King Crimson 'Larks Tongues in Aspic' Island ILPS 9230 1st UK pressing
£
30
$
40
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Description
I am not a record dealer, just someone who has accumulated a large collection of vinyl in the 1970s and to a certain extent in the 1980s, and now has (sadly) to let my old 'friends' go to new homes (age and inevitable decay- me, not the records).
Not much one can add to what has already been written about this album. The word 'iconic' is so overused and cliched, yet it is entirely apt to apply it here. I loved this record at first hearing and 46 years later it still gives me goosebumps.
I am not an expert on the grading of records, but I do know that 'Mint' and 'near-Mint' are, for all practical purposes, meaningless. Who buys a record and then never plays it? I adhere to the 'Record Collector' grading system as best I can within the latitude of interpretation. I bought these records because I loved the music and I played them, so some wear and tear is inevitable, I make no apologies for that. I will be as honest as I can about 'surface noise' and crackle/pop, but my advice is that if you own a £1000 deck and a £500 stylus, then only buy true 'mint' pressings or you will live in a constant state of disappointment.
The Cover is clean and little obvious damage. It has the original cellophane wrapper mostly intact, missing only 3cm at the far right, to allow access to sleeve inner. It has the 'sticker' attached to the outside of the cellophane. EX
Labels are clean and undamaged. EX
The vinyl on visual inspection: Side 1 No obvious marks or abrasions EX
Side 2 Clean excepting a faint abrasion (about 1cm) and a scratch (~0.5cm) VG+/ EX
The Matrices are: side 1 ILPS 9230 A-2U sark
Side 2 ILPS 9230 B-2U
The sound on playback is good VG+/EX. There is some extraneous noise in the form of some pop and click, but the recording levels are so high that it is pretty much impossible to hear it, save between the tracks. However, If you own a 'high-spec' system, then this is probably not for you- try to find a 'Mint' copy instead- if you can.
Mint Copies of this version are trading at £60+ (source: Record Collectors 2020)
PLEASE NOTE THAT FROM 25TH MARCH 2019, COST OF ‘SMALL PARCEL’ 2ND CLASS,SIGNED-FOR WENT UP FROM £3.95 TO £4.00.
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