KING CRIMSON In the Court… SUPERB ISLAND PINK RIM 71 LP

	£		120
	$		159

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Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: In the Court of the Crimson King

Producer(s): King Crimson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: 21st Century Schizoid Man; I Talk to the Wind; Epitaph.

Side 2: Moonchild; In the Court of the Crimson King.

Cat Number: ILPS 9111

Label: Island – Pink rim very early second format repress.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and fresh with only light and fine spindle marks.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 120 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Original Year of Release: 1969 on the pink i label. This is an early second issue format pink rim pressing from around 1971-72.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9111 A-4U / ILPS 9111 B-4U

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 HA / 2 LA

Rarity: This is not a rare album even on the full pink format, it’s rarity in my opinion is over-stated. This album sold well and continued to do so as its reputation grew and grew. What has to be taken into consideration is condition. The fabulously famous cover does not wear well and is often seen tired and shabby. The record pressing quality is highly variable. Often the worst examples were the early pinks. Often rife with crackle and sometimes even tracking issues. At its best, it’s one of the greatest rock recordings ever made, but so often let down by inconsistent pressing quality. Many pink and pink rims crackle, it’s a well known fact. The fragile and delicate ‘Moonchild’ suffers more than most with nowhere to hide sound blemishes. Many hammered on unworthy old record players, this highly complex and intense recording does not tolerate heavy stylus abuse or rough handling. Hence I have no qualms in offering this superb EMI pressed pink rim copy. These were usually better pressed and this is no exception – this record sounds totally incredible with clean, precise and focused sound. It has a really lovely, little worn cover and for the sound and cover purist, that makes all the difference. Ask yourself, what would you rather have, a pink copy that crackles, pops and clicks, played on god knows what with the usual large price tag attached? Or a hardly played EMI pressing for Island that plays with stunning clean sound with barely anything unwanted and with a lovely clean and vibrant cover for almost certainly for far less than an inferior sound and looking pink. Sure, if a pink shows up this type of condition, high prices are merited and these are to be cherished. It’s one of the greatest albums ever made but finding one is a minefield unless carefully play-graded and explained. For more average collectors who simply want super clean records and covers of the expensive classics that plays to the highest standards possible, look no further.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Subtitled: An Observation by King Crimson, this was arguably the birth of ‘real’ British progressive rock and rarely, if ever, was this pioneering album ever matched or bettered. Issued back in 1969, this actually charted at 5 in the UK and its rarity is so often overblown, but, nothing had been heard quite like this before. Even the cover design and artwork was quite radical and visually stunning, it can hardly go unnoticed can it? The brilliance of the music lay within the band personnel, namely: Robert Fripp on guitar; Ian McDonald on reeds, woodwinds, vibes, keyboards, mellotron and vocals; Greg Lake, bass and lead vocals; Michael Giles, drums and percussion with words written by Pete Sinfield. Comprising of just five songs, this groundbreaking, and at times ear shattering, rock masterpiece - an album that more than justifies this word - still sounds fresh and is still eagerly searched for as ever. As far as vinyl goes this has to be one of the hardest albums to ever find that plays well, far more significant than ‘rarity’. A record I have had several times on different label variations and most all had varying degrees of surface sound and sometimes even minor pressing flaws – these are far from unusual, especially on the pink pressings that are a minefield. From information received by other collectors, pressing flaws are not uncommon for this album and I have encountered them once or twice. This EMI-press Island pink rim copy plays through in its entirity without tracking problems of any kind. This album is a roller-coaster ride of extremes, the manically powerful and electrifying opener ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’, arguably the greatest progressive track ever written, is as loud and thrilling as rock ever gets and then to the other end of the extreme comes the lengthy ‘Moonchild’ that occupies a large proportion of side two. This is a fragile and delicate track that plays very quietly to almost near silence in places - all very challenging for any vinyl recording. Delicate acoustics and percussion interplays with gentle clarity and fine stereo imagery, but so testing for pressing and groove-wear quality. Finding a copy that plays the loud passages distortion-free and ‘Moonchild’ anything like quiet and noise-free is always a challenge bearing in mind what early copies of this album were likely to have been played on. This copy is a beauty and even plays the fragile ‘Moonchild’ beautifully with barely anything unwanted. The odd mild sporadic tick or crackle trace at the very least has to be expected but here barely anything. A very clean record, it retains lovely shine and the lustre of a little handled record and a top EMI pressing. Even the manic nirvana of ‘Schizoid Man’, which can often sound muddled on less than worthy systems, can be heard with all the instruments sounding individual, not just blended together. The keyboards can be heard separately from the rasping saxes, even on the wild climax, clarity and detail remain in focus. Greg Lake’s vocals, usually so clear and precise and one of the best of his type ever, are rendered sub-human on ‘Schizoid’, it makes the neck hair stand on end – ‘Cat’s foot, iron claw, neuro surgeons scream for more, at paranoia’s poison door, 21st-Century Schizoid Man!’ – crazed lyrics sung in a totally demented voice, this is prog at its blistering best. Sound quality of the highest order and it’s not unique to just this track, all songs are clear and well-balanced with higher definition and clarity. That stunning drum crash after the quiet flute passage on the title song (often where the pressing fault lies) is massively solid with terrific slam and when the mellotron’s kick in soon after it gives the rare tingle factor that only the great recordings ever can. I cannot guarantee CD silence on ‘Moonchild’ – and never will, if that is demanded, best stick to the silver disc (but lose out on one of the truly great vinyl recordings ever made). The number of copies that will play this near impossible track to near silence will be few, but this was a real joy. I have heard many copies of this record via full pink and pink rim, even the late Polydor pressings that simply are unlistenable, virtually all have some surface sound with clicks or pops, and often loud - many simply sound awful. Sometimes repressings can surpass for clean sound originals and some early Island pressings are known to disappoint, and this one does more often than not. This pink rim is totally devoid of distortion and that is hugely important too, mellotrons and electric saxes and winds do not tolerate overplaying or abuse gladly and all play sharp and focused on this splendid example. This is audiophile standard and could represent the ultimate value-for-money copy in all departments.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++, an unlaminated gatefold format that was printed and made in England by Robor Ltd.

Cover – Front & Back: One of the most famous cover in rock music and this does it near full justice with any wear to the front and back being minimal and faint. Retaining superb rich, almost pastel-like colour and freshness with no grubbiness and any traces of rubbing small, few and faint. The most of any wear is seen near the corners that have rubbed, but the lack of marks and creasing is especially pleasing. The faintest of faint traces of rubbing around the record’s shape on the back, I will not use the term ringwear in this case because it’s so faint and minor, the work does not apply. This can be held and enjoyed and it will prove very difficult to find it significantly better.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Pretty much perfect as made, there is nothing noteworthy to fault and it looks magnificent (please see the close-up picture of the stunning artwork).

Top Edges: Both very straight with perfect alignment with barely any wear, any traces are tiny and faint.

Bottom Edges: Very light rubbing mainly on the back, but few will show much less on these more vulnerable resting edges.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. The closed front is near immaculate, the open back has tiny minor burr traces viewed end-on. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: The vulnerable spine has only light rubbing to the top and bottom and even the folds have avoided rubbing. Solid with no compression and folded square so the right edges meet up together and parallel. The artwork and text has avoided significant wear bar the very ends of the corners as mentioned already.

Corners: The spine pair have rubbed more than the right four, not in a big way but the surface ink has eroded. Overall, fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A highly attractive example of prog’s most famous cover, with many seen tired, grubby, creased and rubbed and often rife with ringwear, this is an exceptional one that should being pleasure to most collectors.

The Inner: This pink rim record includes its original blue line inner that includes the text ‘island records ltd 22 st peters square london w6 9nw’. This is very fine EX condition with just one small corner crease and all edges unsplit. It retains a lovely rich blue colour, many fade and often badly and this one has hardly any seam glue browning that occurs regularly on these inners. The lining intact and solid and this makes this early repress complete.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Little short of Mint, but as always, I grade Mint(-) because it’s been played a very small number of times, the only evidence as such, a tiny few light spindle marks. A beautiful clean visual copy with fine shine, intense black and solidly pressed. The ‘U’s on the matrixes indicate an EMI pressing which in most cases means superior to others for this album. Barely a mark or blemish to be seen on two incredibly fresh and clean playing surfaces. A copy without doubt only lightly played, it should please most collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: With my Linn LP12 back from service and with major upgrades, what better album to play first than this progressive rock giant? The sound, detail and mix can only be described as awesome. My head was constantly turning towards the speakers as details came out I swear I had never heard before, this to my ears matches most of the details of the full pinks. Subtle acoustic guitars over the mellotrons on the title song, delicate pianos on ‘Epitaph’ and what sounds like harpsichord pieces too. The power on ‘Schizoid Man’ is breathtaking with the saxes really rasping in anger and the simple things like the percussion on ‘Moonchild’ simply rings ‘n’ tings with super clarity. The mellotron whooshes and the cymbals zing with astonishing resolution. The delicate flute passage on the the title track is beautifully quiet, and quite honestly this copy will match most around and better the vast majority. This is a vintage hi-fi masterpiece with faultless production and at last a quality pressing to present it near perfectly. This is the definitive vinyl sound and if you have not heard this album via the original format you simply have not heard it for real. This super record plays up to its high visual grading and even exceeds for most parts. Powerful, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear and that’s not putting too finer a point on it - the types of sounds on this album often break up with unwanted echo type distortion. I have outlined pretty much what to expect here on ‘Moonchild’ already, but again, it’s one of the cleanest I have heard for some time on a UK-pressed Island record. This is example is around 38 years old don’t forget - I still think silence is unrealistic for this most difficult record - I am very fussy and virtually nothing spoilt my enjoyment of this amazing example. The benefits of the vinyl mix and blistering sound quality far outweigh any tiny extraneous sounds of which there are barely any. When virtually no sound is present on the record, the stylus has only to hit the tiniest piece of debris or fragment to induce an audible sound, on ‘Moonchild’ there is simply nowhere to hide. Thus my Moth clean will always benefit, as it will on all records I offer. This copy will prove immensely difficult to find significantly better for audio playback and near impossible to beat for stunning clean looks. I am still getting my breath back after listening to this, my LP12 upgrades bought an even higher dimension to this groundbreaking release – as good as the latest CD remasters are, they simply do have the power, clarity and detail of this phenomenal recording. I refuse to knock CDs, there is a time and place for both formats - that said this record is very special.

End Piece: I cannot emphasise enough the beauty of this album and also the fragile nature of its contents and cover. These grooves are as clean and new looking as any I have seen for this record and bar an unplayed copy that’s been kept in cotton wool for 38+ (or more) years, I can hardly imagine one that will seriously outperform it audibly. It tracks perfectly and sounds amazing - even after all these years. I feel totally confident this copy will give any other a strong run for its money. With UK Pink copies variable to say the least, ask yourself, an expensive pink that is more likely to disappoint with unwanted sound, or a better value early pink rim that’s hardly been played and sounds gorgeous. It’s almost certain, a pink copy that looks and plays like this will command a vast price – your choice.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.