Shawn and Craig arrive at the halfway point of Rolling Stone’s Top 500 with their fourth Sweet 16 recap, revisiting the winners from Rounds 13–16 and taking a deeper look at how each bracket shook out.

From Craig’s corner, this stretch of the bracket showcases the cinematic sprawl of Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain, the psychedelic firepower of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Axis: Bold as Love, the atmospheric introspection of Echo and the Bunnymen’s Heaven Up Here, and the soulful precision of The O’Jays’ Back Stabbers — four albums that prove range, mood, and risk-taking are just as important as legacy.

From Shawn’s side of the bracket, the road to the Sweet 16 features the stripped-back vulnerability of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, the swagger and reinvention of George Michael’s Faith, the reggae resilience of Bob Marley & the Wailers’ Natty Dread, and the timeless cultural landmark that is The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Sixteen albums remain. The debates get sharper. The margins get thinner. And with the halfway mark now behind them, the path to the ultimate Vinyl 4 becomes even more intense.

Next up: the format shifts. Stay tuned.

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Shawn and Craig hit the halfway point of Rolling Stone’s Top 500 with Round 16, and the bracket is officially unforgiving. Sixteen albums stepped into the arena — but only four advanced.

This week’s battlefield included landmarks like The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Axis: Bold as Love and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, alongside heavy hitters such as Paul Simon’s Graceland, Steely Dan’s Aja, Eric B. & Rakim’s Paid in Full, and The Police’s Reggatta de Blanc.

Psychedelic brilliance clashed with hip-hop precision. Polished studio perfection met stripped-down storytelling. By the end, four survived — but you’ll have to tune in to hear how it all shook out.

Next week: Recap #4, revisiting Rounds 13–16 in more detail… and after that, the format shifts.

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Shawn and Craig return for Round 15 of the Vinyl 4 Podcast, squaring off against another deep and emotionally charged set of 16 albums pulled from Rolling Stone’s Top 500. At this stage, every decision feels heavier — and every matchup has consequences.

This round moves effortlessly between raw vulnerability, genre-pushing ambition, and timeless songwriting. Touchstones range from the aching intensity of Loveless to the communal uplift of That’s the Way of the World, with moments of punk defiance, reggae resilience, and art-rock experimentation shaping the conversation.

As always, the fellas debate legacy, influence, and staying power, narrowing the field to four survivors while keeping the surprises intact.

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Shawn and Craig return for Round 14 of the Vinyl 4 Podcast, facing another heavyweight bracket pulled from Rolling Stone’s Top 500. With 16 albums spanning decades, genres, and creative extremes, the margin for error continues to shrink.

This round invites comparisons across wildly different musical worlds — from the emotional pull of Talking Book to the raw tension of The Downward Spiral, from the timeless songwriting of Simon & Garfunkel to the fearless experimentation of The Mothers of Invention. Along the way, touchstones of ’90s alternative, classic soul, and genre-defying pop shape the debate without making the decisions any easier.

As always, the fellas battle it out, narrowing the field to four survivors and pushing the Vinyl 4 journey one step closer to its endgame.

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Shawn and Craig return for Round 13 of the Vinyl 4 Podcast, facing another deep and diverse field of 16 albums as they battle their way toward this week’s Vinyl 4.

This round lives in contrasts and collisions — think confessional songwriting, street-level grit, and late-night soul sharing space in the same bracket. Along the way, the discussion draws energy from artists like Joni Mitchell, Funkadelic, Raekwon, and The Pogues, while albums that feel intimate, rebellious, and timeless all vie for survival.

It’s a round where emotion matters just as much as influence, and where tough decisions come fast. Sixteen enter, four advance — and the Vinyl 4 journey presses on.

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Shawn and Craig are back with Recap #3, taking a deeper dive into the winners from Rounds 9 through 12 as the Vinyl 4 field tightens and the stakes continue to rise. With four full brackets now in the books, the conversation shifts from rapid-fire decisions to reflection, context, and why certain records continue to stand the test of time.

This stretch of the bracket evokes everything from The Clash to Nick Drake, from landmark albums like Rubber Soul and Voodoo to genre-spanning touchstones that echo across decades. Along the way, sounds associated with psychedelic rock, neo-soul, and alternative rock weave in and out of the discussion — sometimes where you least expect them.

It’s a thoughtful checkpoint in the journey, revisiting the albums that advanced, unpacking the debates that shaped them, and setting the tone for what lies ahead as the Vinyl 4 grows ever more formidable.

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🎶 Got your own picks or snubs? Drop us a line at vinylfourpodcast@gmail.com.
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Shawn and Craig are back for Round 12 of the Vinyl 4 Podcast, staring down another heavyweight set of 16 albums as they battle their way to this week’s Vinyl 4.

This round defies easy categorization. Picture ambient jazz tension, hardcore punk urgency, and classic soul storytelling colliding — then throw in curveballs inspired by artists like Led Zeppelin, Dr. Dre, and Simon & Garfunkel (though not in the ways you might expect).

As genres blur and assumptions get challenged, the fellas debate, dissect, and ultimately narrow the field down to four finalists — proving once again that context, contrast, and conversation matter just as much as legacy.

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Shawn and Craig return for Round 11 of the Vinyl Four Podcast, diving into another loaded bracket pulled from Rolling Stone’s Top 500. Sixteen albums enter the arena, and after plenty of debate, only four survive.

This week’s matchups span a wide emotional and stylistic range — from the hushed intimacy of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon to the raw, arena-shaking power of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. Along the way, genre-defining classics like Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly and the art-rock urgency of Gang of Four’s Entertainment! keep the bracket unpredictable and the conversations lively.

With tough calls at every turn, the fellas narrow the field to the next Vinyl 4, setting the stage for what’s to come without giving away all the magic.

📩 Subscribe and follow on your favorite podcast platform to keep up with the brackets.
🎶 Got your own picks or snubs? Drop us a line at vinylfourpodcast@gmail.com.
📸 Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes posts, polls, and bracket updates — @vinylfourpodcast