Harrison Kopp

🅻🅸🆅🅴 What’s In Our Bag? New Record Store Purchases – Australian Takeover!

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

Episode 114: Australian Takeover with Harrison Kopp, Ashley Geisler and Peter Kerr

This special episode was originally scheduled a month ago, but the sad and unexpected departure of Ozzy Osbourne put that show on hold.  Tonight, the Australian Contingent reunite to show and discuss new music and new purchases, on Grab A Stack of Rock.

This will be Harrison’s first full hosting experience without Jex Russell.  Mike will not be there tonight, as he still needs some time off.  He does, however, have a cool guest video to show tonight, of a Super 7 “Ultimates” figure of a certain ghoulish frontman from a charismatic rock band.  This is Mike’s very first Super 7 Ultimates figure and it will be your first look at its unboxing and accessories.

Joining the Mad Metal Man will be Ash Geisler from Ash’s Concerts and Videos.  Ash has been saving up some new arrivals for this show, and we cannot wait to see what he has in store.  He usually has some obscure Australian releases.  And, of course, Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation will be on hand with some musical surprises to share.  Who knows what this trio of Southern Hemisphere Musical Maniacs will have in store!?

It all goes down, LIVE, tonight!  Don’t miss it!

 

 

Friday August 29 at 7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 20: Virtual XI with Jake (Not From State Farm)

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 20:  Virtual XI

With special guest Jake (Not From State Farm)

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #113

2nd show of Friday August 7!  For Music & Mental Health II, click here.

 

The Blaze Bayley era ended as swiftly as it began.  Two studio albums and a handful of singles were all this lineup produced.  Here we appraise the final Iron Maiden album with Blaze at the microphone, the oft-misunderstood Virtual XI.

This episode will prove to be our most controversial to date.  Special guest Jake (Not From State Farm) does not hold back on certain topics, especially when it comes to fandom unwilling to accept the new lead singer.  As fans of this dark era of Iron Maiden, we will tell you what was great about this album, while hopefully taking a balanced approach.  Even so, some will not be happy with what we have to say.

Personal memories of Virtual XI are coupled with the facts and figures.  Unlike the X Factor, we do not have 14 original studio tracks to break down this time.  Iron Maiden took a leaner approach to songwriting and recording this time, but the two singles (“Angel and the Gambler”, and “Futureal”) did yield a small treasure trove of live versions, something that the previous singles did not.  As usual we will look at every single B-side, including the edit version of “Angel and the Gambler”.  We will also take a look at the limited edition lenticular cover art, while Harrison will go into detail on the accompanying tour.

Buckle up, metal heads.  Tonight we take no prisoners on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Friday August 8 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #111

Iron Maiden’s first official compilation album came at an interesting time.  Many bands release such albums after a massive success, to keep capitalizing upon it and keep the artist on the charts.  In Maiden’s career, the first compilation came during the dark times of the 1990s, when sales were lower and tickets were not flying out the door.  Welcome to Best of the Beast, available in several configurations.  There was a single CD (which we ignore for the purposes of this episode), a beefed up double CD, and a Holy Grail 4 LP set with exclusive extra tracks.

Taking a roughly reverse-chronological approach, Best of the Best contained a new single called “Virus”, unreleased live tracks, and the Soundhouse Tapes reissued.  Harrison and I cover every single track, what might have been missing, and all the B-sides to the “Virus” single.  We also take a deep dive into the artwork for the album, single, and postcards included.  The album itself was a deluxe package with plenty of Eddies to enjoy.

Have you decided that you don’t need Best of the Beast because it is “merely” a compilation?  Harrison and I will convince you otherwise, tonight on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Friday August 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

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Found Musical Treasures! Last Video Before House Renos! [VIDEO]

At long last, it is time for house renovations!  We are receiving new windows and doors, as Phase One of this long awaited project.  It begins today, July 28 2025.

In preparation for this project, I have dug up and rediscovered some cool treasures.  We will be taking a look at more of them at a later time, but for this video, I decided to take advantage of the calm before the storm.  Before the dust starts a-flyin’, let’s have a quick look at some fun re-discovered items in the Grab A Stack collection.

This video is for fans of toys, cassettes, Harrison Kopp, Kiss, Tim Durling, or country music.  That’s a lot of people, so I hope you check it out!  It’s live now on YouTube, so give the link a click!

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 18: The X Factor with Jake (Not From State Farm)

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 18: The X Factor

With special guest Jake (Not From State Farm)

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #109

For weeks we have been building to this moment.  The Fear of the Dark era ends, and a new singer is required.  After considering Doogie White, who went on to success with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Iron Maiden chose Wolfbane’s Blaze Bayley as their new lead singer.  While Blaze had a connection opening for Maiden, his selection was a surprise to some.  A power baritone, Blaze was not an operatic singer like Bruce Dickinson.  Nor was he a complex punky shouter like Paul Di’Anno.  What would the new Iron Maiden sound like?  We tackle that subject and much more on tonight’s epic episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

For the first time since No Prayer for the Dying back in the beginning of June, Harrison and I are joined by a special guest to dissect this album.  You may know Jake (Not From State Farm) from his appearance with me on John Clauser’s Music Corner.  Jake asked for these episodes (the pair of Blaze studio albums) because of his deep love for this era.  Both Jake and Harrison come at this album from the perspective of having a special connection with the music of Blaze.  Mike on the other hand is more simply an Iron Maiden fan, and provides a sense of balance.  We hope.

This is the longest episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden to date!  Why?  Because we have so much to discuss:

  • 14 original studio songs including three Japanese bonus tracks (B-sides elsewhere)
  • Two cover songs (B-sides:  The Who and UFO)
  • The cover art by Hugh Syme (two versions)
  • A deep analysis of the lyrical themes
  • Our personal stories and connections with The X Factor
  • Facts and trivia
  • The tour and setlist
  • The Blaze Bayley interview tracks (B-sides) of which we have five segments to play for you

As usual you can expect us to be comprehensive, and we do not disappoint in this episode.

We hope you can make the premiere tonight where I always try to interact in the comment section!  Up the irons, and into the unknown!

 

Friday July 18 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

* I wanna shoot myself for saying the “STATE” of Quebec instead of “PROVINCE” in this episode. UGH. What a mis-speak. So embarassing!

Past episodes:

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #108

Scream for me, YouTube! For the “Final” time, Bruce Dickinson takes the stage with Iron Maiden, at Pinewood Studios in the UK.  It was a big pay-per-view worldwide TV broadcast.  Recorded 28 Aug 1993, the Air Raid Siren bid farewell after 11 years in Iron Maiden.

Released on VHS on 5 September 1994, the Raising Hell show is controversial for one main reason:  Simon Drake.  A “horror magician” that was invited not to open the show, but to perform alongside and during the show, Drake’s “magic” was a unique addition to Iron Maiden.  Drake had his own segments on a side stage, but also interacted with the band on “From Here to Eternity” and other segments.

Even watching the show without Drake’s segments, it’s an odd one for Iron Maiden.  A smaller stage inside a studio is an unusual place to see an Iron Maiden concert.  Still, history unfolded that night, and Harrison and I are here to tell you all about it.  And show you, too:  we will run a selection of the Simon Drake bits for you to…enjoy?

Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden ends the reign of Bruce, as we soon embark on the era of Blaze.  Tune in tonight and join the comments!

 

Friday July 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #106

Scream for me, YouTube!  Harrison and Mike will be live Friday evening, July 4, for our next episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  This period is a busy one in Maiden history.  The 1992 Fear on the Road tour resulted in a live album, 1993’s A Real Live One, which contained no overlap with previous live album Live After Death (ignoring Maiden England for this comparison).  The point was value, but was that a good idea?  The intention was always to follow it with A Real Dead One, but Bruce’s announcement that he was leaving Iron Maiden in 1993 put the dampers over the whole affair.  After Bruce had played his final show and was diving into making his solo album Balls to Picasso, Iron Maiden released a double live Live at Donington to commemorate the significant 1992 live gig with Bruce in the band.

There was also a VHS release of Bruce’s final show called Raising Hell, but we will tackle that subject in the next live episode.  For this week, we are covering 4 CDs of live Maiden, plus all the B-sides.  That means you’re getting A Real Live One, A Real Dead One, Live At Donington, plus the live singles for “Fear of the Dark” and “Hallowed Be That Name”.  Every song – that is how we do it here on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Artwork is an interesting subject to tackle when it comes to these albums.  Derek Riggs was back after a one-album absence, to provide artwork on A Real Live One and A Real Dead One.  Donington was issued with a simple white “bootleg” cover, the Maiden logo stamped in black, and no booklet.  Some consider this release to be an early form of an “official bootleg” release.   All these albums were reissued in 1998 with some changes.  A Real Live One and A Real Dead One were combined into one, and Donington was given actual cover art this time by Marillion artist Mark Wilkinson, featuring a demonic bat-Eddie 1992 concert goers would recognise from the show.  Mark will reappear in this series down the line….

Harrison and Mike will attempt to digest all of this live Maiden tonight, live.  Join us in the comments!

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

TWO SHOW WEEKEND! 50 Years of Iron Maiden, and the return of Jex Russell on Grab A Stack of Rock 🅻🅸🆅🅴 !

I am pleased to announce that Jex Russell is returning to the Grab A Stack of Rock live arena this Saturday morning.  In addition to that, Harrison Kopp and Mike will still be doing Episode 16 of 50 Years of Iron Maiden on Friday night, at our usual time.  Here are the details.

Friday July 4 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.: Grab A Stack of Rock Episode 106
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 16: Live At Donington & A Real Live Dead One
Mike and Harrison will tackle FOUR CDs of live Iron Maiden…live!

Saturday July 5 at 8:00 A.M. E.S.T.: Grab A Stack of Rock Episode 107
Ask Jex Anything! Music and Mental Health
Jex Russell returns to Grab A Stack of Rock for his first full live episode since fall 2024. Jex has had a lot of “Where have you been?” questions and he is eager to answer. We’ll be talking about music, mental health, and the importance of taking little moments for yourself. Mike will talk about his own journey with a chapter of his tale that he has never told before.

Don’t miss these two crucial live episodes of Grab A Stack of Rock!

Find us on YouTube!

 

 

VIDEO: Going Ape – A Brickfilm Horror Short

My talented friend and co-host Harrison Kopp has spent the last several months not just working on 50 Years of Iron Maiden, but also his own original animated Lego horror story called Going Ape.  Entirely built, animated and scored by Harrison, his first completed Lego animation is 100% his own original work.  He felt that for his debut short film, it should be him doing all the creative work.  He was obviously right, because it turns out young Harrison is not bad at music either.

The top secret lab setting of Going Ape gives it an impending apocalyptic feel.  Just another day at the office?  Not this time as things gradually go awry at the San Jacinto Research Laboratory.  Not even the solid brick-built walls of the lab can protect the hapless scientists tonight.

Please enjoy Harrison’s first completed animated short, Going Ape.  Grab some popcorn!

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 15: Fear of the Dark

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 15:  Fear of the Dark

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #105

In the spring of 1992, Iron Maiden returned with new music, less than two years since No Prayer for the Dying.  Album #2 for Janick Gers, and final album (for a long time) with Bruce Dickinson.  It was also the final production before retiring for longtime Maiden compatriot, Martin “Black Knight” Birch.  An historic album, significant in the discography, but of mixed reception.  We tackle Maiden’s direction(s) on this album, the first of the “grunge era” which found bands like Iron Maiden with diminishing sales.  We also had to address the new artwork by Melvyn Grant, the first Maiden album cover without Derek Riggs.

Eeeeewhhh-ZACH!  Maiden began to explore current events in their lyrics, along with some different musical directions, from ballads to Zeppelin-like dirges.   Were they chasing trends?  Harrison makes some arguments for this, while Mike bluntly states what he likes and does not like about each of the 12 album tracks.

There are more than just the 12 album tracks to discuss:  a variety of B-sides are included, such as covers of Montrose, Budgie and Chuck Berry songs.  There are comedic novelty songs (plural!) for fans only, and there are live tracks, plus one rare remix.  We tackle all of them.

As usual, Harrison discusses the tour, and how many of the songs were actually played live.  You can count on us to give you a complete picture of every era of Iron Maiden, and Fear of the Dark is one that makes for good deconstructing.  You can also count on our honesty, and Fear of the Dark is an album that divides fans…again.

Tell us what you think tonight on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

 

Friday June 20 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

BONUS!  We also unboxed Martin Popoff’s new book HALLOWED BY THEIR NAME: THE UNOFFICIAL IRON MAIDEN BIBLE in a bonus episode earlier this week!

 

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist: