BID WITH TOTAL CONFIDENCE . YOUR SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED: COMPLETE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT TOTALLY SATISFIED

SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST, QUALITY ASSURED. I HAVE A 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK RATING AND A 100% TRACK RECORD OF OFFERING GREAT PRODUCTS, SERVICE, COMMUNICATION AND DELIVERY – GUARANTEED!!

KING CRIMSON  -  IN THE COURT OF KING CRIMSON

 Essential progressive rock masterwork! Original UK 1st Stereo Issue with Patent Numbered & Polylined Inner Sleeve / 1st Press Pink Colour Label with White 'i' Logo / Heavy Textured Gatefold Cover / Stunning Cover Printed & Made by 'E. J. Day'.

Stunning TOP AUDIO THROUGHOUT . - That means super clear bright sound un affected by noise, distortion, hissing, loud clicks or pops! This Rare 1st press vinyl looks and sounds unplayed. 

It would be near impossible to better for audio clarity!!!

THIS IS A COMPLETE GENUINE RARE ORIGINAL FROM MY OWN PERSONAL COLLECTION, AND IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BUY AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE VINYL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. 

ULTRA Rare original with 1st Ever Press PINK Island I logo labels

THIS PRESS HAS BEEN BARELY PLAYED AND COMES COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE AND TOP AUDIO THROUGHOUT!

CAT NO:.... 

UK 1970  -  Island ILPS-9111

LABEL PRESS DETAILS: 

1st Ever UK press, with IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING printed exactly in the top centre of the middle label. With  'Produced by KING CRIMSON' for E.G. Productions'. 

MATRIX NOs. ON RUN-OUT GROOVE 

A - 2  / B - 4   

MOTHER STAMPERS: 

Side 1. '' 1 2   1    8 '' Rare early stampers!

Side 2. '' 1   1   1   5 '' 

TRACK LISTING…

Side One -

1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (including "Mirrors") Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield 7:24

2. "I Talk to the Wind"   McDonald, Sinfield 6:04

3. "Epitaph" (including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow") Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield 8:49

Side Two - 

No. Title Writers Length

4. "Moonchild" (including "The Dream" and "The Illusion") Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield 12:13

5. "The Court of the Crimson King" (including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets")

In the Court of the Crimson King (also titled In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson) is the debut studio album by King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969. The album reached number five on the British charts, and is certified gold in the United States, where it reached #28 on the Billboard 200.

The album is generally viewed as one of the first works to truly embody the progressive rock genre, where King Crimson largely departed from the blues influences that rock music had been founded upon and mixed together jazz and classical symphonic elements. In his 1997 book Rocking the Classics, critic and musicologist Edward Macan notes that In the Court of the Crimson King "may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released".

The Who's Pete Townshend was quoted as calling the album "an uncanny masterpiece".  In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came fourth in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums". The album was named as one of Classic Rock magazine's "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".

In the Court of the Crimson King initially received mixed reactions from critics. Rolling Stone was favourable, writing, "they have combined aspects of many musical forms to create a surreal work of force and originality."

The album has since attained a classic status, with Allmusic praising it "as if somehow prophetic, King Crimson projected a darker and edgier brand of post-psychedelic rock" in its original review by Lindsay Planer and calling it "definitive" and "daring" in its current review. It is now considered one of the most influential albums of the era and the first masterpiece of progressive rock. 

ALBUM PLAYED FOR GRADING: 

IN THE COURT OF KING CRIMSON is a complex and varied collection of music, and is also a relatively sensitive piece of vinyl, being hard to find in clear audio condition. Worn copies can have a lot of surface sound even on musically complex and busy tracks like '21st Century Schizoid Man.' This pressing has amazing bright undistorted audio, with Super clear sound. There is certainly no  interference, and NO loud pops, clicks or Distortion. It really sounds great and plays with great sound separation and clarity! It would be hard to ever better.

Superb sound, every track has been tested and I could find no obvious sound blemishes. Wonderful TOP audio, there is NO distortion, NO sticks or jumps what so ever, and little static between the tracks. certainly no loud pops, and certainly no distortion what so ever. This vinyl is an absolute gem and I will give a detailed account below:  

Starting with '21st Century Schizoid Man', this has to be one of the quietest intros of any album, and a very difficult piece to collect, given its sensitivity. I am delighted to say that this is an outstanding example. There is barely any detectable static what so ever in the first five seconds and then after the it plays all the way through with super clear audio. Amazing brightness and clarity. It plays perfectly with great bright sound. The quiet section of 'I Talk to the Wind' sounds amazing. Again its a real test on this  album due to its many layered quiet sections sings but this really is stunning. The long quiet section again plays perfectly, with no pops or click, as with the rest of the record. 'Epitaph' too plays perfectly rounding off a truly incredible side 1.

'Moonchild' starts off side 2. again with perfect audio, this ultra quiet track again playing with great uninterrupted sound. The quiet section at the end of the track is just crystal clear, and then bursts into the superb 'The Court of the Crimson King' as is the very long quiet section. The sound is amazing. The long quiet section plays with virtually silence. Two light pops but barely any detachable static at all. This is such a  difficult track but this press really plays superbly with no pops, clicks and certainly no distortion what so ever. The sound is amazing, and for such a quiet track it really plays beautifully, incredibly clear for a track that is so sparse.

Great music with great clarity, and so hard to find with this type of sound. The music jumps out, with definition and clarity, the vocals which come through with tremendous power, and for such a complex piece thats really noticeable. Its the same with the bass guitar and drums, whilst the guitars come through crisp and clear. The tonal quality make this a sensational pressing. With the clear and extra loud First cut engineering giving the audio a vibrant sound which cannot be beaten. A 1st ever press, this is an outstanding pressing of this iconic Crimson masterpiece that would be near impossible to match for clarity, depth and quietness!

A great all round example of this classic vinyl. Great Audio, This is a great listening pleasure and I would have to give the Audio at least an NEAR MINT grading.

Staggering first (stereo) mix, unlike the re-issues which lack the impact. A great all round example of this great vinyl.

THE RECORD – VISUAL GRADING 

This is an immaculate piece of glossy vinyl, and a really thick pressing. Deep clear grooves that can only be found on the original early pressings, this vinyl has been barely played. Under a spot light it looks immaculate, with barely any faint sleeve removal marks. 

This stunning vinyl has been only ever been played twice, and shows no groove wear what so ever. Unbelievable to think this vinyl is over 40 years old!  This is a simply stunning, perfect example of this ultra rare 1st pressing, and must grade at NEAR MINT.

VINYL TESTED FOR ANY SIGNS OF WARPING:

Yes, NONE visible what so ever when tested be sight and on a moving turntable.

THE LABELS 

The 1970's  colours of the ISLAND label are only found on original pressings. All the colour on this example is outstanding, deep and un eroded, and there are no tears, finger prints, writing or sticker marks on these all important and so rare UK  labels.

Famous 1st press labels, with no  writing, and no discernible spindle wear. Side one has not a single spindle trace mark what so ever. Only  a single tiny ultra light spindle trace can be found on side two only, and it is really barely visible. 

Great all round deep coloured examples, at least graded NEAR MINT!

THE COVER 

Barry Godber (1946–1970), a computer programmer, painted the album cover. Godber died in February 1970 of a heart attack, shortly after the album's release. It was his only album cover, and is now owned by Robert Fripp.

Fripp had said about Godber: “Peter brought this painting in and the band loved it. I recently recovered the original from [managing label E.G. Records's] offices because they kept it exposed to bright light, at the risk of ruining it, so I ended up removing it. The face on the outside is the Schizoid Man, and on the inside it's the Crimson King. If you cover the smiling face, the eyes reveal an incredible sadness. What can one add? It reflects the music.”

This is an outstanding  original 1st press unlaminated  Gatefold cover, ONLY found on original UK first pressings! Gatefold format, unlaminated, matt finish and non textured. Printed in Great Britain by the famous E J Day, and only the 1st pressings came with this cover. The Matt finish covers of this Crimson classic are very prone to wear. Heavily textured and coloured they usually come pretty knackered with extreme scuffing and colour loss to the edges and the faces.

Its so hard to find copies of this album that are not blighted by even light ring wear and marking. The rich colouration makes it ultra prone to damage and discolouration. This is a great example in at least EXCELLENT condition. There is very little light wear around the edges and very little fading. Very little in the form of creases, there is NO writing, NO edge wear and no rips, tears, splits or any other damages. The only real wear is to the spine corners, and its a great all round example with some light wear only. Some slight corner wear and a couple of very light crease this is a great example with no ring wear and all the colours rich and un faded.

Any serious collector will easily know that original press In The Court of King Crimson covers are irreplaceable. Made out of unique and totally un miss able matt thick card with a wider spine and colouration that is unique to the first press UK editions, they are un mistakably different to all later pressings. Not having the advantage of being laminated, these covers usually faired pretty badly, with serious ring wear and destruction to the edges. The Spines are nearly always flattened, worn and torn. Not this one!

This original press cover has no serious faults, with only minor signs of wear.  There are no rips or tears, and no creases or wear at the opening. The opening edges are square and un frayed.  

The inside Gatefold has no obvious marks marks, with just some very light rubbing in places. A SUPERB Excellent all round example.

THE INNER 

Original poly lined 'Made in London' inner sleeve in superb condition, these inners are extremely rare in themselves. 

An EXCELLENT example with very little wear. Crucially, there are NO splits to the sides. There are NO tears to the front or opening edges, which are nice and crisp. There is very little impression of the album, which is very rare. Minimal discolouration around the edges, as clearly shown in the images.

All in all a really great and ultra rare example. Comes of course with a new white inner sleeve. In EXCELLENT condition.

Any Pressing of IN THE COURT OF KING CRIMSON in this type of condition are rare. The vinyl is so often played so much, heavily marked, scratched, with noisy, poor and distorted sound. Any early examples with a record in this type of condition, that plays so well is simply unheard of. What is certain, any early pressings will blow away the later pressings that followed from 1970. The cover is almost impossible to find without serious wear, even modestly worn examples are scarce. 

Finding a 1st press, with a great cover like this, bright labels, with a stunning piece of vinyl, and an undamaged inner sleeve makes this an unbelievable rarity!. 

Great UK pressings of IN THE COURT OF KING CRIMSON are becoming increasingly rare. Finding a 1st ever press that sounds this clear is unbelievably rare. The sound is just so variable on these vinyls, and this ones sounds incredible. You would be hard pressed to find a copy that came near to this in sound quality. All of this with the ORIGINAL Inner Sleeve!!! SUPERB! All that, and this is a 1st pressing, makes this a true rarity!

GREAT COVERS WITH NO SEAM SPLITS, NO TEARS, NO WRITING, NO STICKERS.

GREAT VINYLS WITH NO LOUD CLICKS OR POPS, NO JUMPS OR REPEATS - GUARANTEED!

SCRUPULOUS EXAMINATION and TESTING; PLEASE NOTE:

This record has been play tested on highly sensitive equipment to ensure the sound quality and accuracy of description. I aim to give a precise and concise description of the sound quality, pointing out any defects so that you know what you are buying. I will not go into screeds of information about the nature of the songs, as I imagine that you already know them well. I aim to describe all items as accurately as possible, and offer a full refund on return if for any reason you are not completely happy with the item description.

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VINYL SOUND - PLEASE NOTE:

The highest quality vinyl with clear sound is rare, and is what I always aim for. I only sell records that play with TOP AUDIO performance, super clear sound uninterrupted by hiss or other interference. Even with the cleanest copies you will find occasional static sound or occasional light tics during playback, caused by a build of dust in the grooves. This is clearly different from the distortion, loud pops, repeating tics or clicks that are found on heavily played and worn pieces of vinyl. Any static build up will reduce when played, and I advise a light clean should be given between plays for optimal performance. 

VINYL

Large format art work covers with the original sound and mix unique to vinyl and of the highest quality audio. Vinyl record have always been loved and have become a great investment opportunity, with prices soaring over the last ten years, making classic pieces a great financial as well as a cultural investment.  

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IMAGES and INFORMATION

I only use my photographs taken with a high quality professional digital camera of the item for sale. The images are designed to be as clear as possible, giving an exact image of the item. I aim to give sufficient and accurate detail as possible, so that you know exactly what you are bidding on. Please let me know if you need any further information and I will be only to happy to oblige.

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ABOUT ME 

I am a visual artist, working internationally, a collector of art and rare objects including rare vinyl, which I have been collecting for over 25 years, and an art and music enthusiast. I specialise in the  highest quality rarest items, selling to collectors the world over. I want you to know what a great item you are bidding on. If there is anything that is unclear in the listing, or you have any questions about this or any other item, please feel free to get in touch. All the best to you.  

SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST, QUALITY ASSURED. I HAVE A 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK RATING.

SOME EXAMPLES OF FEEDBACK –

BRILLIANT LP MINT CONDITION,AWESOME SELLAR,1ST CLASS PACKAGING, NO PROBLEMS A+

ITEM RECEIVED.. AS DESCRIBED... PACKED GREAT...MANY THANKS..RECOMMENDED.. A*******

Great LP from a great seller. Thanks !! Very well packaged. AAA+++

received today! great record!! thank you!!!

Item arrived quickly, well packaged and in excellent condition. Very pleased.

fast delivery, superb communication, good item, great ebayer AAAAA+++++

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RETURN POLICY:

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed ; - returns accepted with out question. If you are not happy then it can be returned, I cant say fairer that that!

I ONLY SELL RARE GOODS THAT ARE IN GREAT CONDITION, IF THERE IS ANY SLIGHT DEFECT, IT WILL BE CLEARLY STATED.

If in the unlikely event that you may want to return an item, or that I have missed something in the listing, I offer a no quibble return policy. Items must be returned within 12 Days of receipt, and returned in the same condition that they were sent out in. Return postage must be paid by buyer, unless there is a particular fault with the item, and then I will pay the full postage costs!

MY RECORD GRADING SYSTEM IS AS FOLLOWS - (BASED ON RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE U.K. )

MINT: Virtually unplayed. The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. Cover is pristine.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

V.G PLUS: The record will still be nice and shiny, but may have a few light marks, and will play well. Slight wear and tear on the cover.

V.G: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, etc.

FAIR: Fair. It is noticeable that the record has been played so much that the sound quality has deteriorated very noticeably. The cover and contents are showing signs of folding, scuffing of edges etc.

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POSTAGE AND PAYMENT DETAILS : -

Items will be extremely well sealed and securely wrapped using the best possible packaging for safe handling and delivery. I send items all round the globe with 100% success! I sell top quality rare records to discerning buyers. I do not make money from the postage costs and aim to keep the prices at a reasonable rate, but please don't expect a cheap second rate service. 

IT IS AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY THAT THE ITEMS YOU BUY GETS TO YOU IN PERFECT CONDITION. All RECORDS ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR MAIN COVER AND PLACED IN A BRAND NEW REPLACEMENT INNER SLEEVE TO AVOID ANY CHANCE OF EDGE SPLITS OR KNIFING. THEY ARE HELD SAFELY IN EXTRA THICK PLASTIC SLEEVES, AND THEN THEY ARE SECURED WITH SEVERAL EXTRA LAYERS OF REINFORCED CARD BOARD AND PADDING AND MAILED IN EXTRA STRONG PROFESSIONAL RECORD CONTAINERS TO ENSURE THEIR SAFE ARRIVAL. AS I HAVE STATED I HAVE A 100% SUCCESS RATE AND AIM TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

Example of packaging used

UK - First Class Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : = £5.00

UK Special Signed For Next Day Delivery with Insurance : = £8.90

EUROPE - International Airmail Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : = £11.95

INTERNATIONAL, Non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Russia, Australia etc. International Airmail Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : = £18.95

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MULTIPLE PURCHASE REDUCTION

Reduced postage of course for multiple items up to 30% off extra items.

POSTAGE WILL BE FIRST CLASS OR THE FASTEST AND SAFEST POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE, RECORDED WITH TRACKING AND INSURANCE. ALL ITEMS ARE FULLY INSURED AND COVERED FOR THE SAFEST DELIVERY POSSIBLE, AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU. GUARANTEED!

POSTAGE RECEIPTS AND PROOF OF POSTAGE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE. MANY THANKS.

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PAYMENTS 

Payments must be made within 3 days of purchasing unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed upon. Pay Pall ONLY for International buyers. We will accept Pay Pall, cheque or postal order within the UK, but no cash or bank transfers. Items sent out immediately on receipt of payment

Please Note: If no contact is made by the winning bidder following the mandatory Ebay 3 days, I will reserve the right to offer the item to the runner-up, unless prior notice of any delay is arranged beforehand.  Any bidder who has missed the chance to purchase an item from me can still email to make a priority second chance.