KING CRIMSON Starless & Bible Black SCARCE ORIG UK EX++

	£		41
	$		54

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: Starless and Bible Black.

Producer(s): King Crimson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Great Deceiver; Lament; We’ll Let You Know; The Night Watch; Trio; The Mincer.

Side 2: Starless and Bible Black; Fracture.

Label/Format: Island – original first press pink rim format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: ILPS 9275.

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: 120 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as a first pressing. With such a little played record, very clean cover (a near impossible task) and superb, undamaged inner, this is a tough one to find. Most covers are seen very grubby and not nice to look at, the inners shredded with tears and edge splits. I have to go back a considerable time to have seen one much better than this.

Original Year of Release: 1974

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9275 A-3U / ILPS 9275 B-3U

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 P / 1 RL

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘SARC’ / ‘Sean & Ray’

Musicians: Robert Fripp – guitar, mellotron, devices, electric piano; John Wetton – bass, vocals; Bill Bruford – drums, percussion; David Cross – violin, viola, mellotron, electric piano.

Brief Info: Sandwiched between the brilliant ‘Lark’s Tongues in Aspic’ and the sublime ‘Red’, this album often does not get the due credit it deserves in the mighty ‘first-phase’ King Crimson catalogue. The band had now shrunk to just four members, gone are the percussive skills of Jamie Muir heard on ‘Lark’s Tongues’. This is still another powerhouse recording with some stunning material. Mostly instrumental and typical King Crimson in-as-much a rollercoaster ride in sound extremes. Some very delicate and quiet passages and songs, none better than the stunning ‘The Night Watch’, a haunting beautiful song. Side two has the usual Fripp menace with two immensely powerful tracks. Slow building and sparse but exploding into frenzy with speaker rattling sound later. I still rate King Crimson as one of the greatest progressive acts ever, their albums always immensely difficult and challenging on vinyl due to the near silence at times. This is an all round super pressing, but even this ultra clean, barely played record has a tiny few sporadic ticks or crackle traces on the near silent passages. It’s near impossible to avoid on record, if absolute silence is demanded, well the CD format is the obvious alternative. As good as the latest remasters are, they still lack that massive power, drive and dynamics the original analogue format gives. This record gives a super performance with audiophile sound values, the music so compelling and good, any minor blemishes wash over. A quality all-round copy and that will be very difficult to ever find much better.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+.

Cover Grade and Format: I simply cannot grade this superb cover less than Mint(-), I clearly remember seeing new ones in shops with more grubbiness than this. It simply depends where they were stored and how carefully distributed. These unprotected white surfaces are heavily textured as is the inside of the gatefold. Printed and made in England by Robor Ltd. Includes the often elusive lyric inner.

Cover Front: In terms of wear, this has practically none. No creasing and any rubbing minimal and faint. Grubbiness is the big threat on these predominately white textured surface. This has only very light and faint traces around the edges, and truly some new ones seen in the distant past often had more (and often marked too). This has no marks of note and is still a lovely shade of the original, slightly off-white. Many are seen nicotine stained or yellowed, this has NONE of that at all and is still very fresh and in terms of this cover, clean.

Cover Back: The back is near identical, if anything, even better, no ringwear or rubbing and again any handling traces or grubbiness, very little and faint. An tiny trace of the records rim impression being critical, but look hard. I would like to add a note about this too, this is a prime candidate for bleaching enhancement and I guarantee this has absolutely none. I would rather give a cover away than stoop the depths for a sale. If any example of this cover is seen snowy pure white, give it a sniff, bleach aroma sticks and stays. This album cover was not absolutely pure white even from new, just a very slight off-white is correct.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces are stunning, pristine as new.

Top Edges: Odd microscopic chip, this too being critical. Both look practically as made with no grubbiness or rubbing, both very straight.

Bottom Edges: Mild rub traces near the centre of the back, but little else to fault, almost as above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering, guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: A superb spine also: solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn and again this has practically avoided any wear or grubbiness.

Corners: All little short of as made. Clean, no dinks and with superb pointed shape.

Cover Summary: A fantastic all round example of this highly intolerant 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. I reitterate again, this one has had NO enhancements or treatments, this has been very well looked-after and is totally natural. This beautiful item should please most collectors.

The Inner: Mint, yes true, try to ever find this fragile, thin paper, unlined lyric inner better. Pristine as made with NO creasing, NO edge splits (or repairs), clean, fresh with barely even a ruffle. Almost pinching myself, is this real? It’s more than obvious the original owner immediately put the record inside a polylined cover for maximum protection. But so often, this and similar inners were split when purchased new, movement in transit from depots to shops meant the record rim cut through. This is museum quality and I am very sure few will ever be found like this again, truly factory-fresh, the back as a mere trace of set-off probably from resting against another when in the factory. Totally natural, the back is lovely too with the flipback construction perfect.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++, A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with just a couple of fine hairlines on each side. Visually a super record that should please most collectors again.

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 snippetts 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This superb, little-played record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. Massively powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Another stunning production by Fripp and his band, this will again test out any unworthy systems. Any surface sounds are minimal but as stated above, it’s an impossible task not to have the odd sporadic click or crackle trace. As much as I love Island records and most of the artists that recorded for them, pressing quality was not always perfect and some around this period were variable. I have heard some horrendous examples of ‘Lark’s Tongues’ and this album in particular. But this is a much better pressing and way above average, silence is a near impossible ask and this is not silent for all. Side one plays beautifully with little unwanted, a few more minor one-offs on side two. The complex groove patterns indicate the vast differences in volume, with many darker bands with compressed grooves indicating the quiet passages, of which there are a fair number. These are most vulnerable, any tiny fragment that hits the stylus means a minor sound, that’s why I clean every record I sell to minimise this happening. But sometimes minor sounds are embedded into the pressing and then little can be done. Anyway, glad to state this has very few and this lightly played copy gives a great performance and only the most intolerant of listener will not enjoy it. Few copies will outperform this 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 clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Very little indeed, if anything really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. If a small few sporadic one-off ticks are an issue, do not bid, buy the CD version instead, because vinyl copies of this album will not be heard too much better or cleaner.

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 - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, 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 its 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 programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

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

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.