform” (covered in Episode 2), and three live tracks, two of which were exclusive (and awesome).  Maiden Japan, of course, was the live EP that you know and love.  Live at the Rainbow was an excellent home video that featured Paul on vocals.  We tackle all this on tonight’s episode.

You will see our copies of these releases (but not Live!! + One since I didn’t buy it the one time I saw it), and hear about them in detail.  This episode is our sendoff to Paul Di’Anno, and we discuss his reasons for leaving.  And in came a young upstart named Bruce Bruce…

This short and energetic episode features just Harrison and myself, but we’ll be back next time with a new special guest, and a new lead singer!

Past episodes:

Friday February 14 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube.

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 3: Killers with Martin Popoff

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 3:  Killers (1981)

With Martin Popoff

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #87

Here is the episode we’ve all been waiting for:  Author Martin Popoff (Iron Maiden: Album By Album) joins us to talk about record #2, Killers.

With Adrian Smith now in the fold, Maiden settled into the studio with legendary producer Martin Birch to lay down another series of tracks that the band had been working up for years.  “Wrathchild”, “Killers”, “The Ides of March” and more will be broken down, track by track.

Martin will also be telling us a little bit about his forthcoming book, Hallowed By Their Name: The Unofficial Iron Maiden Bible, currently up for pre-order (released April 28 2025).  This book is sure to be a must-have.

We will also discuss the singles, the B-sides, and the tour.  Once again Harrison goes through the Killers tour and tells us the facts, figures and songs.

Don’t miss this awesome episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden, tonight on Youtube.

Past episodes:

Friday January 24 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube.

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 2: Iron Maiden (1980) and “Women In Uniform” with John Clauser

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 2: Iron Maiden (1980) and “Women In Uniform”

With John Clauser (My Music Corner)

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #86

Welcome to the big leagues, as Iron Maiden are signed to EMI and release their first singles and album!  New members Clive Burr and Dennis Stratton are now on board with Steve Harris, Dave Murray, and Paul Di’Anno.  We cover it all on this second episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Joining Harrison and I is John Clauser from My Music Corner!  We bid you welcome to this special pre-recorded look at Iron Maiden’s self titled debut album.  Because we always aim to go in depth as possible, we’ll discuss the entire album track by track, the artwork, and all the singles and B-sides.  As an added bonus, we’ll also take a look at the standalone single “Women In Uniform”, a Skyhooks cover that the band have somewhat disowned.

A new feature to the series debuts tonight as well:  Harrison Kopp will take the spotlight every time we talk about a studio album, to go over the tour in detail.  Harrison will provide the facts, the figures, and the dates, while also analysing the setlists.  This segment is a highlight of the show.

This episode premieres at 7 o’clock PM exclusively on YouTube.  (Sorry Facebook – we are trying some new things with this Maiden series.  The live episodes will still be streamed to Facebook, but not these recorded ones.)

One of us will try to be in the comments tonight, so if you want to take part in a discussion, please don’t miss the premiere!

Past episodes:

Friday January 17 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube.

#1173: I Like Iron Maiden…A Lot

RECORD STORE TALES #1173: I Like Iron Maiden…A Lot

In 1984, I “rebooted” my musical taste and started from ground zero.  Out went Styx for almost two decades.  Out went Joey Scarbury, and Kenny Rogers.  In came KISS, W.A.S.P., and of course, Iron Maiden.  I don’t think there was ever a time that Iron Maiden were my #1 favourite band, because Kiss almost always held that spot.  It is safe to say that Maiden were always in the top five.

In grade school, I rocked Iron Maiden while being scolded by Catholic school teachers for doing so.  It didn’t stop me.  Through highschool, I proudly had their posters in my locker.  It didn’t matter that Maiden weren’t hip with the cool kids.  I was never cool, and never really intended to be.  I was happy to be one of the Children of the Damned, not having to fit my personality into any particular shoebox.

There was a time I wavered, which I shall now admit to you.  There was one Iron Maiden album that I didn’t intend to own.  I reversed my decision within four months, but it was in the fall of 1990 that Iron Maiden may have faltered in my eyes.  The album was the “back to basics” No Prayer For the Dying.  My favourite member, Adrian Smith was out.  I loved Janick Gers’ work with Bruce Dickinson, but I don’t think he quite fit with Maiden immediately.  I also didn’t like the growly, un-melodic way that Bruce Dickinson was singing.  I thought maybe this time, I would just buy the CD singles, and not worry about the album.  I came to my senses.  No Prayer wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the return that we hoped for.  I didn’t really want Maiden to get “back to basics” but was willing to go along for the ride.

My enthusiasm returned in 1992 with Fear of the Dark, a partial return to form with some solid tracks.  It could have been better, but I was happy.  Then the roof fell in.  Suddenly, Bruce Dickinson was out.  Meanwhile, the entire world had been sent into a grunge upheaval.  Bands like Iron Maiden were dismissed as irrelevant in this new angry world.  Bands who played their instruments with seasoned pride were being replaced by groups with punk aesthetics.  Maiden seemingly had no place in this new world, and now the lead singer was gone.  Just like Motley Crue, who were suffering a similar fate.

Blaze Bayley was the audacious name of the new singer, from Wolfsbane, and a different one he was.  A deep baritone, he was little like Bruce.  Immediately, I loved The X Factor.  My girlfriend at the time ridiculed me by telling me that Iron Maiden would “never be cool again”.

Oh, how wrong she was.

By the year 1999, Bruce was back.  And so was Adrian.  Maiden have never been bigger.  They have continued to issue albums, never being shy to play new material and deep cuts live.

That’s why I’m telling you this story.  2025 marks 50 Years of Iron Maiden, and there will be a lot happening.  2025 will launch the Run For Your Lives tour, and Bruce has promised that they will play some songs they’ve never done before.  It will also be the debut of new drummer Simon Dawson, from Steve Harris’ British Lion.  Nicko McBrain, on the drum stool since 1983, has finally taken a bow from the live stage.  It can’t be easy doing what he does.

2025 will also mark the launch of a new Martin Popoff book on Maiden (more on that in the coming weeks) and most importantly…tomorrow, January 10, Harrison Kopp and I will launch our own video series, 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

I have “only” been a fan for 40 years, but I’m all here for it.  Up the Irons.  Let’s give ‘er in 2025!

 

IRON MAIDEN SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT! Grab A Stack of Rock Celebrates 50 Years of Iron Maiden

Coming in 2025, right here on WordPress and YouTube.

M – Hi!  This is Mike!

H – And this is Harrison, from Grab A Stack of Rock

M – And we just wanted to let you know we have something very exciting cooking up for 2025.

H – That’s right.  2025 is the 50th Anniversary of the formation of Iron Maiden, and we are going to mark the occasion with a series of deep dives.

M – Right here on Youtube, we plan on discussing every studio, and every song, in detail.  We’re also bringing in a slate of special guests to help us.

H – Not just studio albums, but we will also be talking about the official live records too.

M – Live records, B-sides, the history, the artwork…we plan on doing Iron Maiden right.

H – I guess it will be my job to talk about the tours, correct?

M – That’s right buddy.  You’re an expert on the setlists, so we’ll have to touch on what songs were played, and which ones never were.

H – We have our work cut out for us my friend.

M – We sure do, but it’ll be a labour of love.  I’m really looking forward to this, especially some of the guests that will be joining us.

H – Let’s not spoil everything just yet.

M – You’re right Harrison.  So like, subscribe, and share the Grab A Stack of Rock Youtube channel for 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

H – Coming in 2025.

#ironmaiden #nickomcbrain #brucedickinson #pauldianno #steveharris #eddie #derekriggs #martinpopoff #martinbirch #davemurray #adriansmith #paulmarioday #denniswilcock #blazebayley #janickgers #adriansmith #cliveburr #dennisstratton #grabastackofrock