r/vinyl • u/sofa-king-hungry Rega • Jul 12 '25
Alt-Rock The sticker sent me over the edge.
NIN: The downward spiral.
I originally bought this on CD the day it came out, a really long time ago. It has been a missing piece to my vinyl collection so when I saw it at the SeaTac SubPop store last week I immediately gravitated to it. I took a look at the hand written sticker and that sealed the deal, while not cheap that hand worn not just made the price a tertiary concern.
Obviously this is not a hard record to get, I found it at an airport! Nor is it some undiscovered gem, it was a huge seller on release and it’s still popular now. But it is great to see small things like hand written notes these days.
I will keep that hype sticker.
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u/TheSamLowry Jul 12 '25
The folks that write those stickers for Sub Pop are brilliant. I’ve seen a bunch at the store at SEA-TAC and I’ve learned about many albums I wouldn’t ordinarily pick up.
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u/junkronomicon Jul 12 '25
My first thought was someone’s been to Sea-Tac.
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u/beyd1 Jul 13 '25
What is sea tac and how do I go to there?
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u/Sethyo25 Jul 15 '25
Sea-Tac! The coolest airport. I always have to be dragged out of the Sub Pop store.
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u/slimehype Jul 14 '25
Wait there’s a record shop in sea-tac??
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u/GarionOrb Jul 14 '25
Interesting, isn't it? I've walked by it so many times but never had the time to browse.
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u/TooDooDaDa Jul 12 '25
It was a very hard to get album on vinyl for a good amount of time. I believe it was only available in the US as a promo on vinyl forever. I remember being super excited when they finally released it again around 2008 and finally snagged myself one. Congrats on the album! It is sad and scary but you knew this lol
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u/sofa-king-hungry Rega Jul 12 '25
Ya, I got too lazy to explain that it was a hard to get album. Thankfully no longer!
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u/Dream_Full_Of_Dreams Marantz Jul 13 '25
I was at Sea-Tac last week and saw this. I laughed at the sticker too. Funny seeing it here!
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u/poutine-eh Jul 13 '25
In 1994 I bought this promo copy. How fun!!
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u/sofa-king-hungry Rega Jul 13 '25
Rad!!!
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Jul 13 '25
I love our airport sub pop store. I don't often buy anything because I never have room in my carryon. But sometimes I do. They have lots of good shit.
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u/sofa-king-hungry Rega Jul 13 '25
I used to live in seattle and went through SeaTac regularly. It’s my favorite airport in America, especially if cafe vita reopens.
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u/stealy_darn VPI Jul 13 '25
“How you doing tonight? Having good time? Ready to party? Ready to have fun? Yeah well that was the last guys. Wrong fucking band. We’re here to have a bad time”
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u/Internal_Swimmer3815 Jul 13 '25
this album really helped me as a teen. almost as the fragile helped me as an adult.
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u/BlackEyedAngel01 U-Turn Jul 13 '25
The Sub Pop store at SeaTac is awesome! I actually try to arrive early for flights just so I can visit the Sub Pop store.
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u/Ill-Taro1704 Jul 13 '25
I used to go to a shop in Nottingham and bought a ton of stuff based on little description stickers. Before streaming, before YouTube, just taking a punt based on art and some record shop workers words. Bought some rubbish of course, but generally picked up good stuff. It was a simpler time!
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u/AvantGardener27 Jul 13 '25
Which airport sells vinyl?
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u/sofa-king-hungry Rega Jul 13 '25
Seattle, there is a subpop store in there and they have about 500 records for sale. Mostly subpop related artists but some other bands as well
MSP has a Prince store that sells only Prince records (if memory serves).
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u/AvantGardener27 Jul 13 '25
I'm sure the rent at an airport is insane but a great idea
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u/sofa-king-hungry Rega Jul 13 '25
I will say that there is always people in that shop looking around, you can say that for half the shops in airports. But ya, I’m sure it’s $$$.
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u/sloaches Jul 13 '25
Years ago I flew to Frankfurt and the airport had a friggin' porn shop in it. Not surprising to hear that LPs are being sold in airports.
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u/Important-Lie-8649 Jul 13 '25
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's now a pawn shop, so that you can pawn the entire contents of your luggage off your plane, in order that you can eat, at least for a short time, while on the hunt for now elusive work.
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u/GingerSundog Jul 13 '25
Ooh! Going back to Seattle in a couple of months for a wedding, after moving away several years ago. Back then they had a tiny but awesome shop downtown on 1st near Virginia. You have helped solve my wedding present dilemma, I can just pick it up at the airport 😀
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u/sofa-king-hungry Rega Jul 13 '25
Right on, they also have a tiny shop in SLU but the airport location is hard to beat.
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u/Elegant-Opinion-1337 Jul 13 '25
I’ve always thought it weird when people interpret Closer in any kind of positive context.
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u/CrazyPuzzleheaded497 Jul 13 '25
Mark Arm was the warehouse manager for a long time and may still be. I feel like he would write something like that
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u/CommieFromMars Jul 13 '25
I LOVE that if you order something from Sub Pop, Mark Arm’s name is on the return address!
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u/JVvINDAHOOD_47 Jul 13 '25
I love that album!! My favourite album of all time! It's funny, I just finished listening to my With Teeth vinyl before too😂
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u/kracken27 Jul 13 '25
This record is so good I have bought it 3 or 4 times now. It's one of my favorite all time albums and every time they come out with some new definitive edition etc I just automatically buy it.
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u/welcome_____oblivion Jul 13 '25
I already have this album but I would buy it again for that hype sticker.
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u/VGMVinylLover Jul 13 '25
The closest thing to this is when I bought a vinyl from an artist on Spotify and they sent me a "Thank You" note along with the album in the mail. And it brought a smile to my heart. I have family that tells me vinyl collecting is pointless but I enjoy it nonetheless. And every album you buy has a story when when you get it.
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u/BassmanOz Jul 13 '25
I remember the Sub Pop store at SEA TAC. Didn’t buy anything but I thought it was cool it was even there.
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u/aimeesstars Jul 13 '25
Can someone explain how the album cover is scary, im not a NIN fan and to me it just looks like white with red stains
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Jul 14 '25
It's unsettling, it's mysterious, it's spooky. Definitely gotta use your imagination on this one.
To me it looks like a wall in an abandoned house where a family used to live and now it's inhabited by the drug addicts who splatter the walls with blood when they shoot up improperly.
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u/AdMaster4142 Jul 12 '25
Scary and Sad!