KING CRIMSON In The Court of the Crimson King VERY RARE UK A2/B2 1970 PINK RIM.

	£		89
	$		118

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: In the Court of the Crimson King

Producer(s): King Crimson

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: 21st Century Schizoid Man; I Talk to the Wind; Epitaph.

Side 2: Moonchild; In the Court of the Crimson King.

Cat Number: ILPS 9111

Label Format: Island – pink rim format with matt surfaces. Side one a little ‘rustic’, and both have very gentle hint of texturing, the centre area has a deep ring ridge.

Label Conditions & Info: Both generally clean and attractive with any spindle marks light, fine and faint. Side one has a little rim crinkle and a tiny pull near the 6 o’clock position as seen.

I consider this one of the rarest and very best variants of this classic prog album, and there are a number around. Most standard pink rim pressings have very smooth labels and with the A-4U / B-4U matrixes indicating an EMI pressing – these are quite standard. Another variant sometime seen have deeply textured pink rim labels with ILPS+9111+A3 / ILPS 9111+B3 matrixes, these were pressed by Pye, and pressing quality on these in particular can be hugely variable, often very noisy with considerable surface noise.

This over 140 gram copy was pressed by Polydor and has the rare early A 2 and B//2 matrixes like the very early, standard ‘first’ issues on the pink label. A copy that includes all those very special fine details and extra pronounced Mellotron sounds on the title song that seem muted on the later EMI and other pressings. The audio quality of this record is immense: the high frequencies to my ears sound more focused and precise, the lower frequencies sound fuller, deeper and more extended, and the overall presentation of the music more detailed and refined. Even separation and definition of the instruments seemed clearer. What really stands out is the more full-on and detailed melloton towards the end of the title song. I did a direct comparison with a pink label copy and a Pye pressed pink rim, where the mellotron sound on the same area seemed more muted and somewhat lost. This is a lovely copy as well with impressive sound. I feel no copy will ever play ‘Moonchild’ silent, that is a near impossible task, even from new. It is well-known first issue pink label copies were variable and few ever played perfectly, far from it in fact. Compared to this pressing, I have found those to be grainy and often very noisy. This has a little, gentle, minor surface sound here-and-there on Moonchild, but will better most around, of that I can be very confident. And this copy offers clarity and dynamic range I seldom experienced before. Not all copies of this legendary album are the same – that is a pure fact – especially noted when played on higher quality equipment, mine is fully listed further down.

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: 142 grams. A very impressive weight for pink rim copies pressed by Polydor. Some Pye pressings were heavier, but the vinyl quality was often of lesser quality.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The album itself is far from rare, even pink label copies are not that hard to find, this album sold well. Condition is always a major factor, few early copies on pink or pink rim will offer sound that will please audiophiles. ‘Moonchild’ especially is immensely difficult, a long track with sparse, quiet instrumentation with only brief vocals at the start, it has little chance to play without some surface sound or the odd sporadic click at best. In terms of ‘rarity’, I consider this 2/2 matrix Polydor pressing the rarest, I am sure it was pressed in tiny numbers before the more common EMI 4U/4U pressing largely took over. I am also convinced this pressing offers the very best sound in terms of dynamics and detail as explained above. The mix on the title song sounds different to me, and vastly superior. This is no ordinary pink rim record, far from it, it even includes the original E. J. Day cover it was purchased with, again that was quickly changed to no credit or Robor. The colour hue on this printing also quite a different shade to others I have seen.

Original Year of Release: 1969 on the pink i label. This a copy from 1970 or thereabouts.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9111 A 2 1 4 and ILPS 9111 B // 2 1 5

Musicians: Robert Fripp – guitar; Ian McDonald – reeds, woodwinds, vibes, keyboards, mellotron and vocals; Greg Lake – bass and lead vocals; Michael Giles – drums and percussion. Words written by Pete Sinfield.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Subtitled: ‘Observation by King Crimson’, this was arguably the birth of ‘real’ British progressive rock and rarely, if ever, was this pioneering album ever matched or bettered. Issued back in 1969, this actually charted at 5 in the UK and it’s rarity on the pink label is so often overblown. I truly believe these early Polydor 2/2 matrix pink rim label variants are much rarer. An album of musical brilliance, nothing had been heard quite like this before. Even the cover design and artwork was quite radical and visually stunning, it can hardly go unnoticed can it? It was designed and created by Barry Godber. A somewhat sad story, it was his only record cover and the man died at the tender age of 24. His legacy to the world of rock is one of the most famous and visually stunning covers of all-time. It just makes you what other amazing covers he could have produced?

The excellence of the music lay within the band personnel with highly skilled and talented musicians. Comprising of just five songs, this groundbreaking, and at times ear shattering, rock masterpiece – an album that more than justifies this word – still sounds fresh and is still eagerly searched for as ever. As far as vinyl goes this has to be one of the hardest albums to ever find that plays well throughout, for me, far more significant than ‘rarity’. A record I have had several times on different label variations and most all had varying degrees of surface sound and sometimes even pressing flaws – these are far from unusual, especially on the pink pressings. I have already described what this very early Polydor pressed pink rim record offers. Even with a very little light sporadic surface sound traces on ‘Moonchild’, this is still a fantastic listen. The sheer drama and power of the music excels. Superb detail and resolution, this offers genuine excitement with little unwanted. Unless digital silence is demanded, and good luck with that, this is a copy to please many, if not most collectors. I maintain this particular pressing is different and offers the highest resolution, clarity and detail I have heard from vinyl.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: an impressive example of this groundbreaking cover, a grading that hardly does it full justice. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces with the merest hint of gentle texturing. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day. Most pink rim copies, the later ones pressed by EMI had Robor made sleeves.

Cover – Front & Back: Like different pressings of the record, the covers also varied, it being one of the most famous rock album covers of all-time. This has superb, and quite different colour hue to most I have seen, and quite unusual to see an original ‘Day’ cover with little overall wear. The front has a few mild surface marks or blemishes, mostly seen critically under light. There is hardly any creasing, any rubbing gentle and light. The back largely the same with just a tiny rub on the spine edge towards the top. Lacking ring wear or sticker damage which is difficult enough, but always most welcome of course.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Fantastic artwork again, this has hardly anything of note to fault as seen.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and and almost flush, any rubbing minimal, very patchy and light.

Bottom Edges: Again straight and flat, but these storage edges have light to more moderate, less patchy rubbing especially on the front.

Right Edge(s), and Type: These edges are sharp with very little traces of thickening or burring. These are guaranteed untrimmed and the record enters on the back.

Spine and Text: The spine is superb and truly exceptional as seen. Unlike so many, this has not faded and retains deep, rich colour. In fact, I can hardly believe how dark and totally unaged or worn this spine surface is – this is always a fragile area and very prone to rubbing, grubbiness and natural light bleaching. Very solid, straight with barely any hint of compression. Also folded square so the edges meet up quite closely together and mostly close to parallel. The artwork and text has avoided rubbing, bar the very bottom corner tip area. This crucial area is one of the finest I have seen to date on this famous cover.

Corners: Light to near moderate tip rubs with very fine to excellent shape retained. No bashes or noteworthy dinking, these have also fared well overall.

Cover Summary: Cleaner, neater, lesser-worn E. J. Day printed original covers are elusive to find, many are badly worn, aged and torn, this has survived the years pretty well overall as can be clearly seen. A few blemishes and gentle hints of age, but a true original with gorgeous colour and excellent good looks. It does this album’s importance find justice and will please many collectors wanting a ‘first’.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: or close to. First pink rims included a plain white, unlined inner, the blue inners followed slightly later. This has moderately darkened, so aged, but it remains undamaged with minimal creasing and no edge splits or repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): arguably better. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks very light, wispy and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. No penetrating stylus scratches, these ultra fine traces usually from dry-cloth ‘cleaning’ that most will be more than familiar with, and totally harmless. Visually a lovely record that should please many, if not most 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: Most rock and progressive rock fans will know this legendary album well enough. Like so many within this complex genre, this has moments of ear-shattering volume and quiet passages. This has both in abundance making it one of most challenging rock albums issued on vinyl. I have outlined the differences further up I consider this particular, more elusive pressing offers. Overall, it plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault, especially the four fuller songs. ‘Moonchild’ is ultra quiet for most of its 12 minute duration. Firstly, you need a better pressed record to even have a chance of better sound, and better still, one that appears little used, this certainly is that. But the odd crackle hint or sporadic tick is near impossible to avoid totally, that is simply being realistic. This copy offers strong, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – compared to most I have heard – EXTRA clear, with superb dynamics, clarity and detail. I state again, I am sure the title song has a different sound, the mellotron towards the end higher and louder in the mix and more dominant. Sound quality is immensely high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. The drum crash on the title track after the quiet flute part is simply breathtaking with immense slam and power – and then the mellotron kicks in – HARD. Any surface sounds are minimal, but silence, as stated, is close to impossible. Overall a near exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few copies will outperform this still very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – I always expect blemishes on ‘Moonchild’, and this has way fewer than most I have heard to date, this played on very revealing equipment. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended unless ‘silence’ is mandatory, and on this album, good luck finding one.

* 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’.