Photo Story: Vinyl Collectors With Their Favorite Records

With vinyl records making a huge comeback in recent years, we asked avid vinyl collectors around West Campus about the records that mean the most to them. 

Photos by Kara Fields

Ren Breach holds her favorite record, “Louder Than Bombs” by The Smiths

“This is actually the first album I ever got and I knew right away it was the album I wanted,” Breach said. “I think it was partly inspired by me loving “Perks of Being a Wallflower” as a kid, and one of the songs on the mixtape that Charlie, the main character, gets is “Asleep” by The Smiths. It’s a very sad song for someone in the eighth grade to be listening to, but I think during that period in my life I was a very emotional person, and that song said what I couldn't say for myself. The album is fun for me too since it was something my dad and I bonded over. This is actually the album he wanted me to get first.”

Clayton Faries holds his favorite record, “Skull and Roses” by Grateful Dead

“This album was a gift to me by my neighbor who has known me ever since I was maybe six or seven years old,” Faries said. “I kind of grew up with her and she’s always supported me and my music. Anytime we were playing a concert in the driveway when I was like 10 or 11 years old, she was always our biggest fan and supporter and she would always talk to me about music. She’s also a deadhead and she had this Grateful Dead record and once I became a deadhead she realized it would be in better hands if it was with me. Not only is Grateful Dead my favorite band ever, but it was given to me by a close friend and neighbor who has supported me and my creativity forever, which is awesome.”

Carina Martinez hold her favorite record, “In Rainbows” by Radiohead

“This record was from one of my friends and I feel like I got really obsessed with the album to the point where I listened to it for a month straight,” Martinez said. “I would say that I really like this album because it has a lot of genres in it. There’s EDM in it but there’s also slow songs too. I love that there are songs in this album that can match any mood I’m feeling. About a month ago I ran into a man who was homeless and we had a conversation and he recommended some artists to me. And he said Radiohead, and I also really like Radiohead, so we both bonded over “In Rainbows,” and he started singing “Nude” from that album. That was a nice memory to have that I also associate with this album.”

Jacob Zenner holds his favorite record, “The Mollusk” by Ween

“Ween has always been a part of my life whether I knew it or not,” Zenner said. “Growing up, I was a massive SpongeBob fan, and the SpongeBob Movie was my favorite movie. Every time “Ocean Man” came on I would get so excited and I always thought it was a one off song that the creators of the show had made. But then later in my life, when I was 13, I was in band in high school, and one of my good friends was really into Ween. From there, I just dove into their discography, and ever since then they’ve been one of my favorite bands (…) I’ve always been attracted to music that just always changes up on itself. I get really bored when music sounds the same and an album is just the same song over and over again, and Ween totally flips that on its head, each song is its own genre.”

Ayesha Hussein holds her favorite record, “Blue” by Joni Mitchell 

“I chose Blue by Joni Mitchell mainly because I’m such a huge Joni Mitchell fan and she’s gotten me through some rough times,” Hussein said. “Her voice puts me at such ease. Every time I’m feeling down I just play it on my record player and just lay in my bed and contemplate life.”

Wes Simmons holds his favorite record, “Down in Heaven” by Twin Peaks

“I think the best thing about Twin Peaks is that there’s four songwriters who each sing their own songs so you get a nice variety,” Simmons said. “But it's still brought together by good production.”

Will LeHardy holds his favorite record, “Abandoned Luncheonette” by Daryl Hall & John Oates

“I listened to this and I became obsessed with it — it just has my heart,” LeHardy said. “I guess Hall and Oates are known for their later stuff, even songs on TikTok that are trending have Hall and Oates stuff in there, but this is one of their earlier albums that no one really listens to. I was just obsessed with it, and I did a whole Wikipedia thing on it, apparently when it came out, it did not do as well as everyone thought, and I was shook at that because I love this album. I play it all the time!”

Cole Hunt holds his favorite record, “Twin Fantasy” by Car Seat Headrest

“So “Twin Fantasy” is my favorite record of all time, this is actually my third copy of the album on vinyl, I just wanted all the different versions,” Hunt said. “My uncle had given me the CD of the album right after it had come out, about three years ago, and I put it in my car to listen to and I didn’t take it out for months because I just fell in love with the album. It really resonated with me emotionally at the time, just everything Will Toledo was writing.”