KING CRIMSON Islands RARER Orig UK Island 1971 EX LP

	£		103
	$		136

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Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: Islands.

Producer(s): King Crimson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Formentera Lady; Sailor’s Tale; The Letter.

Side 2: Ladies of the Road; Prelude; Islands.

Label/Format: Island – Original pink rim format.

Label Conditions: Both impressively clean, fresh and highly attractive with only very light, fine and faint spindle marks.

Cat Number: ILPS 9175.

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: 130 grams. a very good weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Info: Scarce as a first pressing that offers very impressive and importantly, mostly clean sound. High percentages of these crackle and few will ever play near silent and that is no understatement – this one has hardly been played and has few unwanted sounds. Only the early pressings had the flipbacked cover, only slightly ones were smooth. Also the originals had the gatefold inner sleeve with the song lyrics and band details (and some artwork). This is one of the most fragile inners ever made: the record was stored inside the thick paper and it meant most-all were severely damaged, torn or split. So many are seen with cellotape reinforcements as the majority of these were actually damaged in transit to the shops. Never unusual to see in two separate pieces being totally sliced through by the record. This one bucks the trend and has no cellotape and remains largely intact. Overall, this is an impressive copy that sets a high standard.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9175 A-1U / ILPS 9175 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 1 H / 1 A [this one of the earliest pressings I have yet seen]

Musicians: Robert Fripp - Guitar, mellotron, pedals, harmonium, devices; Mel Collinis - flute, bass flute, saxes, vocal; Boz Burrell - Bass guitar, lead vocals; Ian Wallace - Drums, percussion, vocals; Peter Sinfield - words, sounds. Guests: Keith Tippett - piano; Paulina Lucas - Soprano; Robin Miller - Oboe; Mark Charig - Cornet; Harry Miller - String bass.

Brief Info: The fourth album by one of the undisputed leaders of British progressive rock and probably the most underrated in their early catalogue up to classic Red album. Now a leaner band in terms of numbers but this again includes a host of guests as featured on the wonderful Lizard set that preceded it. Less jazzy than the aforementioned album, this one even has elements of the classics. Featuring two of their finest ever tracks with the beautiful ‘Formentera Lady’, a gentle opener before the blistering ‘Sailor’s Tale’. This features several solos including another incredible saxophone barrage from Mel Collins. A diverse and highly entertaining set that again has superb production and sound. What is more predictable, being a King Crimson album is the massive highs and lows in sound levels; hence this is yet another very difficult album for vinyl and I have so rarely heard a copy that will play anything like silent throughout. This one even has one section towards the end of the title track that has around 30 seconds (or so) of pure silence – yes no music, no sounds whatsoever, before some somewhat somewhat strange talking and tuning comes back in before the run-out grooves – quite why this was deemed necessary, I am not sure. There is no greater test for vinyl quietness than an area of non-sound. Anyway this ‘silent’ section plays well and little unwanted sound. I can rarely, if ever say any King Crimson album will play without some surface or unwanted sounds, and this one does have a few sporadic clicks from tiny pressing spots. But overall, this very early copy is impressive and sound is the same. Just looking at the playing surfaces of this record, it has more light and dark rings than Saturn. A clear indication to the vinyl ‘reader’, this has immense volume and ultra quiet passages – a minefield for the stylus and to the quality of the pressing. A difficult album, but this I enjoyed as there is not a great deal to fault overall, just enough to remind you are listening to a record over 40 years old. Given the vintage and complex sound embedded into some very fine grooves, this record has more than stood the test-of-time and offers highly enjoyable sound from one of the prog classics of the era.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Cover: High. Inner: Very High+. No protection and flipbacked and made with fairly thin card, with the dark finished artwork, few of these will survive with little wear. A very daring cover that has absolutely no information on it whatsoever. Buyers at the time would not have even known who the band were or it’s title. There is not one word of text printed on this sleeve.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single, unlaminated format, this has the original top and bottom flipbacks that were omitted on only slightly later examples that were still pressed on the pink rim format. This includes the gatefold inner/lyric sheet. That was printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group so logic tells me the cover was too - but it has no credits or text on it anywhere so, sorry that is pure speculation.

Front: The very spacy front has little wear, a mild hint of rim impression and faint rubbing near the bottom edge and a little tip creasing to the corner tips. Any other creases are equally light and mostly confined to the edges as hairline types that show little. I have seldom seen this front, as an original in much better condition.

Cover Back: This side has a few light surface creases and again very mild trim rubbing, but to call it real ringwear would be a little harsh – it again shows little. Both flipbacks are very sound, neat and attractive. Barely any burring to their ends and solidly adhered. With no laminate protection to external flipbacks, these will rarely wear well and often will be pulled, torn and scruffy. There appears a rub on the bottom on the right side, but I am almost certain this was present via manufacture. Both sides look attractive and only give low hints of their considerable age and vulnerability.

Top Edge: Any rubbing is light and faint.

Bottom Edge: Similar again, just a fraction more but still exceptional for any thin storage edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on this edge that shows minimal traces of thickening or burring when viewed end-on.

Spine and Text: The thin spine has rubbed only little. This is an area I have seen split or at least ‘stressed’ by record movement before. This cover has no splits or repairs, that is guaranteed. Most of any rubbing is near the top corner, but even here way of excessive. There was no text printed on this spine or anywhere on this cover at all.

Corners: All corners have small tip rubs and a couple with small tip creases. All retain very fine shape, of even a fraction better.

Cover Summary: This has always been a difficult one to find nice. A strong all-round example of this very fragile, original, early 70’s sleeve, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This rarer original format version should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: and very arguably undergraded as such, this is an impossibly difficult inner that is incredibly fragile. Most are seen badly damaged and in tatters often being held together with badly aged cellotape. A high percentage of these were damaged in transit from the manufacturer to the retailer. Record movement sliced through the thin seams and knifed the fold of the ‘flap’ page. Not unusual to see brown cellotape residues on all the edges or even in two pieces (as per one I offered a couple of years ago). This is still in ONE piece, even with a small splits to the fold top and bottom – avoiding this as the bare minimum is beyond difficult. This gatefold thin inner has a single thickness front. The record is stored via the centrefold – yes true – what chance does this have of surviving in one piece? Seems a little strange to me why so many put cellotape around the edges, why not simply store the record in a separate replacement lined inner like the ones Decca offered? Seems logical, but few ever did, thus this inner is so incredibly rare in this nigh-on intact condition. The right edge on this one is also open, I am not certain if this correct, but I see minimal evidence of any adhesive inside. I am sure the bottom edge has had a neat repair to stop a split spreading – this is exactly as I got it and I can see no issue in any neat repair. This has text on the spine which is all pristine and the lack of creasing or significant ring marks is a massive bonus. Light rim pressing on the back is impossible to avoid, here only mild. Any grubbiness to the surfaces is faint with just the odd small mark or two. Viewed up close, a little light tone spotting is seen, but little detracts from one of rock’s most delicate inner sleeves. Remember also, this was only available for a very short time on the very first issues. Only slightly later examples, still on the pink rim format, had a plain white inner and this splendid part was not seen again. Do not underestimate just how fragile and uncompromising this inner is and how difficult to find so intact.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: again, this being very critical with any surface marks, light, few and faint. As stated two or three tiny pressing spots or ‘splashes’ that emit the odd click or two – this a natural pressing issue but minor in the great scheme of things. A very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed on quite thick vinyl. A copy very lightly played for sure and it should please many, if not most collectors. Finding the ‘perfect’ copy of this record could prove a lifetime task

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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This Crimson classic plays very impressively with not too much to fault. It has a very strong and powerful production with totally distortion-free sound. All frequencies are sharp and clear and sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. To say this album is challenging is an huge understatement, but typical of King Crimson. So many quiet passages and most all plays very well, the silence near the end of the album is quite impressive, but silence is a near impossible ask. Some I have heard have constant crackle through the entire duration of this silent passage. All is sharp and focused and the wonderful production and imagery will seldom be enjoyed more from the vinyl source. Collins’s reed work almost rips the speaker-cloth when played at volume and there are no traces of breakup or stressing. The classical piece ‘Prelude’ is highly vulnerable to clipping and noise but even this demanding track plays with little unwanted. Few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure – what I will confidently predict is, most will play far FAR less well than this generally clean copy. As stated above, this has a very few speck spots within the pressing, these will always emit the odd click or two – and do – but these are very few and far between and overall sound quality is high and clean. Underrated by some, but not me, this is equally as wonderful as anything this band produced for Island. King Crimson, along with early van der Graaf Generator made some of the most explosive and consistently brilliant real progressive music of this golden era – both are challenging and equally compelling. A copy not quite for those who only want perfection at any cost, but such copies of this are incredibly hard to find and sometimes, with the earliest cuts, a little compromise has to be made. A reminder too, I play all my records on very revealing equipment. This record, cover and inner will certainly prove difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation.

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. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

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 stiffeners 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: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (Royal Mail insurance is an 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: 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’.