KING CRIMSON In the Wake of Poseidon RARER 1st Press LP

	£		90
	$		119

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Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: In The Wake of Poseidon.

Producer(s): Robert Fripp & Peter Sinfield.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Peace—A Beginning; Pictures of a City; Cadence & Cascade; In the Wake of Poseidon.

Side 2: Cat Food; The Devil’s Triangle; Merday Morn; Hand of Sceiron; Garden of Worm; Peace—An End.

Label/Format: Island – Full Pink format with white i logo. This much rarer original pressing has the deep inner ring ridge and a shallower one just outside it. The label areas within the rings to the centre hole are textured, the rest of the label is smooth. These are a beautiful deep, rich pink colour with an almost pastel-like finish. I hope my scans do these justice. This is a very different pressing to the other ‘Wake’ I sold a couple of weeks ago, this being earlier and rarer, more on this further down.

Label Conditions: Both look superb and quite different to the standard Polydor pressing that followed almost immediately. Ultra clean, fresh and almost spectacular. Spindle marks are on the lighter side of moderate, even less on side one. The area around the hole, being textured do not make spindle marks ‘clear’ as per smooth versions.

Cat Number: ILPS 9127.

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: 180 grams. A mind-blowing weight for this record, that is a staggering 46 grams heavier than the totally smooth label version I recently sold on Ebay. I cannot recall ever holding a heavier island record ever. Little stops my LP12 getting up to speed consistently fast, but this did. For those collectors, and it appears there are many, who like their records like slabs of marble, this will crush all others.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderately scarce on the pink label and like most now, getting scarcer. But this pressing, possibly by Pye?, with very different matrixes and weight is much rarer still. This truly does carry extra detail and punch within the sound, similar to the more well-documented first pressing of their classic debut. The sound seems more ‘open’ and dynamic, it’s hard to explain sound as such, but the very discerning listener with bigger systems will know what I mean. Like all King Crimson albums this is a roller-coaster ride for volume extremes and finding top copies that will look and play well is always a challenge. This one being honest is not quite as pristine for silence as the previous virtually played one I recently sold on Ebay, it has a few clicks on the very fragile short opening song and a tiny few sporadic ones elsewhere, but only very few and still plays superbly – that is rare in itself. But in terms of the high fidelity experience, this has a clear edge on the information within the grooves that I spotted immediately on ‘Pictures of a City’ and there onward. Make no mistake, this monolithic weight record with the deeper large punched matrixes (details below) is far rarer than the Polydor pressing.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9127 + A2 / ILPS + 9127 + B2 (these deeply punched Roman style) [NOTE: the Polydor pressing has the ILPS 9127 A // 1 and ILPS 9127 B // matrixes]

Musicians: Robert Fripp - Guitar, mellotron, devices; Greg Lake - Vocals; Michael Giles - Drums; Peter Giles - Bass; Keith Tippet - Piano; Mel Collins - Saxes and flute; Gordon Haskell - vocal; Peter Sinfield is credited with ‘words’.

Brief Artist & Album Info: After the astonishing groundbreaking magnificence of their debut album, how could this ever be followed up? – well the answer, they thought, was to issue another similar album again. This album was not given the same adulation as the first by the critics of the day, that labelled it as another ‘In the Court of’. Sure I can see the similarities especially on side one – the formula of a quiet beginning then loud track, quieter second and epic third that follow the same format, but all the songs are treasures in their own right. Side two does vary more: after the somewhat bizarre ‘Cat Food’, that features brilliant piano work by Keith Tippet, it becomes awesomely powerful and compelling, as ‘The Devil’s Triangle’ instrumental builds with ferocious intensity with heavy use of the magnificent Mellotron. This incredible keyboard instrument is blasted to it’s limits by Fripp with an intensity that was probably never matched. Unfairly underrated in my opinion, ‘Poseidon’ is simply another Crimson classic. Beautifully packaged too (apart from maybe the use of silver ink inside that is always hard to see properly). It’s one of the deepest textured covers ever, the front and back almost resemble oil on canvas and hence (sorry to mention it again) this is one of the most wear prone rock covers ever made. Any friction to the front and back will literally strip off the ink from the very raised surfaces (I refer to this as speckle) and this will rarely ever be found anything like perfect. Many, if not most are highly ‘speckled’ that ruin the appearance. This one has survived the 40+ years with any rubbing tiny and faint, well barely any at all really. That’s clearly great news, but even better still is the record offers superb and incredibly details dynamic sound for most all. As mentioned above, it does have some clicks on the short opening song in places (not all), not a great deal else unwanted thereafter however. A few sporadic clicks and crackle traces are nigh-on impossible to avoid on such a difficult and complex record and this being one of the very first made. Pressing quality with Island records was often uncertain, they were pressed by different manufacturers this is not the regular Polydor one. It’s of true audiophile quality and for those with massively expensive systems who take sound very seriously – the dictionary definition of ‘audiophile’ – this is simply of mastertape and studio quality (with a tiny few blemishes on the odd quiet section). Just enough to remind the listener that they are listening to a 40+ year-old vinyl record. If absolute silence is mandatory and non-negotiable, well the digital format offers exactly that, but will never the drama, slam and sonic power of an original vinyl record. A few light sound blemishes (but NO distortion) is a price worth paying for this ultimate experience.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high indeed. Most are shabby, tired and plain disappointing with the raised surfaces of the heavy texturing rubbed showing large amounts of heavy speckle. This has minimal traces and still remains a real looker – and inside the much rarer semi-textured, mega-ton pressing (in vinyl terms).

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and a mere whisker off my highest grading of Mint(-), but it was a temptation. An unlaminated gatefold format with heavy, deep texturing front and back, the inside is smooth as all are. This has quite a wide spine too (6 mm). Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group.

Cover Front & Back: Both sides look stunning: the lack or surface rubbing or ‘speckle’ is very unusual but what a different it makes to total visual pleasure. Truly, this has practically none at all, if any appears present on my pictures, it’s just my camera flash reflecting off the raised area - I reassure, there is barely a trace of ink-loss at all, even on the fragile spine folds. With even the opening edges looking neat too. The colour is very rich and intense and even the spine area has not been affected by any possible light exposure or fading. I know for sure this has been cover-protected for most of it’s history and this is more than clear. No creasing, grubbiness or ageing at all, and incredibly, even with a 180 gram record inside for 40+ years, this has NO ringwear or even rim impression, this almost defies logic. This famous prog cover is almost like holding an original painting and few will get close to this – this is a true work of art on a record sleeve.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Very clean indeed and little short of as made. That silver ink is still however quite hard to read, best when tilted towards light. A mild secondary crease has formed to the right of the spine fold, this due to the wider spine and is a natural occurrence.

Top Edges: Any rub traces are tiny, very few and incredibly faint.

Bottom Edges: Very slight and faint surface rubbing to back edge. Being resting edges, this is incredibly light indeed and few will have less.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, fairly sharp with any wear minimal. Viewed end-on slightly thickened, but the card is quite thick in it’s own right – this is a heavy cover – sight burr traces being critical. This edge being the marginal decision not to grade a little higher. You can imagine the stress these edges face with such a heavy record inside, and the general lack of wear is again remarkable. The front is totally closed, hence the record enters via the back.

Spine and Text: Again exceptional and very thick: solid, straight, uncompressed and folded square. The right edges meeting up very closely and all parallel. All text is present and unworn with barely any rub traces to the spine surface or even the folds, this a near impossible ask on such a design. I have scrutinised this very closely and can see no evidence of any tipping-in and knowing the source of this record well, it’s never even an issue to even consider.

Corners: Light tip rubs on the right four that on such covers are near impossible to avoid. Barely any on the spine pair which I consider exceptional. All retain very fine to excellent shape with any tip creasing minimal.

Cover Summary: I cannot emphasise enough how intolerant this cover is to poor or inadequate storage, protection or handling. Many are found in a poor or shabby states making one like this exceptional. Not quite ‘off-the-shelf’ new, but only slightly short, if all looked this, I for one would never complain.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: unlike the other copy I sold that was a definite Polydor pressing, this one came to me inside a plain white unlined inner. Little to fault on this, a little mild crumple and neat corner crease but all edges intact with mainly very neat, crisp windows. Any age discolour modestly light.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: this I feel being critical. A very fine visual copy that’s very clean, with fine shine, intense black and massively pressed (using the term ‘massively’ correctly). Even early Beatles albums were not pressed to this phenomenal weight. Some light evidence of being played with a non-sounding surface scuff on ‘Cat Food’ and some light surface marks. A tiny mark on the first track does emit a few clicks, I have mentioned this at least twice already and I will mention it again in my paragraph on sound quality, so there are NO excuses for not being aware of their presence. Considering it’s age, and within prog circles, popularity and what this could have been subjected to back in the early 70s, this is still an exceptional original record, and arguably, it’s undergraded at excellent.

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 snippets 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: Firstly, I have to state yet again just about all King Crimson albums are a vinyl collector’s nightmare – with the ultimate in extremes and I am always a little nervous when playing a ‘new’ found title. One minute virtual silence, like the very beginning of this album and last minute of side two. Also some segments of side two’s instrumental passages where there is barely any sound at all. Then ferocious crescendos of mass volume and swirling Mellotron that make the stylus rock and shudder just to keep contact with the groovewall. This is the ultimate test for any vinyl record (and equipment) and I believe that hardly any copies will exist that will play truly ‘silent’ in their entirity, the format hardly allows it. Most listeners are now used to CD silence, but records with contact reproduction are a different matter altogether. The tiniest fragment embedded into any groove can sound as a light pop or crackle and can anyone honestly say a record 40 year old will have absolutely none? – this is being totally honest and realistic, it’s almost part of the vinyl experience. So how does this one play? I almost hold my breath on every King Crimson record I play-grade to offer because even if they look really clean they don’t always play like that and Island are not always totally reliable. These ultra fine delicate opening grooves are quite often found deeply and badly scratched with careless stylus placement and delicate is truly the word to use here – can you imagine an old thick mono needle dragging across these delicate fine opening grooves or even being dropped? – we all know it could and often did happen. This fragile short song has a tiny mark that emits a few clicks (there, told you I would mention again), but has few thereafter. The odd sporadic click or crackle trace is nigh-on impossible to avoid, but this has few overall. A record that delivers in every department with incredibly powerful, distortion-free sound. A little milli-second crackle on the final song was noted, that apart, all frequencies are sharp, clear and fully focused and offers truly awesome sound quality that is astonishing with a massive dynamic range with lovely detail. Dare I suggest even more detail and openness than the last incredible Polydor pressed copy I offered a couple of weeks ago? – well yes, I truly feel this pressing does offer just that little bit extra, but in this case, not quite as quietly delivered as that stunning example that was exceptional by anyone’s standard. Any surface sounds are light, gentle and infrequent, the few clicks on the opening song apart (my god, I have mentioned again), and truly barely anything spoil my listening pleasure. This is an immensely challenging record and that is no understatement. The ultra quiet sections play well without that irritating loud crackle so many seem to have, traces yes, but little else, and remember what I play-grade on (equipment listed further down). This is mastertape quality that takes you into the studio itself for details and dynamics. As stated, some passages on side two have no instrumentation or vocal, pure silence and the reproduction here is impressive. On the other end of the scale, the sheer sonic power and difficult-to-track intense Mellotron sound on side two is perfect without any hint of high frequency breakup or stressing, all focused and precise, it’s just a question if your system can handle ‘The Devil’s Triangle’. Very complex groove patterns with wide and varying widths can clearly be seen with the naked eye and with close observation while playing, both the headshell and stylus can be seen ‘flicking’ from side to side just to try and stay in the groove and track perfectly. Both channels remain clean and sharp, yes even on the thunderous Mellotron climaxes. I feel sure this has been (overall) modestly played and generally, carefully. Over the years, the odd mishap will happen, we have all had them, but this has survived relatively unscathed. With fragile covers this nice, the clues are always there. Evidence strongly suggests, this has not been subjected to heavy mono equipment, the clarity of the sound would almost certainly be lost, and this simply has not happened. Like the cover, this record suffers any abuse badly and is very intolerant of ancient unforgiving equipment or overplaying on such. Little at all spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this progressive gem – ignore those critics from the past, this is a ‘Crimson Classic’. Visually and aurally this is a delight and this example will prove difficult to find better, especially on the super-heavyweight first pressing. This merits strong recommendation but if any of the few blemishes I have clearly mentioned are an issue, do not bid. Yes this DOES have a few clicks on the first song – and it’s hardly unusual.

End Piece: I adore King Crimson, they could little wrong for me right up to Red which I regard as their final masterpiece – although the later albums are interesting, the early-era Island albums are all essential and King Crimson remain the premier league real progressive band for me. Along with van der Graaf Generator and early Genesis, their albums on vinyl are very hard to find in a fit state to really enjoy, so many being ruined by intolerable amounts of surface noise (or worse). How many copies of the debut will really play near silent? – few, if any to be honest, and this album is similar as we all know. So I am delighted to offer this ultimate early issue pressed on what feels like marble in a standard condition. Not the rarest Island pink for sure, but one of the most difficult and demanding conditionwise and this particular pressing is far harder to find than the totally smooth label version. Most progressive or pink Island collectors will enjoy this one, the sound and mix on the early pressings are vastly superior to the latter, thinner pressings that followed and all fine details that remain masked or hidden on later issues are all here on these deep and practically unworn grooves. This is what real high fidelity is all about and why many collectors invest vast amounts in audio equipment to enjoy the finer details. Even with the odd minor sound blemish, this is an outstanding experience.

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 VPI-17 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.

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 soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 stiffeners 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 FIVE 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); South America; New Zealand; 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 time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.