KING CRIMSON Larks Tongues in Aspic SCARCE ORIG UK 1973 EX LP with GRAPHIC INNER

	£		123
	$		163

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: Larks’ Tongues in Aspic

Producer(s): King Crimson

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part One; Book of Saturday; Exiles.

Side 2: Easy Money; The Talking Drum; Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two.

Label/Format: Island – original pink rim format with matt, quite smooth surfaces.

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

Catalogue Number: ILPS 9230

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: 121 grams. Average for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderately scarce, especially with the textured thin card lyric inner sleeve. The main issue, like for all the earlier King Crimson albums, is sound quality. Another typical album with massive variation in sound levels, and this one has considerable areas of low volume, so pressing quality always an issue. This one plays very impressively with little unwanted, and that is far more unusual. Along with the debut album (also on offer), I reject this album more than any other. Enjoyable clean, less used copies of ‘Larks Tongues’ are becoming quite rare.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9230 A-2U / ILPS 9230 B-2U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 1 2 OL / 3 PT

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘SARK’ [on side one]

Musicians: Robert Fripp – guitars, Mellotron, devices; John Wetton – bass, lead vocals; Bill Bruford – drums; David Cross – violin, viola, Mellotron; Jamie Muir – percussion, allsorts.

Brief Info: Studio album number five for this most cherished British progressive band of the 1970s. This up there with the very best and including a one-off appearance of percussionist Jamie Muir. The band again has a different sound and this is one of their most difficult albums ever to find that plays well throughout. Just looking at the complex patterns of the playing surfaces will tell any vinyl ‘reader’, this has immense variations in volume. It looks more like a classical record with countless rings of varying shades of black denoting the extremes on sound levels. Ranging from near silence to jagged wide areas for the most ferocious power-riffs. This copy does it strong justice with little unwanted, any contact sound faint and few blemishes – some music passages are so quiet avoiding the odd polite reminder its a vintage record is being played nigh-on impossible to avoid. One of the cleanest pressings I have had for ages and easily acceptable, I have heard very few better. Buying any copy of this album without a play-grade is a huge risk and so many will disappoint as I have discovered on several occasions.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and I think probably worthy of a (+), this cover is almost as difficult as the record. A single unlaminated format with smooth matt surfaces. Printed and made in England by Robor. This one has the deeply pinched spine ends, always a nice detail when found practically as made. Also the elusive and quite scarce lyric inner sleeve is included. Most copies do not include it and this seems a fairly limited part of this set.

Cover Front: Even with very faint toning traces near the right side, this is still one of the best front for this cover I have seen in years. There is little else to fault bar a very faint, small crease hint near the top right corner, this front has hardly aged at all. It still has the original ‘RECORD HOUSE’ £2.99 price sticker on the front (top right), a retailer then in Chesham with the old-style phone number below. Even this vintage sticker is immaculate and clearly no attempt in removal has been attempted. I think these old price stickers actually add a nice piece of history to an album cover.

Cover Back: The back has a little light toning near the left to politely remind of age, but is only gentle in context. This is a cover that often ages very badly. There is nothing else to fault with barely any real wear at all. The lack of creasing, grubbiness to the white surface, and especially ring wear is the best news possible.

Top Edge: Very straight and barely worn at all, a tiny rub trace near the right corner tip only.

Bottom Edge: Incredibly, even better with practically nothing to fault. Storage edges on covers like this rarely escape often major rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any thickening at all. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: A stunning spine, the very best I have seen for a decade. Solid, straight with no compression. The ends are deeply pinched in manufacture and retain immaculate shape with no rubbing, bending or grubbiness. All text is nigh-on perfect as seen, just centred a fraction high. Even the folds are unrubbed or scuffed, a lovely manufactured area of this unforgiving cover that will rarely be seen better.

Corners: The spine tips are immaculate with nothing to fault. Only tiny tip rubs on the opposite ones, the bottom absolutely minute. Excellent to mint shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this unforgiving, predominately white unprotected 1970’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. The only gentle clue to it’s age is the mild toning as described above, this should please many collectors, maybe even most.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: this being the scarce lyric inner sleeve that only came with a select run of this album. Most seem to omit it. An inner printed only on one side and unlined. Seldom seen unsplit and this does not age well. This one has a little tone spotting, like the main cover on the same edges. The thick paper has textured surfaces and matt finish, flipbacks are inside. It has the wide top recessed opening that is crisp, sharp and undamaged, all edges also unsplit with no repairs. So gently aged only, personally I have no qualms with that, this is 44-year-old album, but nice to actually offer this significant inner, far better than the plain ones most seem to have.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and arguably better. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy with only light usage on all the evidence with any surface marks few, light and faint as seen with more scrutiny under bright light. With such complex and some super-fine groove width, this is a record that will mark very easily and can be totally destroyed by being played with any heavy-tracking thick stylus of which it is highly intolerant. This has no penetrating stylus scratches and plays very impressively. Visually a super record that should please many collectors.

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 almost impossibly demanding record plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. It offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sound is ultra gentle and faint on any ultra quiet area where vinyl silence is nigh-on impossible. Vinyl records are a ‘contact’ format, and passages of near zero sound or instrumentation are the utmost test. The very beginning of each side is quiet as the music builds, even more so the start of ‘The Talking Drum’ with a lengthy quiet introduction. This is a very fine pressing that has not been mistreated or ruined by unworthy equipment or heavy handling, and quite honestly, it has to be to have any chance to offer better sound for the more discerning. The sonic delivery of the intricate sound is sublime with all the details of the master tape. Crank up the volume on that thunderous riff on the title song on side one – it follows one of the most gentle and quietest of intros – and when the back kick in hard, this can almost take the breath away. All the instruments are sharp and fully focused and the lack of irritating crackle makes this a near exceptional example that can be played and enjoyed. Few copies will match or outperform this significantly I feel sure. The odd gentle tick is will rarely be avoided as the barest minimum. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played only lightly and has been generally well stored and certainly carefully handled. This is a masterful prog-rock classic by one of the greatest exponents – for me, Fripp is a genius. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation, if absolute silence is mandatory, the digital alternatives will offer than, but for sheer drama, dynamic range and power of the music, the analogue format delivers it better than the rest – this is progressive rock near it’s very best.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium Black 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14­ 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced 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’.