Under the soft light of his den, chemistry teacher, Michael Boll, reclines after a long day with the deeper music of The Doors from his expansive record collection. Throughout his life, he has collected more than 300 vinyl records from thrift stores, Half Price Books, and his uncle. The collection consists of anything from The Doors to Led Zeppelin to even the most obscure music that is unknown even to Boll. From his first Beatles album played on a Fisher Price record player to the most recent Black Keys album played on a proper record player, his collection continues to grow.
Music would not be in his life if it weren’t for his father, a 50-year veteran accordion player, as well as being exposed to his sisters taking piano lessons. Besides having an expansive record collection, Boll knows how to play multiple instruments. At age eight, after being encouraged by his parents, Boll started piano lessons until middle school where he picked up the trumpet. During his sophomore year of high school, Boll picked up guitar because of a friend on the swim team; however, he is mainly self-taught. Throughout college, Boll played trumpet in a band for non-music majors, but left after freshman year.
Now, Boll continues to play guitar for fun and with other people. “Some of my greatest experiences as a musician would be playing at open mic nights and jamming with friends just for fun,” he says.
Without his knowledge of music, he would not be able to expand his taste of music in which he enjoys in his record collection.
“A while back, my uncle gave me a bunch of his records, all classic rock and some obscure stuff I don’t even know. Also, when I go to concerts, the bands sell their newest records on vinyl. I also get records from thrift stores where you can find records that are hard to find,” he says.
His collection consists of an album he considers to be the most obscure: “Beatles Alpha Omega,” which is a pirated Beatles album released January of 1973. The record he considers his favorite would be “The Best of Otis Redding,” which is a two album set of really good songs by the one and only Otis Redding. If he were to chose the most albums by a band, it would be between The Doors or The Rollings Stones. Though, his favorite is none other than Led Zeppelin.
Aside from expanding his music collection on a regular basis, Boll uses music as a way to unwind after a long day. To him, it is a nice way to relax. Also, to him, it’s fun to put on a record and listen to it without the temptations of the “shuffle” button on 21st century music devices.
“With vinyl, you have to listen to the whole side. You can’t skip around from song to song, which makes listening more enjoyable,” he says.
In case you are wondering, Boll does own an I-pod, but still believes vinyl is better.
“Vinyl is better because it’s analog. If you were in the room when the band was recording a track, your ear drum would vibrate at exactly the same as the grooves in the record. Also, everything that was recorded in the studio would be heard on the record, but with MP3s, they have to cut some of the highs and lows in order to fit a lot of songs onto a CD or an I-pod,” Boll says.
Some of Boll’s students also agree that vinyl is the best method of listening to music. They also enjoy being in his classes very much. Within his classes he will usually allow music to be played during labs to make them more enjoyable.
“I think [Mr. Boll’s record collection] is awesome; vinyl is the way to go. I also do think that it’s a good thing that he gives us freedom [that] allows us to be comfortable in our surroundings, [while working as well],” says sophomore, Chris Dominguez.
Even though MP3s dominate the music reproduction market, there is still a place for vinyl records. Since they are coming back, maybe the music industry will bounce back too. Maybe with the resurgence of vinyl, music will sound better and the way people listen to music will have a revival as well. Though, you can’t take a giant record player around, but still, Boll says, “it makes listening to music more enjoyable.”
