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In The Court Of The Crimson King A2 / B4 1969 Pink 'i' Island Label

An Observation By King Crimson

This very collectable first A2/B4 pressing plays with superb audio on both sides with hardly any intrusion.  There is just a minimal amount of light static on S2 but it does not last long.  The clarity of sound is stunning and 'I Talk To The Wind' on S1 is a prime example of that, it plays 'as new' from start to finish.  'Moonchild' so often plays with interference but the playback here is so clean with only a few seconds of light static, the vast majority is stunning.  The power and depth of the audio cannot be underestimated either, the louder sections play with great precision.  There are no click or pops and as stated only the bare minimum of light static.  The vinyl is very impressive visually with only some light hairlines.

The iconic cover is in excellent shape with only minimal wear as described below and retains its original shape and structure perfectly.  The inner sleeve is also in excellent condition.

ILPS 9111  A▽ 2  1 2 2 9

ILPS 9111  B // 4  1 1 1 7

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Near Mint+)

The audio S2 - T1 Near Mint with one brief Ex section / T2 Mint-

The gatefold is Ex-

The pink 'i' labels are Ex+

The inner sleeve is Ex+

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  You can tell it has been played a number of times by the spindle wear but it has been very well preserved because there are just some faint hairlines to be seen and certainly nothing obvious.  The run out grooves are very clean and the iconic pink 'i' labels are unmarked aside from that spindle wear.

Play grading

The run in on S1 is unbelievably clean and then the quiet intro on '21st Century Schizoid Man' is more or less perfect with only a couple of mega quiet statics.  As the volume the power and depth of the audio is 'as new' and the opening vocal section is equal to that.  It continues to play with phenomenal quality through the long mid instrumental with no interference of any kind.  The original sonic quality is still there - Fripp's guitar is so strong and Lake's deep bass adds so much to the overall sound.  Even the brief 'silences' during the staccato section are so clean, just one very quiet tick.  The final verse is faultless and the end instrumental is just as strong.  This is easily a Mint- start to this classic album and even the minus could be deemed a little harsh!

The intro on the gentle 'I Talk To The Wind' plays beautifully with no intrusion and the opening verse / chorus play with sublime clarity also.  From then on the clarity of sound is just STUNNING.  I do not think I have heard a version as 'complete' as this, there is literally nothing getting in the way of the crystal clear sound.  The mid instrumental is perfect with not even a single dust tick and the final verse is just as clean.  The closing instrumental and long fade out have zero background and I have no hesitation in grading this Mint it is the definitive version you could say and just could not play any better.

The segue into 'Epitaph...' has a couple of barely audible ticks and the opening instrumental is flawless.  The first verse has just one mega light static - the clarity is again superb and as the volume increases during the '...I fear tomorrow I'll be crying...' vocal section the original sonic quality is still very much in evidence.  There is no distortion on the top end and it continues to play with sublime quality into the next verse.  There are a couple of light ticks just prior to the 'crescendo' which then plays with incredible power and again no distortion.  The acoustic section that follows is 'as new' as is the next instrumental section.  The repeated first verse is just as strong and the classic finale plays with a power and depth that could not be enhanced in any way and the long fade out again plays with outstanding clarity.  This is so close to Mint- but overall Near Mint+ is definitely deserved.  Only on the original pressings do you get the depth, warmth and resonance that you find here.  It really is a superb version.

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'Moonchild...' so often plays with some interference but we have a stunning version here!  The intro is faultless and the opening two verses have no background either.  The following instrumental is perfect and the next two verses more than keep up this fine standard.  The quiet section signalling the start of the long instrumental plays so clearly with barely any background.  There is just some light static around the three minute mark but it does not last long and a handful of light ticks a little further in but this very quiet section plays with superb audio from then onwards.  A couple of minor statics that is all - it has a CD like clean aesthetic quality but without the warmth and depth that you only find on vinyl.  Each note is so clean and precise and you can hear every subtle nuance in the music.  I can't quite believe what I am listening to if I'm honest!  Remember this vinyl is 54 years old now!  This entire quiet sequence plays with remarkable clarity and I only picked up a couple more very light ticks.  I think Near Mint is fair but with a brief Ex section.

The classic intro on 'The Court Of The Crimson King...' is stunning and the opening verse is comparable to that.  The following 'vocal' / instrumental section is just as strong and the second verse has no intrusion either.  It continues to play with a sonic quality that is second to none and the quieter section around four minutes is so clean and precise with just one one mega light tick.  Stunning clarity!  The fourth and final verse plays perfectly and the next 'choral' section is just as impressive.  The percussive opening to the next quiet section is perfect and the few seconds of silence are exactly that, totally silent!  The quiet 'pipe' section  plays beautifully and the classic finale is so strong and powerful and you can easily turn it up to max without it affecting the sonic quality.  If there is any inner groove distortion it is so so minimal and it plays with incredible power and depth.  The end crescendo could not play any better.  A Mint- version I would say.

In summary this very collectable album plays to a standard you rarely find today.  I have found many versions that have some interference but this has only a modicum of light static during a couple of brief sections on S2.  There are no clicks or pops and the clarity, depth and power of the audio is so impressive.  As stated this is why the first pressings are so collectable because this level of sonic quality is not found on the later pressings / reissues.  The vast majority of this album plays 'as new' and that is no exaggeration.  This will add to any high end collection.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The iconic E.J. Day cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear.  The top edges have hardly any rubbing and the bottom edges do have some but not an excessive amount.  The wide spine remains very clean with only a couple of minor indents, a couple of minor rubs and just a little wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are in pretty good shape with only the top left corner on the back cover having a little more wear.  The opening edge has only minimal handling wear.  The front cover is stunning with only a handful of minor specks that you can only see when you hold it at a certain angle and the back cover is very similar.  There is an imprinted stamped address bottom left but this is only faint.  The inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition and the only 'negative' is a name written in the 'red planet' top right.  Overall this is a fine example of this famous cover and better than many you find today.

The 'Plastic Bags...' poly-lined inner sleeve is in excellent condition with no side splits or tears, hardly any marking and only minimal creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with an Audio-Technica VM 95 EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

ILPS 9111  A▽ 2  1 2 2 9

ILPS 9111  B // 4  1 1 1 7

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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