KING CRIMSON In the Court… UK 1969 Island Pink i EX LP

	£		155
	$		205

Hi, I am Mike, now 51. Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I post all my UK items on FRIDAY every week, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO massively thick stiffners for even extra protection and bubble wrap if deemed necessary. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. The 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. Printed address labels are used as well as ‘Fragile’ tape for that extra professional touch for the packet. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the cheapest and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 3,500+ items sold in over 5 years of Ebay trading (I am now one of most established sellers via Ebay) and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

Album Title: In the Court of the Crimson King.

Producer(s): King Crimson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: 21st Century Schizoid Man (including Mirrors); I Talk to the Wind; Epitaph (including a. March for No Reason, b, Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

Side 2: Moonchild (including a, The Dream, b, The Illusion; The Court of the Crimson King (including a, The Return of the Fire Witch, b, The Dance of the Puppets).

Label/Format: Island - full pink format with white i logo, smooth finish (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean with a lovely attractive real pink colour. Spindle marks are fine and light and less than moderate in number. They only show under angled light and have NOT removed any of the pink ink. This paid look really lovely.

Cat Number: ILPS 9111.

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: 137 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Difficulty: Rare and getting very elusive these days. The now highly regarded book by Yuri Grishin regards this copy as a first pressing with the A2 / B4 matrixes, without any doubt, it’s one of the earliest examples made for commercial sale. A1/B1 copies do exist but were probably test pressings and ultra rare indeed, they seldom get seen or offered. I have found pink copies of this title to be very variable in pressing quality and some have had pressing faults and even jump – this has NO such problems and tracks effortlessly from beginning to end and has no obvious visual pressing flaws. The ultra difficult track ‘Moonchild’ so often suffers horrendous snap, crackle and pops and is near impossible to find devoid of some unwanted sounds. This copy plays way above average with minimal extraneous noise or unwanted sounds. This still ranks as one of the most challenging vinyl records ever made and early examples usually suffer accordingly. This pink original has the least unwanted sounds I have ever heard, a few brief mild clicks only at the start of ‘Moonchild’ but little else on this unforgiving quiet song. The lack of irritating crackle and noise is highly refreshing and this impossibly fragile track is actually pleasureable to listen-to, not perfect but exceptional given the facts. A special note must be made about the cover with the most stunning artwork probably ever put on a record sleeve, created by Barry Godber. Only the originals were printed by E. J. Day (please see my close-up of this detail). Most found or offered these days struggle to make a respectable VG grading. An EX example with a pink record inside are to be commended and this example is still very attractive indeed. A work of immense art and this one does it fine justice with any blemishes being list and modest. Early pink copies of the groundbreaking album are immensely difficult, few exist without flaws or major cover damage. The complex record grooves rarely withstood harsh treatment from mono records players in particular. This was a stereo issue only but many were still using Dansettes or similar groove crunching equipment. It’s little wonder few survive that will still sound decent on modern high fidelity systems. King Crimson issued this masterpiece in 1969, it was so far ahead of its time, was the world really ready for it?

Original Year of Release: 1969 and this is a very early pressing and most will regard it as a ‘first’.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9111 A2 1 2 1 3 / ILPS 9111 B 4 1 1 1 3

Musicians: Robert Fripp – guitar; Ian McDonald – flute, clarinet, saxophone, vibes, keyboards, mellotron, vocals; Greg Lake – bass guitar, lead vocals; Michael Giles – drums, percussion, vocals; Peter Sinfield – lyrics, illumination.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Subtitled: An Observation by King Crimson, this often regarded as the birth of real 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, nothing had been heard quite like this before. Even the cover design and artwork was quite stunning, it can hardly go unnoticed can it? The brilliance of the music lay within the quality personnel, namely as listed above. Comprising of just five songs, a 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 on the Pink label as ever. As far as vinyl goes this has to be one of the hardest albums to ever find that plays well, a record I have had a few times, two with pressing flaws and one too noisy to offer. From information received by other collectors, pressing flaws are not uncommon for this album. This copy plays through in its entirity without any tracking problems and is probably the quietest overall pressing I have ever heard on a UK ‘pink’. This album is a rollercoaster ride of extremes, the bombastic and electrifying opener ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’, arguably the greatest progressive track ever written, is as loud and chaotic 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 song that plays very quietly to almost near silence in places - a vinyl nightmare. Finding a vintage pink copy that plays the raucous passages os ‘Schizoid’ distortion free and ‘Moonchild’ anything like quiet and noise-free is near impossible bearing in mind what early copies of this album were likely to have been played on. This very early pressed copy still plays very well indeed and ‘Moonchild’ has only very light, sporadic surface sound in places, most on the very opening grooves with a few mild clicks and then little else and this too on a clinically revealing LP12. The odd crackle or light click, this is almost considered normal on probably the most uncompromising song ever put to record. A couple of other things are worthy of mention also, the cover for this Pink copy looks identical to the re-press on the Pink Rim label, not so, the difference lies in the printing credit. In tiny black type, that hardly even shows on the bottom of the left inner near the spine hinge is Printed and made by E. J. Day, London (Please see the close up of this very important detail). The pink rim cover is NOT an EJD, it was printed by Robor, please beware of cover substitutions. The cover on this copy is nice and attractive with any wear modest and light. It was never laminated in the UK (but was in Germany) and prone to all forms of wear and most are rife with rubbing, grubbiness, fading and ringwear. Even more importantly is the record’s sound: Fripp has said the Pink pressings of this album are the only ones that use the original master tape sound and the mix is different from later pressings. Well I can verify this too, playing this album was a sheer joy, the details included here are breathtaking. I have heard this album many times before but never sounding quite like this. I only owned a pink rim copy back in my youth but hearing an early pressing on the Pink label was a real eye-opener - it almost lets you into the recording studio. Even the manic nirvana of ‘Schizoid Man’, often just a blur 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. And it’s not unique to just this track, all songs are clearer and more balanced with higher definition. That stunning drum crash after the quiet flute passage on the title song (often where the pressing fault lies) is rock 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 will never ever guarantee CD silence on ‘Moonchild’, if that is demanded, best stick to the silver disc. The number of copies that will play this near impossible track to near silence will be few, if any exist at all but this is way above the average and the general lack of crackle irritation is pleasing. I have heard copies of this record, via Pink and pink rim, even the late Polydor pressings that simply are unlistenable with constant crackle, often loud. Virtually all have a little surface sound, odd click or light sound at very best - this has very little after the first few revs – and little is right here and with that in mind, little spoil my listening pleasure. So this copy sets a high standard and will better many, if not most. It is also devoid of any notworthy distortion or groovewear and that is hugely important too, mellotrons and electric saxes and winds do not tolerate overplaying or abuse and all play with strong clarity on this splendid copy. One that should please many, if not most collectors but the perfectionist will have to still search for the near impossible, but I do emphasise, this may be one of the cleanest sounding first ‘pinks’ you will be offered for some time. This is a title that does get offered but few will actually tell you want it sounds like for obvious reasons.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: A very solid and attractive EX, some would grade it higher of that I am certain. An unlaminated gatefold format that was printed and made in England by E. J Day. Accept nothing else for any pink label copy, it will not be original without the ‘Day’ imprint.

Cover Front: The most famous cover within the progressive genre and what a very fine example to be able to offer. With normal viewing this is almost as they get, be under no illusion, this is a very VERY difficult cover to find even half as good as this. There is no faking the early copies with the correct printer’s credits, this really was made back in the late 1960s. This is as clean and fresh and lacking the rubbing, ring marks, fading and grubbiness so often seen on the genuine originals. A few light surface marks when viewed up close but no creasing – how many could tolerate such a close-up picture and I promise this has NOT been touched up or enhanced. There are no sticker marks or scuffs and it’s one that can be viewed with pleasure, the intensity of the artwork’s colour has not dimished or its impact lessened – a very fine front.

Cover Back: Again very similar and again with no ringwear. Just a faint and small surface rub near the bottom edge with any marks very fine, faint and light.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Spectacular and looking magnificent: both faces are immaculate and devoid of wear. Just look at my close-up of the face, you simply cannot believe how good this is. A couple of ultra faint surface creases only barely even show near the right edge.

Top Edges: Light patchy rubbing only.

Bottom Edges: Slightly more but still only light and in context of this one, very modest.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters on this back edge. Both neatly constructed and largely devoid of overhang that spoils so many.

Spine and Text: The spine has rubbing to top and bottom but far from excessive. Any other rubbing is small and light. It remains solid, straight with minimal compression. Folded square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. Most of the text present and intact with just a little clipping to a few characters.

Corners: All corners have rubbed, only lightly and modestly on the right four with more as mentioned above on the spine pair. Shape is reasonably good for these and very good indeed for the right ones.

Cover Summary: A strong all round example of this most famous 60’s prog cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. Always check the imprint on any pink copy of this album as pink rim covers are easier to find in better condition without the ‘Day’ imprint. It will please many, and probably most collectors but not the perfectionist.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: A very solid and comendable EX. It has light and fine surface marks under light which has no effect on sound at all. One tiny mark on ‘I Talk to the Wind’ has a very few brief light clicks but even this quietier song plays very well with nothing else untoward. A very clean record, still intense black and solidly pressed and retaining a fine shine. Clearly played a few times but far from excessively. Given all the facts and its genuine vintage, this is a very fine example.

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: It’s usually with bated-breath I play-grade any King Crimson album let alone this title, still one of the most challenging records ever made. This copy plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault and most all somewhat above right up to the very best. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. ‘Moonchild’, after a few very brief clicks at the start, plays very well indeed and portrays far less of the usual crackle and pops associated with most. Often a track that’s ruined by excessive noise but this one truly has avoided it for the most part, it plays way above average and so few early pinks will better it significantly. I still feel no pink copy of this will play silent and I have no hesitation in saying this plays exceptionally well overall. Such is the complexity of this recording, it’s a wonder any have survived at all and only the more modest played copies stood any chance of still pleasing nearly forty years after issue. If silence really is demanded, well buy the CD but miss out on one of the most exhilarating pieces of music ever made. This album is an uncanny masterpiece no-one could have predicted. The sounds embedded into these clean grooves are testament to its greatness and this album is immortal within the genre of rock music. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure but it is NOT silent. Very little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. I always expect some surface sounds when playing this album and in that regard, this one has probably the least I have yet heard. The Linn LP12 takes no prisoners in revealing all and being honest it’s probably being unfair to this and similar records to expect no surface sounds. What you do get is grace and immense power and original sound too. CDs will play silent, sure, but they still lack the drama and dynamics of the vinyl. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. In context of difficulty, this record still gives a very fine and commanding performance. However, if you have doubts, do not bid – it is a very impressive EX copy – if perfection is demanded from a first pressed pink, well continue to wait for the near impossible, I cannot say fairer.

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 & OPTIONS:

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

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.