KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT ... 1st press ISLAND PINK "I" 1969 PROGMONSTER

	£		101
	$		134

KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

ISLAND - ILPS 9111  -

 1st UK PRESS 

UK 1969

Far rarer with the original 1st A//2 B//3 matrices!!! Apparently only a few hundred had these matrices before changing over to the more common A//2 B//4 press.

            King Crimson: Greg Lake (vocals, bass); Robert Fripp (guitar); Ian McDonald (flute, clarinet, saxophones, keyboards, background vocals); Michael Giles (drums); Peter Sinfield. King Crimson's debut album introduced to the world a group that threw various '60s genres into a blender and set the results afire with a blowtorch. One of the pioneers of the progressive rock movement that began in the late '60s and flourished in the early '70s, King Crimson probably the most consistently creative band in the genre with VGG, Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant. On this album they blend wispy, Donovan-ish folk-rock with Wagnerian grandeur, mind-bending heavy rock, and even a free- jazz sensibility. Greg Lake's vocals are effectively theatrical but more restrained than in his later ELP work. Robert Fripp was just learning how to make mincemeat of a chord progression, but he's alternately lyrical and frenetic as the moment requires.The extended jams on cuts like "Moonchild" are light-footed and inventive, never ponderous, thanks largely to the crisp, jazzy drumming of Michael Giles. "20th Century Schizoid Man"'s bone-crushing ensemble riffs and crazed solos were of a heft unprecedented in rock & roll. Most importantly, the trademark Crimson would stick to throughout their career is shown here--dynamic variations between soft/lyrical and raucous/experimental. This was seen not just between songs but in the drastic dynamic shifts between sections in a single composition.

The absolute rarity of this album is not to be underestimated. It hardly ever surfaces nowadays. This is an absolutely gorgeous slab of early quality ISLAND vinyl which is in splendid EX condition!! This has a lovely deep glossy sheen!! Hauntingly beautiful songcraft!!! Immense quality prog album that ticks all the right boxes and incredibly hard to find. I have twentyfive years experience in grading. It doesn't get much better than this!!

THE FIRST ALBUM OF THIS SUPERBAND THAT HARDLY SOLD AT ALL BUT IS NOW VERY SOUGHT AFTER BY PROG CONNOISEURS

A CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE LP THAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY QUALITY PROG COLLECTION - if you cannot buy this you should at least try and get a re-issue and enjoy

A well looked after heavy glossy nearly pristine vinyl!

You won't easily find this ultra rare LP in this condition!

excellent UK 1969

1st press record

the surfaces display blazing factory-fresh gloss with only few wispy hairlines under an intense light.

the audio is supreme, no static or clicks!!!

Please, also have a look at my other prog albums on sale this week.

ELUSIVE PROGMONSTER!!!! VINYL IN A UNIQUE EX+ CONDITION!!!

!!!!AN IMPOSSIBLE FIND!!!GORGEOUS EX+!!! A few hundred of this first press LP were ever sold!!! This is SOOOOOOOOOOO very rare!!!!!

BACK IN 1969 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED, IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS - AND WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!!!!  AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!! 

****ELUSIVE PROGMONSTER!!!****PERPLEXING SONGCRAFT!!!***AN INSPIRATION TO MANY SUBSEQUENT TOPACTS!!!***

!!!!A VERY HARD FIND!!! Most have been bought up by collectors!! This is hardly offered these days!!

In all my years this is only the second time I have come across this PROGMONSTER. Sensational sound quality, I have played this through in its entirety and it was a great joy!!! NO skips or jumps. NO clicks or crackle, this is really a stunning heavy glossy jet black vinyl .The audio is impeccable. Inspected under an intense lightsource and angled.

Vinyl: EX .  A sensational find!!! I have played this in FULL twice over> This is the true official 1st press with A//2 and B//3 matrices. The A//2 and B//4 variation is a second press although again mega scarce these days. The replay is ASTOUNDING!!! I first played for a general listen and a second time for a more detailed observation. Only a few wispy hairlines can be seen under a strong lightsource. Only rarely any light static can be heard, mainly between the tracks on the silent grooves. Fantastic songcraft!! I am very glad to be able to report that this is a fine slab of vinyl without any problems at all and as such worthy of inclusion of any great prog collection.   Of course NO jumps/clicks/skips etc.

Sleeve: VG+ to EX.  The original matt gatefold sleeve is in great condition. All edges are deadstraight. The spine is fully legible but has a bit of rubbing as do the edges. There is no writing and I think it will be a very long time before this super album will come around with again more takers than ever before.

Labels: As you can see a small doodle in the "I" with a name. of course we all prefer the labels to be pristine but it does add some quirky character to an album, a personal touch if you like, similar to the patina in a great antique piece of furniture.

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectable super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog core history.*** 

             This is a unique investment opportunity!!! The next psych album to go completely through the roof. Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible so late in the day. Get this while you still can. This value of the album is only going to go one way ... up and up ... until it will be totally unavailable at all for a reasonable price.

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 41.00.  Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.