KING CRIMSON RED 1974 UK 1ST PRESS ILPS 9308 pink rim BARELY PLAYED SUPERB COPY

	£		91
	$		120

KING CRIMSON - RED

A barely played and truly wonderful condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1974 very 1st UK press King Crimson prog rock classic, with earliest A-3, B-6 vinyl matrix numbers on the coveted UK ISLAND "pink rim" palm tree label, STEREO, ILPS 9308

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    ILPS 9308 A - 3 U with stampers "1" and "A" at 9 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively and etched "Séan"

Side 2    ILPS 9308 B - 6 U with stampers "1" and "G G" at 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock respectively and etched "Pecko"

Note the extremely low mother stamper numbers making this one of the earliest 1st press copies.

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl is near mint (NM)...I use this grading very rarely simply because there are so few 1960's/70's classic rock UK 1st press LP's that are still in "near mint" condition! This copy is such a "gleamer", with a beautiful jet black sheen and in normal daylight appearing as in new and completely unmarked condition. In addition it is only with very close scrutiny under a bright light that it is just possible to detect a couple of the wispiest of wispy hairlines on each side, the labels are pristine and devoid of any of the usual faint spindle trails, and even the plastic around the centre hole is still partially present - quite remarkable for a 50 year old prog classic such as this. It is for these reasons that I therefore feel justified in grading the appearance and condition of this 1974 1st press vinyl as "near mint".

The labels are similarly near mint (NM). Gorgeous condition labels with all black writing upon the smooth background, with the pink rim and iconic palm tree logo all in pristine condition. I cannot even detect any of the usual faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole. Perfect!

The condition of the fully laminated (both sides) outer sleeve is excellent (EX)...at least! The cardboard remains fully intact with no creasing or horizontal abrasions and the laminate itself is in great order with no lifting at all. All edges, including the spine, remain firm with no scuffing apart from a 6mm scuff mark on the bottom edge adjacent to the bottom right corner. The opening edges are similarly rigid with barely no fraying or feathering and each corner remains an impressively defined right angle, though there is some slight compression on the bottom left corner. The only other blemish is a very light, non-obvious, 12 cm diagonal surface crease mark towards the bottom right corner which does have some very faint show through on the reverse side - you will have to hold the sleeve at the right angle and in the right light to full notice either. All colours, text, and gorgeous art work, on both sides, remain in beautiful condition - rich, vibrant and with great clarity and definition. Such an iconic sleeve, and not many first pressing sleeves in as impressive a condition as this.

The quality of the audio is excellent plus (EX+).  Fantastic tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, clicks  and background crackle is virtually non-existent - just the hint of some very light background crackle (nothing really) at the very end of side 1 and at the very beginning of side 2 - negligible. Wonderful STEREO audio reproduction with the whole album making for a great listen, even after all these years - timeless! Vintage 1970's prog rock at it's very best - arguably KC's finest hour - just listen, loud, to the final track "Starless" and you will understand exactly what I mean...

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1.  Red

2. Fallen Angel

3. One More Red Nightmare

Side 2 :

1. Providence

2. Starless

Comes with original, near perfect condition, light blue poly-lined inner sleeve with no rips, tears, or seam splits, and just a little mild creasing at the corners, with the  "island records ltd / 22 st peter's square" 1st press horizonal text and, of course, remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly excellent plus (EX+) condition and eminently presentable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1974 UK very 1st press King Crimson prog rock classic - the whole LP remains a fantastic listen, with so many high points. A "must" for any serious prog rock vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £3.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; 

Continental Europe £10, and Rest of the World £14 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler