Students share their vinyl collections and the meaning behind the trend

Junior Karrah Tranquill’s encounters with vinyl began in her grandparents’ attic. For her, it all started with the songs of Stevie Wonder, Hall and Oates, and other classics. Since then, Karrah has gone from idly digging through dusty crates to a daily obsession.

“I was listening to songs from the 70s for a long time, and I started buying recent artists over Amazon because you can’t find decent ones unless it’s over the internet,” said Karrah.

Even though she acknowledges the higher prices of vinyls as a disadvantage, Karrah buys vinyl to show her gratitude for the musicians she listens to.

“I like paying more for music in general because I hate how music is so free. It’s not fair for the artists,” she said.

The sound quality of vinyls also attracts her.

“I’ve found that vinyls and sometimes even cassettes surprisingly tend to have better sound, especially in a good machine,” she said.

Whether through Kiss or Richard Pryor, Jimmy Hoffman’s (‘17) grandfather and parents first introduced him to vinyls. Around two years ago, he started collecting vinyls from Hooked and his grandfather’s collection.

While he enjoys listening to them, he doesn’t find vinyl superior to other forms of music.

“I mean, I’ll listen to whatever. I don’t have a preference,” he said.

“I think for some people [vinyls are] just kind of a fad I mean so they can act like old dirty hipsters.”

Mark Lydell (‘15) has found that listening to music on vinyl is all about the experience. Whether mental or physical, collecting and listening to vinyls is a retreat for him, bringing him to another age or letting him explore and meet new people on the quest for more.

“The idea of listening to music at its roots fascinated me,” he said.

Not only do vinyls allow him to look into his origins, but they also have an effect on his mood.

“The journey they take you on and the relaxed vibe they create just make music more fun to listen to, and can help you relax.”

Though Mark buys many of his records at Hooked (formerly Horseshoes and Handgrenades) in Downtown Fredericksburg, he also sees collecting vinyls as an opportunity to travel.

“The trip you take when you try to get a particular record can give you the chance to meet a lot of interesting people and go to interesting places,” he said.