Merry Christmas from Marillion! A happy Christmas present:  all the way from New Yawk City, Mr. Davey Cretin joins Grab A Stack of Rock as surprise guest!  Davey comes aboard with an already epic cast:  bicyclelegs, also in his debut, and the returning Todd Evans.  Together we broke down our favourites from a large pool of seasonal Christmas songs by Marillion.

Bicyclelegs has 26 Marillion Christmas releases, dwarfing my 19.  More Christmas albums than studio albums.  Though there was a little bit of repeat on some favourite tracks, there was also one clear winner.  You’ll have to watch to see which one.  There was also a bit of a discussion on a certain Christmas song made famous by Mariah Carey.  Who did it better:  Carey, or Marillion?  I’m sure you can guess my preference.

From carols dating back to the 1600s, to drunken covers and originals, we ran the gamut of styles.  Though there was levity, there was also clear passion for this band, their musicianship, and what they mean to each of us.

• Check out bicyclelegs’ channel:  @bicyclelegsmusic
• Check out Cretin Classics:  @daveycretin664
• Todd can frequently be found on the Contrarians:  @thecontrarians2438

Next week, there will be a special live presentation of three older Grab A Stack of Rock shorts, with new intro and outro by me.  I hope you will check it out.  I even included an easter egg for you to find.  Meanwhile, I’ll be busy recording a super-fun episode with Peter Kerr at Rock Daydream Nation.

Check out the Marillion show below:

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 81:  Top Five Marillion Christmas Songs with Todd Evans & bicyclelegs

Todd Evans is back to talk Marillion once again!  He brings with him Australia’s own bicyclelegs, with whom I’m covering favourite tracks from each studio album on his channel.  These two progressive rock professors will be joining me to discuss our favourite Christmas songs performed by Marillion.  The band have recorded both covers and originals, and tonight we’ll brief you on what we think are the cream of the crop.

I have 19 Marillion Christmas albums in my collection; for the physical media buffs, I will show you each one.  For simplicity’s sake, one could also use the compilation A Collection of Recycled Gifts, which in its extended format has 15 songs to choose from.

Please join us live in the comments section tonight for some progressive rock Christmas fun.  There may even be surprises.

Friday December 6 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!