KING CRIMSON IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON 1970 UK Pink Island RAREST A1/B1 Top Audio

	£		99
	$		131

KING CRIMSON - IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON

An increasingly rare and highly sought after copy of this 1970 UK very 1st press prog rock classic on the pink "i" ISLAND label, STEREO ILPS 9127

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  ILPS 9127 A//1 with stampers "L" and "3 0"at 4 o'clock and 4.30 o'clock respectively 

Side 2  ILPS 9127 B//1 with stampers "L" and  at "L 2" at 2 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively 

 The appearance of the thick, heavy duty vinyl is excellent+ (I'm sure that many would grade as "near mint"). Completely flat and when viewed in normal daylight still retaining a beautiful glossy and jet black lacquered sheen. Even under a bright light the only blemish (and that's too strong a word) that I can detect is a 4cm pencil thin very, very light scuff on side 1 but even under a bright light you will need to inspect very carefully in order to locate it! Superb condition vinyl, remarkable considering it's 48 year old antiquity.

The labels are excellent+. Pristine, in fact. I can just detect (and even then it needs a strong light source) two small and very, very faint spindle traces adjacent to the centre hole on the side 2 label. All black text, the white "i" logo, and the iconic pink matt background remain perfectly intact.

The heavily matt textured E.J. DAY gatefold outer sleeve is excellent+.  This sleeve is notorious for scuffing, what with no lamination and the heavy texturing, but any scuffing/rubbing on this sleeve is minimal - each edge remains well defined and rigid with barely any scuffing at all on the top edges and just some very, very light occasional scuffing on the bottom front edge. Similarly each corner remains a nice right angle with just a little rubbing/scuffing on the corners at either end of the spine; and the spine itself remains firm, unblemished (apart from just two small "nicks" towards the centre - see photo) and with all writing perfectly legible. There is no fraying on the opening sides. The texturing, colouring, richness and vibrancy of the artwork, on both the front and reverse sides, remains as exquisite as ever and completley unblemished and this applies also to the inside of the gatefold which when opened out comes across as pristine. There really can't be many 1st pressing copies of this iconic gatefold left which are in as good a condition as this. Wonderful!

Finally, the quality of the audio is superb. There is wonderful tone and clarity throughout and with no distortion, even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. No skips or loud clicks and no background crackle either (just the hint of a little very mild background static after "Catfood" and at the beginning of "The Devil's Triangle", but this is no more than what you would expect when playing a brand new record). This vinyl has obviously been played only a few times and really is audio perfection with every track making for a great listen.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. PEACE - A BEGINNING

2. PICTURES OF A CITY (including 42nd at Treadmill)

3. CADENCE & CASCADE

4. IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON (including Libra's Theme)

Side 2 :

1. CAT FOOD

2. THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE

3. MERDAY MORN

4. HAND OF SCEIRON

5. GARDEN OF WORM

6. PEACE - AN END

Comes with original Island poly-lined white inner with correct British Patent No's and correctly dated, and with no splits or tears but and barely any creasing either - outstanding! Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly EXCELLENT+ copy of this rare and highly sought after 1970 UK very first stereo pressing - a "must" for any serious vinyl collection and bound only to continue to increase in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class, tracked and signed for  : UK £5.00, continental Europe £11, and Rest of the World £14. 

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

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.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

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, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler