HBO have done it again! Vinyl, really is a show that you should be watching, especially if you like Scorsese films and Boardwalk Empire. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Check out the trailer below.
Vinyl premiered this past Sunday with a two-hour episode, laying the groundwork for what to expect throughout the rest of the series. The show stars Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, a record company executive who attempts to steer his company into the future. The show's ensemble cast also features Olivia Wilde (Devon Finestra), Juno Temple (Jamie Vine), Ray Romano (Zak Yankovich), and Andrew Dice Clay (Frank "Buck" Rogers), to name but a few. The shows star studded cast work so well together, with a production value that really does show.
In a similar vein to Mad Men and The Sopranos, Vinyl's protagonist is a male anti-hero - he drinks, he smokes, he will most probably cheat on his wife, but the audience, nonetheless, hopefully will root for him. After all everybody loves an underdog. I'm interested to see how the show, set in the 1970s, will use it's female characters to it's benefit, an act that Mad Men could accomplish only so much given the time period that the show set in. We have already seen the character of Jamie (Juno Temple) step out of her comfort zone, whilst Richie's wife, Devon (Olivia Wilde) is longing for a life in the city. The show is already showing a deeper side to it's female characters, and I'm interested in it. I wonder what would of happened if Mad Men's Betty Draper (January Jones) had of absconded all of her responsibilities and left the kids with her husband Don (Jon Hamm). In this show, this storyline could play out and I'm interested in seeing that.
The show is also keen to tackle the race issues of the time, so I'm also keen to see how the character of Lester Grimes (Ato Essandoh), a former blues singer will develop as he appears to be caught up in the birth of hip hop. Which, if this show goes far enough into the future, would be amazing to witness.
Ultimately, this show is fantastic for the portrayal of the characters and the music. Cannavale sears on screen and I cannot wait to see what Terrence Winter, (who has written previously for both the show Boardwalk Empire and the movie The Wolf of Wall Street), has in store for this character. The music in the background makes the show worth watching alone, and it should be good, co-founder of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger not only executive produces the show but is also involved in the writing. The 'Music From the Series' album for this show is available on Spotify and it's one I quickly downloaded after watching the first episode.
I was intrigued by the premiere and I'm interested to see where this show goes. HBO have shown their faith in the show, with news that it has already been renewed for a second season.
If you've already seen the show, what did you think? Comment below and let me know.
Written by cwm on Feb 21, 2016
This show is amazing...killer storyline and love the music history backdrop. It was a surprise fave for 2016 but shouldn't have been if I'd just paid attention to the cast. Rock On Baby!
I wanted to like Vinyl. It's my time period. I was 20 in 1973 and very involved with local music and musicians. But Vinyl is not really about the music of 1973. It is about out of touch record executives scheming to find the next person they can screw, both literally and figuratively. So much of it seems like a parody of 1973 rather than reality. The scenes with the German Polygram executives seemed straight out of Fawlty Towers ("Don't mention the war"). The treatment of the Lester Grimes character is pretty much criminal for a man who is supposed to be able to spot talent. Too much name dropping - e.g. constant references in the first episode to Led Zeppelin, and a painfully awkward scene backstage with a preening Robert Plant. The cocaine use seems like simply part of the required checklist - after all it is New York in the 70s. Have to include massive amounts of coke, right? The acting is uniformly good. The sets are great and costuming nearly perfect. Hairstyles are embarrassingly accurate. (Check out one guy's mutton-chop sideburns.) But for all the surface perfection, Vinyl feels hollow and inauthentic. Nothing but the anarchic punk club scene seemed anything like reality to me. And that seemed to come right out of Sid and Nancy. Beautifully done but ultimately empty and disappointing.
I really need to watch this show.
Definitely getting better every episode. Really enjoyed seeing Alice Cooper this week.
Promising first episode !!! Now let's see what it will bring us
I'll definitely be giving it a go.
It was fascinating! Two hours long and I didn't feel bored for a minute. I could feel the "Italian mobster" touches of Scorsese here and there and that just made it better. I'm really curious and excited about how the story will go on. One of the best shows I'm currently following!