The tournament begins! John and Tom take to the hi-fi highways on their way toward the Road to the Vinyl Four. Join us for a tournament featuring 64 of the best and most important albums from 1975 to 1985 (roughly), to be concluded in March 2025. John and Tom kick it off by tackling the first-round matchups in one of the regions, to be determined at random.  Did they get it right? Were there any upsets and Cinderella stories? You be the judge. Next time, we’re inviting guests to take it...

Picking up where we left off last week, counting up from six to ten... John and Tom recount the first 10 videos ever played on MTV, providing our recollections, reactions, and a bit o’ analysis, as we try to remember these classics…and to see which have stood the test of time! Click here for the YouTube playlist, “Yacht Rock Music Videos” to chuckle and cringe along! You surely remember by now the first video ever to air on MTV; but do you remember the second through tenth? Tune...

Where were you on August 1, 1981? Were you watching the launch of MTV? John and Tom recount the first 10 videos ever played on MTV, providing our recollections, reactions, and a bit o’ analysis, as we try to remember these classics…and to see which have stood the test of time! You surely remember by now the first video ever to air on MTV; but do you remember the second through tenth? Tune in to take a journey back in time with us! Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform...

This week, the boys take on AI and ponder the effect it will have on the music business. While artificial intelligence is not entirely new to the recording process, what is happening today just might expedite what began around the turn of the millennium: the slow death march of the record business toward obsolescence. Does AI have some redeeming qualities? Should we embrace this modern march toward progress as we did in the 1980s? Are John and Tom just two old guys shaking their fists at the...

Tom and John make a playlist for their summer listening pleasure (and yours). BUT, this is not just a pick your favorite summer jams and construct the ultimate playlist. Instead, Tom and John each present the other with head-to-head matchups, and only one song survives. In a variation of “Death Is Not an Option,” there are some real heartbreakers in these matchups, and we are forced to choose the impossible. Who makes the cut? Tune in to find out! When you’re done, you can spin the soul...

How much do you know about Nile Rodgers? Some may not even know the name. Some may know him as accomplished rhythm guitarist. But how much do you really know about his prolific catalogue as a producer and first-call session cat? There’s a lot we didn’t know about this six-time-Grammy-winning hall-of-famer, and maybe much for you to discover as well.  Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice here⁠. References and Related: ⁠⁠Playlist of songs featured on Out of...

Tom and John kick off a multi-episode tournament that will conclude in March 2025: The Vinyl Four! We have created a bracket of 64 albums that represent, in our view, the most influential albums, not of ALL time, but of OUR time: essentially 1975 to 1985, sticking mostly within AOR pop rock. Throughout this season and the beginning of next, we’ll invite guest judges on to help us arrive at the biggest album of the era, as selected by lovers of music from the 70s and 80s. Who will emerge as...

Just in time for outdoor live concert season, Tom surprised John with a fun question to ponder: What songs are more famous for their live versions than the original studio version? Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice here⁠. References and Related: ⁠⁠Playlist of songs featured on Out of the Main⁠⁠ ⁠John’s Spotify Yacht Rock Playlist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Tom’s Spotify Yacht Rock Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Intro/outro: Stock Music “We’re Here” composed by John H. Nixon (BMI) Find...

Known to modern yacht rockers as Ole Borud’s bass player, Lars-Erik Dahle joins the podcast to walk listeners through some of the most iconic bass lines in yacht rock and beyond. Lars-Erik brings his axe with him to demonstrate live what some of these licks are and who his favorite bassists are. After spending three weeks focusing on the drums, Tom is more than happy to turn our attention to the rhythm section’s “better half.” Check out Lars-Erik’s playlist of YouTube videos here:...

He's back! In what has become an annual tradition, the great session drummer Tris Imboden returns to the podcast, this time to walk Tom and John through a behind-the-scenes look at a typical session from the golden era. From before you even get the call, all the way through to collecting the Grammy, what goes into cutting the tracks that live on in memoriam forever? Tune in this week to hear the general story, as well as specific memories Tris shares that may shed some new light on old...

Picking up where they left off last week, John and Tom continue their microanalysis of the snare drum sound, specifically the advent, evolution and ultimate weaponization of the “gated” snare. What is gated reverb? How was it invented/discovered? Where did it all go so tragically wrong? Is it actually an art form to be embrace? All of that and more, as Out of the Main goes Out of the Gate! Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice here⁠. References and...

Maybe it could be argued that we scrutinize some things TOO closely, but there is a strong case to be made that the sound of the snare drum in a mix is “the” defining characteristic of the overall song, in many ways.  To explore and demonstrate that theory in action, John and Tom take listeners on an expedition through time — from the proto-yacht era of the early 70s to the more synthetic sounds of the mid-80s — to see how technology, playing styles and music production in general evolve...

Tom and John each choose an album they feel deserves wider recognition, and run down why these treasures should be unburied and more widely celebrated. Any album at all — as long as it has ties in topically to the era we love. Though chosen completely at random, you won’t believe the crossovers between Tom’s treasure and John’s jewel!  Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice here⁠. References and Related: ⁠⁠Playlist of songs featured on Out of the Main⁠⁠ ...

The Docksiders’ Kevin and Erin Sucher, fresh off the release of their new album “The Timeless Journey,” rejoin the podcast to discuss the many amazing stories behind the release of their new record. You won’t believe some of the stories that went into the making of this record, and you won’t believe how good it sounds when it all comes together! Let’s catch up with the Docksiders, still making their scene on the Vegas strip! Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice...

Listener Jonathan returns to the podcast (as all Supporters are welcome to do) to take an in-depth review of perhaps the most influential jazz album of all time: Miles Davis’s 1959 masterpiece “Kind of Blue.” What’s the story? What makes this recording so groundbreaking and so influential?  What is modal music? What does the track-by-track analysis reveal? What are the connections to yacht rock?  Why were so many yacht rockers so enamored with the jazz convention? How does all of...

Tom and John, still residing in the Minneapolis area, take an expedition through the Prince album archives, from 1979’s “Prince” to 1989’s “Batman.” Follow along and score along, as they allot points to each album (out of a total of 100) to determine which of the 10 albums in this remarkable run gets the highest score in aggregate...and which gets the lowest.  Has there ever been a more impressive 10-album run?  Is there a more accomplished artist in the history of modern music than...

Unmoored from the harbors of Marina del Rey, the yacht gets trailered to The Land of a Thousand Lakes this week, where John and Tom go exploring for the history, sonic markers and artists that made up “The Minneapolis Sound” of the late 70s and 1980s. What made this sound great? Let’s dive in! Want to do a freshwater deep dive yourself? We’ve got you covered: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20pYqecUQxYaj7caDGbwSu?si=8Ih9bQnyR-iFivVsFx5kdA&pi=u-Yg-SzeiNSe-4 Listen and...

Here we go! Rick Such and Eddy Cabello from Inside MusiCast are here to help us settle this thing once and for all! Who will match up as the perfect pair in the finals of the Toto Invitational Tournament Spectacular? Tune in...follow along...one song will soon have its “One Shining Moment!” Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice here⁠. References and Related: ⁠⁠Playlist of songs featured on Out of the Main⁠⁠ ⁠John’s Spotify Yacht Rock Playlist⁠⁠ ...

Kicking off Round 1 of the Toto Invitational Tournament Spectacular this week, with guest bracket busters Listeners Jorn and Mikael! They certainly proved their Toto bona fides...but did they get the picks right? You make the call! Tune in...follow along...fill out your own brackets. It’ll be madness, y’all! Listen and Subscribe: ⁠Find the podcast platform of your choice here⁠. Lightning Round: Found at Sea Buried Treasures Final Thoughts References and Related: ⁠⁠Playlist...

It's March! You know what that means around these parts. Time for a tournament of madness! This year, it's not the NIT (Nyacht Invitational Tournament) but the Toto Invitational Tournament Spectacular! John and Tom set the table this week...deciding the play-in games and talking through some tough breaks on Selection Sunday. Next week, we kick off a two-part Toto tourney. Follow along to see which Toto classic emerges as the most representative of the genius that was and is Toto. Listen...

Tom is going in blind this week, as John pops him with a surprise topic. Totally unprepared and unrehearsed, the crew goes exploring through the heyday of music production through a totally new lens. What’s the surprise? Tune in to find out for yourself. Listen and Subscribe: Find the podcast platform of your choice here. Lightning Round: Found at Sea: Our Bob Clearmountain Spotify Playlist Buried Treasures Final Thoughts References and Related: ⁠Playlist of songs featured on...

How well do you know the name, talents and discography of Bob Clearmountain? You certainly know the music he’s mixed. Perhaps the first “official mix master,” Clearmountain has his fingerprints on some of the best-sounding music in pop/rock history.  This week John and Tom dive into his career to uncover and examine what makes Clearmountain one of the most sought-after mixers in music...even to this day! Come along as we continue on our journey in the pursuit of music perfection. Listen...

Neil Stubenhaus returns to the podcast for part two of our conversation with the iconic session bassist, from his approach to his discography, from his philosophy to his memories of sitting in on some of the most iconic sessions from the 70, 80s and all the way through to modern day. Come back to see if Neil storms off the set, as John feared at the end of Part 1! Listen and Subscribe: Find the podcast platform of your choice here. Lightning Round: Found at Sea Buried Treasures ...

The talented, cerebral and prolific session bass guitarist Neil Stubenhaus joins the podcast this week to talk through his approach, his discography, his philosophy and his memories of sitting in on some of the most iconic sessions from the 70, 80s and all the way through to modern day. Tally another bass player, for those keeping score at home! Listen and Subscribe: Find the podcast platform of your choice here. Lightning Round: Found at Sea Buried Treasures Final...