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KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT OF KING CRIMSON

 This is the Essential progressive rock masterwork! Original UK 1st Stereo Issue with Patent Numbered & Poly-lined Inner Sleeve / 1st Press Pink Colour Label with White 'i' Logo Gatefold Cover printed & made by 'E. J. Day'. 

It plays with stunning TOP AUDIO THROUGHOUT. 

It is, without doubt one of the clearest pressings I've ever heard!

THIS IS A COMPLETE GENUINE RARE ORIGINAL FROM MY OWN PERSONAL COLLECTION, AND IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BUY AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THIS CLASSIC COLLECTABLE VINYL.

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

THIS PRESSING 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 UK pressing, 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'. 

1st released in Gt BRITAIN, 1969.

MATRIX NOs. ON RUN-OUT GROOVE 

Side 1.  A - 2  

Side 2.  B - 3   

MOTHER STAMPERS: 

Side 1. '' 1      1         1       7 " 

Side 2. '' 1       4     3 '' 

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 an extremely  sensitive piece of vinyl, being incredibly 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 very hard to better.

Superb sound, every track has been tested and I could find no obvious sound blemishes. It plays with wonderful TOP audio, there is NO distortion, and obviously NO sticks or jumps. There is some very light occasional background static in some of the very quiet sections, but virtually none between the tracks. Any surface sound that there is slight and in no way obtrusive or even that noticeable. There are no loud pops or clicks, and certainly no distortion what so ever. This vinyl is an absolute gem and I will give a detailed account below:  

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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 very little detectable static in the first five seconds and then after the it plays all the way through with super clear audio and amazing brightness and clarity. It plays perfectly with great bright sound. 

The quiet sections of 'I Talk to the Wind' sound amazing. Again this is a real test on this album due to its many layered quiet sections but this really is stunning. The long quiet section 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. I've never heard anything 1st pressing of In The Court of the Crimson King that plays with such clear audio. 

'Moonchild' starts off side 2. again with brilliant audio, this ultra quiet track playing with great sound. There is some light static during the quietest section but it is light by vinyl standards. The quiet section in the middle of the track is very clear, as is the very long quiet ending, a little light static and one or two light tics, but it plays with an unbelievable lack of surface sound for such a long extended extremely quiet section. 

The album then bursts into the superb 'In The Court of the Crimson King', and the sound is amazing. The long quiet sections play with very clear sound. No loud pops, no clicks and very little static. This is such a difficult track but this press really plays superbly with no loud pops or clicks and certainly no distortion what so ever. The sound is amazing, and for such a variable track it really plays beautifully with incredible clarity.

This vinyl plays with great music with great clarity, and so hard to find with this type of sound. The music jumps out, with great definition, the vocals come through with tremendous power, and for such a complex piece that's really noticeable. It's the same with the bass 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. This 1st pressing is a great example of this iconic King Crimson masterpiece.

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

This is a great listening pleasure and I would give the audio a grading of NEAR MINT.

THE RECORD – VISUAL GRADING 

This is a stunning 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 extremely clean, with barely any faint sleeve removal marks and just one very light tiny hairline. 

This stunning vinyl has been little played, and shows no groove wear what so ever. Unbelievable to think this vinyl is over 40 years old!  This is a great example of this ultra rare 1st pressing.

Graded 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. A couple of tiny ultra light spindle traces can be found. Great all round deep coloured examples.

Graded at 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, - only the 1st pressings came with this cover. The Matt finish covers of this Crimson classic are very prone to wear. They usually come pretty knackered with extreme scuffing and colour loss to the edges and the main panels. It's so hard to find copies of this album that are not blighted by heavy ring wear and marking. The rich colouration makes it ultra prone to damage and discolouration. 

Any serious collector will know that original press covers of 'In The Court of King Crimson' 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. There is very little light wear around the edges and little fading. Very little in the form of creases, there is NO writing, little edge wear and no rips, tears, splits or any other damages. There is some slight corner wear and a couple of very light creases. this is a great example with obvious no ring wear, the colours rich and largely un faded.

The inside gatefold has no obvious marks marks other than two small areas of discolouration be the upper spine, with just some light rubbing in places. 

Graded at EXCELLENT.

THE INNER 

Original poly lined inner sleeve with 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. Some 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.

Graded at EXCELLENT.

Any Pressing of IN THE COURT OF KING CRIMSON in genuinely clean condition is rare. The vinyl is so often played so much, heavily marked, scratched, with noisy, poor, distorted sound. Any early examples with a record that plays as cleanly as this 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 pressing that sounds this clear is unbelievably rare. The sound is just so variable on these vinyls, and this one sounds incredible, making this an incredible 1st pressing and a true rarity!

RARE COMPLETE CLASSIC ORIGINAL VINYLS WITH TOP AUDIO AND GREAT CONDITION THROUGHOUT

AT TRADE MARK RECORDS WE SPECIALISE IN RARE COLLECTABLE PRESSINGS - WITH GREAT SOUND UNINTERRUPTED BY INTERFERENCE. 

SELLING GREAT VINYLS FOR OVER 20 YEARS, WITH NO LOUD POPS OR CLICKS, JUMPS OR REPEATS - GUARANTEED!

GREAT ORIGINAL COVERS WITH NO SEAM SPLITS, TEARS, WRITING OR STICKERS!

VINYL

We sell the highest quality examples of Classic Vinyl. Large format art work covers with the original sound and mix unique to the best original pieces, giving the highest audio depth and performance. Vinyl prices have soared over the last ten years, making classic examples a great financial and cultural investment.  

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SCRUPULOUS EXAMINATION and TESTING:

All our records are play tested on highly sensitive equipment to ensure the sound quality and accuracy of description. We aim to give a precise and concise description of the sound, pointing out the slightest defect so that you know exactly what you are buying. We aim to describe all records 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:

Highest quality vinyl with clear sound is rare, and what we always aim for. We only sell records that play with TOP AUDIO performance; super clear sound uninterrupted by hiss or other interference. Even with the cleanest pressing you will find occasional static 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 we advise a light clean between plays for optimal performance. 

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IMAGES and INFORMATION

We only use photographs of the item for sale taken with professional digital cameras. The images are designed to be as clear as possible, giving an exact representation of the item. We aim to give sufficient and accurate detail as possible, so that you know exactly what you are buying. Please let us know if you need any further information and we will be happy to oblige.

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

SOME EXAMPLES OF FEEDBACK –

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

Absolutely fantastic! Worth every single penny! Trust you are in careful hands!

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

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

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 without question. If you are not happy then any item can be returned, we cant say fairer than that!

WE ONLY SELL RARE RECORDS 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 we have missed something in the listing, we 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 we will pay the full postage costs!

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 : -

All items will be extremely well sealed and securely wrapped. We use the best possible packaging for safe handling and delivery. 

All records can be sent by Express Courier if an extra fast delivery is desired. 

We send items all round the globe with 100% success! We sell top quality rare records to discerning buyers. We do not make money from the postage costs and aim to keep the prices at a reasonable rate, while never offering a cheap or second rate service. 

IT IS AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY THAT THE RECORDS YOU BUY GET TO YOU IN PERFECT CONDITION. All RECORDS ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR MAIN COVER AND PLACED IN A BRAND NEW REPLACEMENT INNER SLEEVES TO AVOID ANY CHANCE OF EDGE SPLITS OR KNIFING. THEY ARE HELD SAFELY IN EXTRA THICK PLASTIC SLEEVES, AND THEN SECURED WITH SEVERAL EXTRA LAYERS OF REINFORCED CARD BOARD AND PADDING, DOUBLE BOXED IN EXTRA STRONG PROFESSIONAL RECORD CONTAINERS TO ENSURE SAFE ARRIVAL. WE 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 : = £9.00

EUROPE - International Airmail Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : = £9.95

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 for multiple records 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. 

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PAYMENTS 

Payments must be made within 3 days of purchasing unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed upon. 

Pay Pal or bank transfers are accepted for International buyers. We accept Pay Pal, bank transfers or postal orders within the UK. Records will be sent out immediately on receipt of payment.

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

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CUSTOMS CHARGES 

If this record is purchased from outside of the European Union there may be a customs fee charged. Unfortunately we cannot advise about the exact customs fees in individual countries and suggest that if you are concerned about potential fees that you contact your own Customs and Excise Department.