KING CRIMSON IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING 1969 UK PINK 1st PRESS LP A/2 B/4

	£		87
	$		115

KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

A rare and increasingly sought after copy of this 1969 UK 1st press progressive rock classic on the coveted pink ISLAND label, ILPS - 9111

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  ILPS 9111 A 2 with stampers "1 2 9" at 5 o'clock

Side 2  ILPS 9111 B 4 with stampers "1 1 6" at 5 o'clock 

The appearance of the  vinyl is EXCELLENT-. In normal daylight the appearance of both sides of the final is so impressive - a jet black glossy luster with no obvious marks at all. Beautiful! Under a bright light and when tilted at the right angle a reasonable number of wispy hairlines and one tiny scuff on track 2, side 1 come into evidence. There is nothing "feelable" or obviously beneath the surface here but having said the aforementioned "tiny scuff" (non-feelable) does result in x6 mild background clicks towards the beginning of "I Talk To the Wind". This 60's and early 70's the vinyl was built to last, and it does! If it wasn't for that tiny scuff I would have no hesitation in grading as "excellent", but with the tiny scuff it's got to be "excellent minus" for the overall condition.

The labels are excellent. No obvious blemishes at all, just the usual few very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre holes. All text remains beautifully intact as does the iconic matt textured background. Brilliant!

The non-laminated, iconic outer gatefold sleeve is VG.  All edges, including the spine, remain firm and well defined but there is some mild scuffing along each edge and a 2.5cm split located in the middle of the top edge.Similarly there is some further mild scuffing/rubbing at each of the corners, and on side 2 there is a little faint abrasion towards the bottom and the occasional very minor blemish. The writing on the spine is readable but is interspersed with some mild scuff marks. I have tried to show all of this in my photos. None of this is surprising since this gatefold cover is renowned for it's fragility and is so prone to scuffing, which possibly adds to the uniqueness and iconic nature of this cover and I have to say that despite it's blemishes this particular copy remains presentable with the artwork design coming across as spine tinglingly special as ever. The inside of the gatefold remains very impressive with minor blemishes along the top edge only although the 2,5cm split becomes a little more apparent. All text remains perfectly intact  as does the "E. J. Day" print credit towards the bottom edge, indicating a very first press variant of this wonderful sleeve. There is no fraying on either of the opening edges. VG is the correct grading for the overall condition of this outer sleeve.

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent. Actually if it wasn't for the mild clicks towards the beginning of "I Talk To the Wind" and x3 further mild clicks towards the beginning of the final track on side 2 (for which close inspection reveals no obvious reason) I would find it hard to find any fault in the audio quality. "21st Century Schizoid Man" remains a wonderful listening experience even after 49 years - play it through and experience near perfect stereo audio reproduction. Yes, there is just a little, very faint and non-intrusive background crackle at the beginning of each side, and "Moonchild" reveals some mild intermittent static/crackle but it's difficult to tell whether this is caused by dust in the grooves or is inbuilt to the manufacturing process - it's non-intrusive anyway and the record makes for a great listening experience throughout. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. 21st CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN including MIRRORS

2. I TALK TO THE WIND

3. EPITAPH including (a) MARCH FOR NO REASON (b) TOMORROW AND TOMORROW

Side 2 :

1. MOONCHILD including (a) THE DREAM (b) THE ILLUSION

2. THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING including (a) THE RETURN OF THE FIRE WITCH (b) THE DANCE OF THE PUPPETS

Comes with original Island poly lined inner sleeve with correct "U.K. Patent..." blue text located towards the bottom right corner. There are no splits or tears, just a little creasing, and this inner remains fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a solid VG+ copy of this increasingly rare and highly sought after 1969 UK 1st pressing progressive rock masterpiece - a worthy addition to any vinyl collection and only continuing to gain 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 :

for the UK, Royal Mail 1st class, tracked & signed for  : £5.00, 

for continental Europe international tracked & signed for : £11.00

and for Rest of the World international tracked & signed for £15.00

 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