The Next Track

Doug and Kirk take a close look at changes Apple has made to iTunes in its latest version, 12.7. Sponsor: Rogue Ameoba’s Audio Hijack. If you can hear it on your Mac, you can record it with Audio Hijack. Download the free trial from Rogue Amoeba, then save 20% with coupon code NEXTTRACK. Check out Audio Hijack now. Show notes: This Is Where iTunes Is Bloated What’s New in iTunes 12.7 Here’s Why Removing Apps from iTunes Is Stupid How to Copy Apps, Ringtones, and Files to Your iOS Devices with iTunes 12.7 Script to Add or Edit a Playlist Description How to Share Your Listening History in Apple Music Doug Adams’ Apple Music profile Kirk McElhearn’s Apple Music profile Krystian Zimerman: Schubert Piano Sonatas John Foxx & The Maths: The Machine Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Ghost Star How to Use Apple Music’s Personal DJ Feature to Create You Own Personal Radio Station Super Remove Dead Tracks Track Down Purchases Music Folder Files Not Added Find Empty iTunes Media Folders Apps By Apple ID Our next tracks: Kirk: James Blood Ulmer: Odyssey Doug: Sticky Fingers: Like a Rolling Stone If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Chris Connaker joins us to talk about hi-fi separates. Today, we discuss the network streamer. How does it work? Do you need one? This week’s guest: Chris Connaker, of the Computer Audiophile website Show notes: Yamaha R-N301 network receiver Episode #32 – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about DACs (Digital-Analog Converters) Auralic Aries Mini Chris’s review of the Auralic Aries Mini Bosch, on Amazon Prime Video Manchester Rock (Apple Music playlist) Our next tracks: Kirk: Art Pepper: The Complete Maiden Voyage Concerts (Apple Music) Doug: Electronic: Electronic If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Chris Connaker.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk chat about their favorite movies about music, and some that they don’t like. This is the first of three parts; the other parts will be released in the next couple of months. Show notes: Almost Famous (The Bootleg Cut) The Almost Famous Stairway to Heaven scene Almost Famous: the Tiny Dancer scene 24 Hour Party People Control High Fidelity Still Crazy Amadeus (I said I saw the play Monday; that was a mistake, I saw it last January.) A Late Quartet Episode #20 – You Think You Know about the Blues? Eliah Wald on the History of the Blues Inside Llewyn Davis Bird Round Midnight Mo’ Better Blues Miles Ahead Lady Sings the Blues A Hard Day’ Night Our next tracks: Kirk: Bear’s Sonic Journals: Never the Same Way Once (Apple Music), CDs from the Owsley Stanley Foundation Doug: David Johansen: Live It Up If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

We talk with Brian Brandt of Mode Records about releasing recordings of avant garde music, and the difficulties of the music business. Apologies for the audio quality of this episode. We had endless Skype issues for this interview. This week’s guest: Mode Records Show notes: John Cage Edition Morton Feldman Edition Morton Feldman: String Quartet No. 2 Episode #66 – Minimalist Pianist R. Andrew Lee Episode #48 – Musician Dave Harrington of DARKSIDE and the Dave Harrington Group on Music Between Genres Our next tracks: Kirk: LCD Soundsystem: American Dream Doug: The Knack: Get The Knack If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Brian Brandt.Support The Next Track

Andy Doe joins us to discuss hi-fi snake oil. In part one of a two-part series, we look at cables. This week’s guest: Andy Doe Proper Discord Show notes: A Gift for Music Lovers Who Have It All: A Personal Utility Pole UL Listed Hospital Grade Receptacles How Hi-Fi Magazines Write about Cables, Part 14: Ethernet Cables Ethernet Our next tracks: Kirk: Iron & Wine: Beast Epic Doug: Big Audio Dynamite: No. 10, Upping Street If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Andy Doe.Support The Next Track

Author Peter Conners tells us the story of the legendary 5/8/77 Grateful Dead concert at Barton Hall, Cornell University, and its legacy. A technical note: you may have noticed that your podcast app re-downloaded a bunch of old episodes last week. We moved the server that hosts The Next Track to HTTPS, and this seems to have treated all existing episodes as new. So we’re very sorry for any extra bandwidth you may have used. Note that iTunes also seems to have redownloaded them, so you may have duplicate audio files for some episodes; check your media folder to make sure. This week’s guest: Peter Conners Show notes: Cornell ’77: The Music, the Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead’s Concert at Barton Hall Grateful Dead: Cornell 5/8/77 Growing Up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage Deadhead JAMerica: The History of the Jam Band and Festival Scene Grateful Dead: May 1977: Get Shown the Light (All Music Edition) Dark Star Orchestra Rocking The Cradle, Egypt 1978 Legion of Mary: Dec 14-15 1974 Our next tracks: Kirk: Tobias Hume: Musicall Humours Doug: Van Morrison: What’s Wrong With This Picture? If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Peter Conners.Support The Next Track

Pianist R. Andrew Lee joins us to discuss the minimal, and often very long, works of music he performs and records. (Sorry about the audio quality; there were some problems recording this episode.) This week’s guest: R. Andrew Lee Show notes: Irritable Hedgehog Records Episode #18 – New Yorker Music Critic Alex Ross Discusses Listening to Classical Music Tom Johnson: An Hour for Piano, performed by Frederic Rzewski Dennis Johnson: November The Four Pillars Appearing from The Equal D under Resonating Apparitions of The Eternal Process in The Midwinter Starfield 16 VIII 10 (Kansas City) Our next tracks: Kirk: The Complete Music of Carl Ruggles Doug: David Bromberg: Reckless Abandon/Bandit in a Bathing Suit If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: R. Andrew Lee.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk express frustration about the number of complexity of remote controls they use. Show notes: All 165 Pink Floyd Songs Ranked, From Worst to Best – Bill Wyman Episode #64 – Album Artwork in Digital Files Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote Philips Hue lights The Clash – Remote Control Our next tracks: Kirk: Theatre of Hate: The Live Albums Doug: John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat: Hooker ‘n Heat If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Doug and Kirk tell you everything you ever wanted to know about album artwork in digital files. Sponsor: Rogue Ameoba’s Loopback. For cable-free audio routing when recording and playing audio on your Mac, use Loopback. Download the free trial from Rogue Amoeba, then save 20% with coupon code NEXTTRACK. Check out Loopback now. Show notes: Doug’s AppleScripts for iTunes Size of Artwork Sort by Artwork Size iTunes Artwork Finder ImageOptim Deleting the iTunes Album Artwork Cache Folder May Resolve Problems with Album Art Displaying Is Artwork Embedded Tracks Without Embedded Artwork to Playlist Re-Embed Artwork Coverscope Re-Apply Downsized Artwork Find Album Artwork with Google Search CD Universe for Album Search SlothRadio for Artwork Search Amazon Book Covers Save Album Art to Album Folder Save Album Art as folder.jpg Restore Artwork From Album Folder Our next tracks: Kirk: Morton Feldman: For Bunita Marcus, by Marc-André Hamelin Doug: Dan Baird: SoLow If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Author Will Romano discusses his new book, Close to the Edge, How Yes’s Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock. This week’s guest: Will Romano Show notes: Close to the Edge Close to the Edge: How Yes’s Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock Mountains Come Out of the Sky: The Illustrated History of Prog Rock Prog Rock FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Rock’s Most Progressive Music Episode #58 – David Weigel on the History of Progressive Rock Our next tracks: Kirk: Genesis: Foxtrot Doug: Yes: Yessongs If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Will Romano.Support The Next Track