The Next Track

By Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn

Doug Adams and Kirk McElhearn discuss music and musicians, and how we listen to music, whether it be analog or digital, downloaded or streamed, audio, or video.... more

4.7

8585 ratings

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FAQs about The Next Track:

How many episodes does The Next Track have?

The podcast currently has 333 episodes available.

The Next Track episodes:

April 22, 2026Episode #332: Old is New Again
Nostalgia? Avoiding the algorithm? Some people want to go back to the way things used to be and listen to music on iPods.
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!
Show notes
I turned an iPod Shuffle into my perfect music player – here’s how
Yer Stack
Maxell Wireless Cassette Player
Can you still buy an iPod in 2026? Here's where to look online
Bring On Defunct: The iPod Enthralls Young Music Listeners - The New York Times
Amazon Ending Support for Older Kindle and Kindle Fire Devices
calibre
MUBI
Our next tracks:
Something Wild
Humble Pie: Smokin'
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27min
April 08, 2026Episode #331: Apple's 50th Anniversary
It was Apple's 50th anniversary on April 1. Since both Doug's and Kirk's careers have depended on Apple, and we discussed Apple hardware and software on this podcast, we have a two-guys-in-a-pub discussion about our history with Apple products.
"Instead of having a company that wanted to change the world, we now have a company that wants to charge the world."
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!
Show notes
David Pogue Writes the History of Apple
Our next tracks:
Grateful Dead: Cornell, 5/8/77
U.S. Marine Band: Century Selection
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30min
March 25, 2026Episode #330: Paul on the Run
We watched the new documentary, Paul McCartney, Man on the Run, about his post-Beatles experiment with Wings. We have thoughts.
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!
Show notes
On Battle After Another
Sinners
Paul McCartney: Man on the Run (documentary)
Man on the Run (soundtrack)
Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run (book)
Wings (2 CD best-of compilation)
Bradley Lehman: Johann Sebastian Bach's tuning
Our next tracks:
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Andras Schiff
L7: The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum
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31min
March 11, 2026Episode #329: 1979
In another look at a specific year in music, we find that 1979 not only had some great and influential music, but was also the year of two technical innovations that would change music forever.
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!
Show notes
Sony Pressman
Our next tracks:
Moby: Future Quiet
The Soft Boys: Can of Bees
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33min
February 25, 2026Episode #328: Influential Albums
We discuss some rock albums that were influential: their music, the way they presented songs, the way they were produced, or they effect they had on culture.
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!
‌Show notes
25 of the most influential albums in music history
Our next tracks:
Phantasm: The Well-Tempered Consort - I
Plastiscines: LP1
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31min
February 11, 2026Episode #327: Greatest Hits
The Greatest Hits album has been a staple of the music industry since 1958. Some of the best-selling albums of all time are Greatest Hits albums. But what is the future of the Greatest Hits album in this era of streaming?
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!
‌Show notes
Greatest hits album - Wikipedia
Our next tracks:
Crumb: Dan Nadel
The Suburbs: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Suburbs Have Left the Building
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31min
January 28, 2026Episode #326: The Grateful Dead Episode
In spite of the fact that Kirk has been a Deadhead for decades, we have never done an episode about the Grateful Dead. With the passing of Bob Weir recently, we decided to talk a bit about the Dead, its history, and its future.
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!
‌Show notes
Grateful Dead
The Next Track: Episode #23 – David Browne on the History of the Grateful Dead
Episode #67 – The Grateful Dead’s Legendary 5/8/77 Cornell Concert, with Author Peter Conners
The Next Track: Episode #74 – Jeffrey Norman on Restoring, Mixing, and Mastering the Grateful Dead
The Next Track: Episode #213 - The Grateful Dead's 100 Essential Songs, with Bob Trudeau
Our next tracks:
Morton Feldman: Trios 6-disc box set
Kula Shaker: K
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28min
January 14, 2026Episode #325: Anthemic Rock Songs
We look at a specific type of rock song that could be called "anthemic." This type of song generally has a number of movements, a slow introduction, is longer than average, and ends in a crescendo.
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!
EMBED_TK
‌Show notes
Anthemic rock songs:
Hotel California
Free Bird
Stairway to Heaven
Nights in White Satin
Baba O’Reilly
Layla
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Roundabout
Aqualung
Starless
L. A. Woman
Thunder Road
Metal Box - Wikipedia
Our next tracks:
Bob Weir: Ace
Aerosmith: Pump
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31min
December 31, 2025Episode #324: Listening to Albums on a Mac
The album isn't dead. Doug has been discovering new ways to listen to albums in Apple's Music app. We also chat a bit about the good old days, when you could tweak macOS. Remember ResEdit?
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!
‌Show notes
Hudlum - Many Tricks
ResEdit - Wikipedia
RIP Mac OS X Hints, Nov 4 2000 – Nov 4 2014 – The Robservatory
Mac OS X Power Hound
GrapheneOS
A Space Between v3.4
Side Splitter v3.0
3M Precise Mouse Pad
Logitech MX Master 4 mouse
Our next tracks:
The Dictators: Bloodbrothers
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32min
December 17, 2025Episode #323: Old Tapes Are Deteriorating, and Music Is Fading Away
Back in the day, everything was recorded on tape. Tape is deteriorating, and some people are trying to restore old recordings before they crumble.
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!
‌Show notes
The ‘Race Against Time’ to Save Music Legends’ Decaying Tapes
Rag paper - Wikipedia
Compact Cassette tape types and formulations - Wikipedia
The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963
The 50th Anniversary Collection: The Copyright Extension Collection, Volume 1 - Wikipedia
Our next tracks:
The Durutti Column: The Return Of The Durutti Column
Zapp: Zapp
If you like the show, please subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.
Support The Next Track
...more
32min

FAQs about The Next Track:

How many episodes does The Next Track have?

The podcast currently has 333 episodes available.

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