User reviews

Some people here imply that good reviews on IMDb are paid critiques. Well I hope somebody paid me to write TV shows reviews, but it is not the case.

I liked this show a lot and I regret that HBO has decided to kill it after a great first season.

Many people complain of a clichéd depiction of the rock and roll 70s, with all the drugs, the sex, the deals and rising stars. Clichés come up in the first place because they represent an established perception or behavior, so if you set the action right at the time when those behaviors were taking shape, you can't really find fault at this. It is as if you watched a movie about the Belle Epoque and you complained that women look like flappers. It's simply not fair.

I also find negative reviews are quite contradictory. While some say they have been bored, others point that the frantic atmosphere is excessive or that there are many parallel plot lines.

I get the feeling that just because many people (myself included) lived through that period, they all consider they own the "real truth" about rock-and-roll and the 70s, and so they tend to measure up the show against their own memories or experiences, and they suppose the series should have reflected their subjective imprint about the time and the culture. This is also not fair.

I liked the show quite much. The talented and experienced people who set their hands on the show did a fantastic job, the music, story, characters and performances were above standard from every point of view.

Also, the cast was magnificent, particularly Bobby Cannavale whose performative skills I have come to appreciate, having seen him on Nurse Jackie and Boardwalk Empire. He is an extraordinary actor who filled the role and even offered more.

If you are open-minded and fair, if you trust on the great team involved in The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and other outstanding shows, please give this a try. Yes, there are drugs, sex, rock and roll, and excess everywhere, and the embrionary stages of the recording label industry which, in later years, would destroy the music we loved. It is, precisely, the whole point of the show. And it is wonderfully well portrayed.

Let's be clear. This show is NOT an attempt in social realism. Nor, is it trying to present the viewer with an accurately documented history of the biggest rock stars of the 70's or actual industry insiders.

What it does do, is take an interesting idea, create fictional characters and look at how they behave and react against each other, while referencing real performers from the period. Vinyl is no more of an attempt to convince its audience that what it portrays really happened than say House of Cards is in presenting a factually accurate representation of a US President or the American political system. Once you accept that, you can sit back and enjoy the real story. It is the story of a 'record man', Richie, and his conflicts, his demons, his dreams, his selfishness and his inability to seemingly make any good choices. The characters, like the clothes from the period are flamboyant and loud and colourful. Clichéd? Sometimes yes, and that is partly why it does work. This is not straight a rock 'n roll drama, how could it be with so many interwoven scenes where 'stream of consciousness' musical performances suddenly interrupt the plot? There is plenty of humour here too - perhaps a nod from the creators that they don't take it all too seriously. There is also some subtle and clever historical references (no spoilers), such as a throwaway comment about a food buffet while Mamma Cass is in a background scene, and a scene following a Vegas performance where a clearly unwell but pre-heart attack Elvis rubs at his left arm.

It does not really matter that the rock stars portrayed do not mirror their real life counterparts as some reviewers on here seem to get upset about. They are incidental to the overall story and if the creators of this show had focused on that then this would have been a story about the greats of the 1970's music scene. Instead, we have something better, a fictionalised story that is set amidst the 1970's music scene. And it is a great story with good characters, over the top stories and excellent performances.

Great show, with great music and its nice to hear some songs i hadn't heard before not just play the typical ones or the typical hit bands. yea it has lots of drugs and sex and stuff like that and so did the 70's, can't understand the crying from some people here about drugs and sex and calling it a cliché, this is like it was in the 70's, and people did smoke cigarettes and did do bad things and they were thought of as cool. but i understand why the big companies started to hire just some people who could sing or could'nt sing, just do anything they want and let them write songs for them like a lot of the so called big stars today that can barely sing or write a song or play an instrument. it must have been very hard at times to control 5 guys drunk and out of their minds on drugs most of the time but still great artists and musicians that wanted to do their own thing and new things, that is what made those times so great and the music even better. but at least we still have thousands of great bands that are big but will never be as big as the bands from the 70's, but at least they are doing their own thing and get a following on the internet and through touring. but back then also a lot of bands didn't get anywhere because of company problems and inside troubles, but having a hit on the radio is probably more about the looks and stuff then the actual music itself. and yea you have to get used to the actors playing the famous people but you will get over it, they do their job well but of course they don't look exactly like the people bot close enough.

but watch this show if you want great music and a little inside look of the live in the 70's, of course you have seen it many times before both better and worse but why now relive again??

I absolutely loved everything about this series and am so sad it was only one season. In my opinion, it was a work of art. The acting was superb, the story engaging and edgy, and the music was breathtaking. Clearly a labor of love by the creators. I recommend that you ignore the hateful reviews and try it for yourself. Just watched it in 2017 and loved every minute of the story.

It is a shame they canceled this series. I lived the 70s rock n'roll, and it is the way it was. I lived with those people. Totally authentic. Smoking cigarettes, drugs, the music, the clothing, the "scene", the all of it. Does anyone think that Mick Jagger wouldn't know how to authentically portray the 70s? Martin Scorsese is brilliant. Mick Jagger's son is amazing. The story line is believable and I felt it the entire way through.

this is a real window on the music business. It is a business filled with evil no talent people who prey on artists, suck their blood, throw them away and move on. But this series shows how messed up and unhappy the "hit makers" really are, even after stealing the careers of others. If Frank Zappa was still alive he'd have been an executive producer as he knew full well what absolute--- can I swear?--- terrible people control the music business; how they use real violence to be on top.

I applaud HBO for taking this on. It hits on so many levels that whoever was the source researcher must be terrified. The delete business was a well known industry insider scam. Concerts? hahaha who took that dough? Chargebacks? How many glasses of top shelf were billed over and over to artists by cats that didn't drink?

this show is scary to many as was almost famous. The truth is leaking out as procol harum said in a souvenir of London. enjoy this show. says much about our society and be not surprised when justin beiber dies broke.

As a former record producer at the top end of the international rock / pop business who came a generation later than the protagonists of Vinyl, who knows intimately the reality of the music scene that the show documents, I found it superb.

I can only laugh at the ignorami bleating "cliche" and thinking they're clever for it. Clichés typically become clichés because they're accurate and true...

I can't even begin to count the people I've met irl who could so easily be characters in Vinyl. This show totally hit the nail on the head, which makes it even sadder that HBO couldn't see the value in it, and cancelled. But they do that with almost every single decent show they produce, so no surprise there.

The energy, the momentum, the desperation to stay afloat... it's all there. The direction and performances are top-notch too. 10/10. RIP.

Record boss Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) senses his company is on the brink of bankruptcy due to poor sales and failing acts, but salivation may be at hand via a buy out from a German record company. However that might be the least of his problems...

This is a mishmash of fact, fiction, fable and myth and not a documentary. For a start The New York Dolls seem to be very popular (as if!) and punk rock seems to have happened years before it did. Fine, but Peter Grant supported Led Zep and didn't take second best for them. He got loud when he needed to, but he wasn't the bull-in-a-china-shop shown here.

(Don't get me started on the guy playing Robert Plant's accent!)

How many times do we want to hear the same stories/clichés about rock and roll? While I love it, you have to say it is a bit pathetic in print. Alexander The Great conquered the most of the known world by the time he was thirty, Keith Richards - meanwhile - had written Satisfaction and stuck lots of needles in his arms.

To return to the plot. Between the clichés Cannavale chews a lot of curtains about what is going to happen to others. The man has a heart - or is it more of a heart than the other sharks and pimps?

The central problem with flashback is that when the actor is already middle-aged you have to think he would be a pensioner by the time the seventies rolled around. Is Cannavale the best casting they could do? Corruption and creative accounting are popular in the entertainment industry, but few people in it are actually morons. The Germans would look at the books and know what they are buying. They might not be as good with hookers, coke and making rock, but they can read an account book.

In all pilots various cans of worms are opened hoping that the money (HBO) will be intrigued and see millage. Few of them are anything to do with music or entertainment, because the behind-the-scenes industry isn't really that sexy or that interesting. The product is - but the people behind it are just people with computers sitting behind desks. They may like a bit of blow - but who really cares?

I liked this show. It looked beautiful and was for the most part well acted, apart from Jagger's kid who obviously was cast due to nepotism and is clearly out of his depth here. I know it sounds cliché, but I have never seen a better depiction of the magical and spellbinding power of music when Bobby Cannavale is at the concert in the pilot episode. Full of life and raw power. I wish I was old enough to have experienced this era for real.

In a way it's a shame it ended after only ten episodes, but honestly I can't see where this story would have gone without repeating itself. It started to drag a bit in the middle of the season. Perhaps it's good it didn't overstay its welcome so it can be remembered fondly.

The soundtrack is of course fantastic, and is playing on repeat in my earphones.

Just watched this fast paced and well acted series.The charcters were interesting and the music absolutley fabulous, Set in the 70s music industry it gives an insight into the pressure and complex people in the industry from drugs ,money worries and trying to find that special band that every music company strived for.i found myself liking certain characters more than others and the plot was good and growing as the series went on,just as things are coming good for the company and the bands,with the added pressures bomb they end the show unbelevable,This was winner writen all over it.Bring it back HBO.

It's funny because Bobby Cannavale looks and sounds just like Brad Garrett, from Everybody Loves Raymond. When Bobby and Ray Romano share a scene, I expect a laugh track. The show can be confusing, as there are many flashbacks that arrive before the viewer realizes it. I never liked that method of telling a story and it's distracting.

Why in the world would anyone stop Vinyl? I just read a interview with Juno Temple, as I'm watching the final episode of the first season, when I found out. So well produced with solid performances! Is it the usual widespread American paranoia with a little nakedness, that did the show in? Whatever the reason it's not valid to leave us hanging....at least tie up the loose ends with a second season! WTF guys!

Love the series! Can't wait for more! It's all familiar to me having been in my 20's during that time. Brings back memories.

Vinyl, A New York music executive in the 1970s hustles to make a career out of the city's diverse music scene. Created by Rich Cohen, Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese you wouldn't think it could go wrong. Ah, but it does. I can forgive the inaccuracies. This isn't a documentary even though real life musicians are depicted. It has that loose fast pace the Scorsese is know for, which I adore. The biggest problem is the budget. 30 mil on the first episode? The problem may be the use of so much copyrighted material and people. DJ Kool Herc is presently suing because they used his likeness without permission. ($10,000 just isn't enough, eh?) If you don't know who he is unfriend me now. How can they carry on with the average 7.5 per episode? To top it off Casey Bloys is the new head of programming at HBO and BOOM, Vinyl gets the boot. Coincidence? Maybe. Rarely do series succeed in the beginning (Seinfeld had terrible first season ratings). But this could have blossomed into something epic. Maybe it will get picked up by someone else with a big budget vision. A girl can dream.

The dark, organized criminal setting of Martin Scorsese is infused with the gritty, rock and roll ambiance of Mick Jagger.

The editing, cinematography, and music in the show are all spectacular. While Vinyl does clearly rely heavily on this sense of style (which it excels in due to amazing production values), it also does feature a compelling story set around the diverse and evolving music industry in NYC during the 1970's.

Bobby Cannavale is fantastic as Richie Finesta, a record company executive who began his career in the music industry because of his love of music which in turn gave him a good ear for talent. However the greedy, dehumanizing elements of the corporate aspect of the industry have disenchanted Richie to the point where he now views musicians merely as products.

The trials he faces as a business man in the music industry are interesting to behold, from loudmouth rock stars to borderline crazy, drug- addicted radio personalities, to foreign business partners.

The corporate side of the industry is contrasted well with the artistic nature of the music itself. The powerful and inspirational effects of good music are demonstrated in a flawless fashion during a few distinct scenes. Crowds go wild to the revolutionary sound that was the epoch of punk rock.

The concept of being "in it for the music" vs "selling out" is also a reoccurring theme seen in Vinyl. The heart and soul of a good musician longing to sing the blues outweighs the temptation of selling out to a big record company. Richie's thrill of discovering new and exciting artists is at odds with his plan to sell his record company.

The themes depicted in the pilot episode of Vinyl are exciting and clearly come from an experienced eye (Jagger's). This makes the show all the more exciting to behold. Only time will tell if they are built upon in a manner as compelling as that seen in the premiere.

Firstly, the premier is 2 hours long but from the beginning til the end it did not feel that way due to how captivating the show was and will continue to be. I have never written a review, but I wanted to be the first to write this specifically on behalf of this unbelievably interesting, funny, dramatic and overall awesome show. It is not just for music lovers but for anyone who can recognise and appreciate great entertainment. And if you never had any interests towards the 1970's culture and its music, you certainly will after watching this.

Also any fan of Scorsese's or Winter's work will not be disappointed, that is a guarantee.

Right off let me say this. If you love Rock n Roll and if you care about the Rock n Roll ethos, it's mythology it's bad ass-ness, then you ought to watch Vinyl. It has plenty of all that. Yes, the series does possess some narrative hiccups, but by the end of the season they are being overcome. Enough that you feel that it deserved a second season. I mean they threw in gangsters, and drug addicts, and ratcheted up the tension, that its almost dissapointing to not see it through. Lastly, like firstly the music is so cool! Do you like cool music? Then Vinyl is an outlet. So, not 6/10 because it's better then 6. But not 8/10 because it hadn't quite reached there.

This entire series was fabulous. I'm not sure why they didn't Renew the series as it would have been great to see how this would have played out with all of the fine cast of character actors...

It's 1973 New York. Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) is a drunken, drug-addicted mess. He runs his struggling record label American Century with his friend Zak Yankovich (Ray Romano). They're trying to sell their label to German Polygram. He started out managing jazz singer Lester Grimes ten years before but they parted on bad terms. His marriage to Devon (Olivia Wilde) with two kids is in trouble. Jamie Vine (Juno Temple) is a secretary trying to get into A&R. She finds Kip Stevens and his band Nasty Bits. There are mobsters, the FBI, a killing, sex, drugs, music, and lots of drugs.

There is a bit of correlation between this show and something like "Mad Men". The problem is that it's not quite as good and it's a mess when the show goes big. The best parts of the show is the work with Jamie, Kip, Lester, and the band. It's very familiar but it works well. Even annoying Clark works and I like where his character ended up. Bobby Cannavale really goes for it and at times, is almost a different show. The mobster stuff is dangerous. It threatens to push the show into chaos at any time. Certainly, it could make for a great show but it's also excessive. That goes for the music and especially the impersonators of famous legends. The impersonators can come off as tribute players. There are exceptions. The best one is Elvis where there is something actually interesting. While music is a big part of the show, it can become a bunch of mini music videos. The best music scene is Richie watching Nasty Bits the first time. That scene added drama and works as a story element. As for Devon, it's a mistake to start her in Conneticut. Her story is too separated from the rest of the show already. She needs to be connected more directly with the label. Overall, this show has some great parts but the bad parts make me want to fast forward.

Too bad such good shows like this are lost on the masses that like crap drama, endless, brainless violence, and sappy, soulless dialogue. This show was amazingly dysfunctional and beautifully dark. I loved it and I'm sad it's gone.