Neither Doug nor Kirk cares about ABBA very much, but we were interested by a letter from music industry insider Bob Lefsetz about "ABBA's Failure in the Marketplace." Did ABBA really fail? Has Bob Lefsetz missed a few elements in the ABBA story? Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : ABBA’s Failure In The Marketplace ABBA: Voyage Our next tracks ...
Dec 22, 2021•30 min
We don't do a Christmas gift guide every year, but we decided we'd select some trinkets and tchotchkes that we'd recommend as gifts this year. Our only constraint was that we don't choose music. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Sonos Roam IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music, Alex Ross Gator F...
Dec 08, 2021•48 min
Doug and Kirk both have large music libraries. They discuss some of the problems of having too much music, and how to wrangle a large library of music files. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Cull Take Control of macOS Media Apps Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists, Kay Larson Episode #130 - Desert Is...
Nov 24, 2021•34 min
We first spoke with TJ Connelly, who scores live sports events for the Boston Bruins and New England Patriots, last year, early in lockdown. He started a project called UncertainFM, which has now expanded to become a full-fledged streaming radio station. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : TJ Connelly Show notes : Episode #184 - TJ Connelly, Boston ...
Nov 10, 2021•45 min
Chris Connaker, our resident audiophile, likes complicated projects. Whether he's putting together a purpose-built audio streaming computer, or building and tuning a listening room, he always wants to go as far as he can. This summer he built an audio system in his backyard and documented it in detail. We discuss the why and how of this project, and ask if his chickens really like Bill Evans. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining s...
Oct 27, 2021•31 min
This is the third time we discuss headphones on The Next Track. Both Doug and Kirk have found that they use fewer headphones, and use headphones differently than in the past. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Episode #5 – Headphones or Speakers? Episode #106 - Music in Your Head: Listening to Music on Headphones Beats Solo Pro AirPods Max The...
Oct 13, 2021•25 min
The recording industry doesn't just make money from new releases, but regularly reissues older releases to exploit their back catalog. Some of these are just repackaged, and others are remixed or remastered. We discuss the issues around these releases, and what all these re- terms mean. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Chicago: Carnegie Hall...
Sep 29, 2021•26 min
Pianist Sholto Kynoch founded the Oxford Lieder Festival in 2002, and it has become the most important festival for lieder and song in the UK. We discuss the festival, and how listeners around the world can watch nearly 100 concerts via streaming in October. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Sholto Kynoch Show notes : Oxford Lieder Festival Our ne...
Sep 15, 2021•39 min
In episode #2 of The Next Track, we discussed streaming versus owning music. That was five years ago. We decided to revisit the topic, to see if we've changed our minds. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Episode #2 – To Stream or to Own Music? Digital music streaming penetration in the United Kingdom 2020, by demographic group Chicago tour da...
Sep 01, 2021•33 min
In a delayed episode celebrating Bob Dylan's 80th birthday, we take a close look at his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde Blonde on Blonde (Wikipedia) Double Album (Wikipedia) Episode #208 - Jeff Slate on Bob Dylan at 80 Mad Magazine fold-in Our next tracks : Robert Fripp, 13th of May 1...
Aug 18, 2021•32 min
More than two-thirds of music listened to in the US is old music. Music less than 18 months old accounts for only a third of listening, and this share is dropping. We discuss what this means for the future of the music industry. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Over 66% of All Music Listening in the Us Is Now of Catalog Records, Rather Than ...
Aug 04, 2021•30 min
With Apple offering some music with Dolby Atmos and/or Spatial Audio on Apple Music, we talk with Chris Connaker about whether this is a Good Thing for music. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Audiophile Style Audiophile Style Podcast Show notes : Episode #211 - Changing Music Forever Episode #193 - Is Stereo Wrong? 1615 Gabrieli in Venice (first ...
Jul 21, 2021•37 min
This week's guest, Bob Trudeau, has co-authored a book, with Barry Barnes, about the Grateful Dead's 100 Essential Songs. Even if you're not a fan of the Grateful Dead, this episode is an interesting discussion of a band's repertoire. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : The Grateful Dead's 100 Essential Songs Show notes : Kirk's Picks A Long Strange...
Jul 07, 2021•34 min
We're happy to welcome back Caoilfhionn Rose to discuss the recording and release of her second album Truly. Caoilfhionn is a young singer from Manchester, and continues the lineage of great music from that city. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Caoilfhionn Rose Truly Show notes : Episode #119 - Caoilfhionn Rose on Gigging, Busking, Recording, an...
Jun 23, 2021•34 min
Apple has introduced lossless, high-resolution, and spatial audio on Apple Music, and claims that the latter will "change music forever." Will it? Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : About lossless audio in Apple Music - Apple Support Jazz in Spatial Audio playlist Episode #193 - Is Stereo Wrong? Satyagraha video on the iTunes Store Our next tr...
Jun 09, 2021•37 min
Emma Swift has recorded a beautiful album of covers of Bob Dylan songs. We spoke with her about what Dylan's music, and what it takes to record an albums of his songs, and partly in lockdown. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Emma Swift Show notes : Blonde on the Tracks Our next tracks : Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux, Pierre-Laurent Aimand Joni Mi...
May 26, 2021•33 min
Sean Latham, Director of the Institute for Bob Dylan Studies, talks about the Bob Dylan archive, the Bob Dylan Center, and about Bob Dylan at 80. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Sean Latham Book: The World of Bob Dylan Show notes : The TU Institute for Bob Dylan Studies Bob Dylan Center The Bob Dylan Archive - The University of Tulsa : Bob Dylan...
May 12, 2021•44 min
Musician and journalist Jeff Slate has written about, and for, Bob Dylan, and has recently released an album with one disc of Dylan covers. We discuss Dylan at 80, and choose our top five Dylan albums. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Jeff Slate Lockdown Live Show notes : Episode #131 - Jeff Slate on Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks Bob Dylan disc...
Apr 28, 2021•55 min
Setting out to discuss the 1971 album by Yes, The Yes Album, Doug and Kirk end up discussing all of Yes's core output, released over a period of a couple of years, that the band - or what's left of it - still plays 50 years later. Sort of. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Fragile The Yes Album Close to the Edge Yesssongs (Album) Yessongs (Mo...
Apr 14, 2021•39 min
We offer a free-form episode, where we ramble about audio equipment, music, and more. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Apple Matters Douk Audio U3 Mini Class A Headphone Amplifier Behringer Microamp HA400 Sonos Amp HomePod theater Dolby Atmos HomePod Mini Features Dormant Temperature and Humidity Sensor That Could Be Activated in a Future So...
Mar 31, 2021•32 min
In our first multimedia podcast episode, we look at iconic album covers. Depending on your podcast player, you may be able to see the albums we discuss as the podcast progresses. If not, there's a link in the show notes to a page on Kirk's website with all the album covers. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Web page with covers of the albums ...
Mar 17, 2021•33 min
In another album deep dive, we discuss Wish You Were Here, Kirk's favorite Pink Floyd album. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Wish You Were Here (Wikipedia) Wish You Were Here review (Rolling Stone) Episode #58 – David Weigel on the History of Progressive Rock Episode #97 - Jerry Ewing on Progressive Rock Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Wembley,...
Mar 03, 2021•32 min
Dylanologists Jackie Lees and Keith Miles have written a book about Bob Dylan in London, highlighting the importance of the city to Dylan's career and growth as an artist. Keith Miles joins us to discuss this book, and tell some tales of the troubadour in the city. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Keith Miles Bob Dylan in London: Troubadour Tales ...
Feb 17, 2021•40 min
There haven't been many transcriptions of Philip Glass's music for guitar, and Gerard Cousin's new album, Escape, shows just how ideal Glass's music is for this instrument. We talk with Gerard Cousins about the classical guitar, its repertoire, and the long process of transcription necessary to create this recording. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest...
Feb 03, 2021•44 min
In his recent book Evil Geniuses, Kurt Andersen noted that people have dressed the same for decades, and that music has barely changed since the 1980s. We discuss this decades long stasis, and why it may have happened. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Kurt Andersen Studio 360 Fantasyland Evil Geniuses Show notes : Episode #48 – Musician Dave Harr...
Jan 20, 2021•38 min
Another year is gone, and what a year. Four the 200th episode of The Next Track, we take stock of what 2020 meant for us musically, talk about some of the wonderful musicians we were able to interview in lockdown, and mention a couple of musical discoveries we have made. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Frank Sinatra: It Was a Very Good year...
Jan 06, 2021•31 min
We again re-run our annual Christmas show, because it was so good that we couldn't imagine doing a better Christmas show. And because we really don't want to do a new Christmas show. And because we're really proud of the extensive show notes that took so long to collate. If you've already heard it and don't want to listen again, we'll understand. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! ...
Dec 23, 2020•29 min
William S. Burroughs was an author who had a huge influence on rock musicians. Casey Rae's new book charts this influence through the years, as Burroughs met with many of the great musicians of his time. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Casey Rae William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock 'n' Roll Dead to Me podcast Show notes : Beat Godfather Meet...
Dec 09, 2020•37 min
A comment by a tech reviewer incited us to discuss who is qualified to pass judgment on the audio quality of devices. We discuss this with our favorite audiophile, Chris Connaker. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Guest : Chris Connaker Chris Connaker on The Next Track Show notes : Apple HomePod mini Review: Siri in a Compact Speaker (Kirk's review) A New ...
Nov 25, 2020•31 min
Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick is arguably the best progressive rock concept album of all time. Doug and Kirk have long been fans of this record, and discuss the genesis of the recording and the music, which still stands, nearly 50 years after its release, as one of the great albums of all time. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We're ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks! Support The Next Track . Show notes : Episode #191 -...
Nov 11, 2020•32 min
