KING CRIMSON In The Court Of The Crimson King 1st UK 1969 Pink Island ILPS 9111

$

209

Offered here is KING CRIMSON "In The Court Of The Crimson King" 1st UK 1969 Pressing, with Pink Island Label, and Gate Fold Cover ILPS 9111. King Crimson are a progressive rock band. Formed in London in 1968 (but featuring a transatlantic lineup since 1981), they're widely recognized as a foundational progressive rock group despite the band's own resistance to the label. The band has incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during its history (including jazz and folk music, classical and experimental music, psychedelic rock, hard rock and heavy metal, New Wave, gamelan, electronica and drum and bass). The band's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, was released in October 1969 on Island Records. Fripp would later describe it as having been "an instant smash" and "New York's acid album of 1970" (notwithstanding Fripp and Giles' claim that the band never used psychedelic drugs). The album received public compliments from Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist, who called the album "an uncanny masterpiece." The sound of In the Court of the Crimson King (specifically the track, "21st Century Schizoid Man") has also been described as setting the antecedent for alternative rock and grunge, whilst the softer tracks are described as having an "ethereal" and "almost sacred" feel. In contrast to the blues-based hard rock of the contemporary British and American scenes, King Crimson presented a more Europeanised approach that blended antiquity and modernity. The band's music drew on a wide range of influences provided by all five group members. These elements included romantic- and modernist-era classical music, the psychedelic rock spearheaded by Jimi Hendrix, folk, jazz, military music (partially inspired by McDonald's stint as an army musician), ambient improvisation, Victoriana and British pop.               The one and only owner, is a London UK to Hollywood CA transplant. HIS QUOTE: "I purchased my albums directly from a Record store, and none are second hand, or flea market finds. Plus, I used a feather light cartridge, so as to retain excellent condition and Sound quality." The condition of the vinyl with a visual inspection is Near Mint/Mint, or better, and looks closer to Mint. Matrix #'s A 2 B 3. The matte cover sleeve is in Very Fine, or better condition. However, a few tiny nicks and slight edge wear color loss is apparent. The original interior paper/plastic protective sleeve is in excellent condition. In our opinion, this is the finest example of the LP offered on the internet, as of this listing date. Shipping note: We remove album from sleeve, and place in a separate plastic sleeve, so the album cover is not dinged during shipping. Plus, we use standard LP mailing boxes, with extra interior cardboard slats to prevent movement or damage during shipment.   INTERNATIONAL WINNERS NOTE! The price below includes Priority Mail, with Full Insurance coverage.      We will combine orders to save you money on shipping. Please inquire.                                      <Track listing>
Side one No. Title Writers Length 1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (including "Mirrors") Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield 7:21 2. "I Talk to the Wind"   McDonald, Sinfield 6:05 3. "Epitaph" (including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow") Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield 8:47 Side two No. Title Writers Length 4. "Moonchild" (including "The Dream" and "The Illusion") Fripp, McDonald, Lake, Giles, Sinfield 12:13 5. "The Court of the Crimson King" (including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets") McDonald, Sinfield 9:25                                     <Personnel> King Crimson Robert Fripp – guitar Michael Giles – drums, percussion, backing vocals Greg Lake – lead vocals, bass guitar Ian McDonald – woodwinds (saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet), keyboards (mellotron, harpshicord, piano, organ), vibraphone, backing vocals Peter Sinfield – lyrics, illumination                                           <Production> The original album featured the following credit: Produced By King Crimson for E.G. Productions – ' David & John'. David Enthoven and John Gaydon were the founders of EG Records, both of whom left the company during the 1970s. CD reissues of the album dating from the 1980s removed any mention of 'David & John'; the original full credit was restored in 1999 at the insistence of Robert Fripp. Recorded and engineered by Robin Thompson and Tony Page (also assistant engineer) Barry Godber – cover illustrations