King Crimson : In The Wake Of Poseidon A-1 / B-1 1st Press on Pink 'i' Label

This is one of the most stunning examples of this first pressing that I have ever listened to.  I sold another two months ago (see feedback!) and this is on a par with that one.  It plays with such impressive sonic quality and the clarity on both sides can hardly be faulted.  I cannot overstate how beautifully it plays and it is clear this record has only been played a few times judging by the minimal spindle wear, the audio quality and the immaculate visual 'look' of the vinyl.

The fully textured gatefold is in excellent condition with only minor wear on the edges and the original inner is also very clean with only minimal creasing.

ILPS 9127  A // 1 / B // 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (Track 1 Near Mint)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint(-) for the majority / T2 Ex- for 4/5 seconds)

The gatefold is Ex+

The labels are Mint-

The original inner is Ex+

Visual grading

At first glance you would be mistaken for thinking this vinyl had just been pressed!  It is so clean and it retains a jet-black glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  I can only find a small number of very faint hairlines and there is just one on S1 that is slightly more obvious - still faint though and not that easy to find!  S1 is stunning and S2 is stunning and then some!  It really has such an impressive visual quality and that is of course rare for a record from this era.  There is hardly any spindle wear and the run out grooves are also in perfect condition.

 Play grading

The super quiet 'Peace - A beginning' plays with a clarity that you so rarely find on these first pressings.  There is literally no 'background' until a light static tick very near the end.  Aside from that this is Mint and it is so rare for the opening grooves on any record to play so cleanly let alone one that is 50 years old!  I will however grade as Near Mint due to the static sound which lasts all of half a second if that!

Again the intro on 'Pictures Of A City' is so quiet - just a small number of notes and yet the playback is Mint with no 'background' of any kind.  As the volume increases the audio is still 'as new' and that continues into the first vocal.  From then on it plays with remarkable clarity and depth and there are just no negatives.  There is no underlying static and the playback is sensational!  The louder instrumental section plays perfectly and the following quieter passage just has a couple of minor dust ticks and this is not a short section of course!  Amazing clarity for sure.  Each note can be heard so succinctly and the 'high octane' end section plays with immaculate precision also.  I honestly believe this is deserving of a Mint grade it could not play any better.

The acoustic intro on 'Cadence And Cascade' is 'as new' and continues in exactly the same way.  Such a delicate track and of course Gordon Haskell sadly died recently.  I am pleased to say I have never heard his vocal plays with such sharp definition and from start to finish there is no 'background' at all.  The clarity is again incredible and it plays to the highest standard possible.  The warmth and depth of the audio could not be any more impressive.  It's so rare to find a Mint version of this song but we certainly have one here!

The intro on 'In The Wake Of Poseidon' is faultless and the same applies to each verse and every instrumental section.  Once again I cannot believe the sonic quality throughout this classic track.  The clarity and power of the audio is of a level that you so rarely find and for once the final section has barely any of the inner groove distortion that so often accompanies it.  You can easily turn it up to maximum without needing to turn it down immediately!  The fade out plays with impeccable precision also.  A stunning finish to S1 that easily grades as Mint- it is that good.

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The acoustic 'Peace - A Theme' is very similar to the start of S1 - there is no underlying static and has only a couple of light ticks near the end.  A stunning version that easily grades as Near Mint

'Cat Food' is outstanding from the first groove to the last.  It's the clarity of each note that really stands out and it is patently obvious this record has hardly been played.  There is no 'background' of any kind, not even a dust tick and Mint is an honest appraisal of the audio quality.  The piano piece at the end more than exemplifies the clarity, it is perfect in every way.

The first section on 'The Devil's Triangle' is where you will often find some interference but that is certainly not the case here!  The slow percussive build up is stunning in that there is just no intrusion on the audio - I heard a couple of dust ticks only and it continues to play with exceptional clarity and definition.  This has to be the finest 'Merday Morn' that I have ever listened to.   The next section has just a minimal touch of background static at the beginning but is not intrusive in any way and soon disappears.  It is easily missed as this 'intro' is of course rather loud.  From then on it plays with superb precision and the crescendo section is so strong and is so close to perfect audio.  Just a minor touch of mega light static again but it perhaps isn't even worth a mention.  The 'wind' section is 'as new' and the percussive intro into the final section could not play any better also.  Thereafter it plays with phenomenal power and depth and has only 4/5 seconds of light static right at the end.  Perhaps Ex- here but the rest of this 11.5 minute instrumental plays with stunning quality with only a very minimal amount of light static.  There are no ticks, clicks or pops and I can confidently say the vast majority ranges between Near Mint and Mint- it really is a superb version.

'Peace - An End' brings this classic album to a close with incredible clarity once again.  There is no 'background' whatsoever and I honestly cannot believe the final few grooves could play so cleanly!  I repeat this is 50 years old!  A Mint- finish for sure.

In summary this first pressing plays to a wonderful standard with barely any intrusion which is so impressive when you consider how many quiet sections there are.  The clarity on both sides is stunning and it is only a few seconds at the end of 'The Devil's Triangle' that you would deem a little intrusive.  The sonic quality is so strong and as my regular customers know I do not exaggerate my gradings.  I just write what I hear and this is without question one of the finest examples of this first pressing that I have ever encountered.

The Gatefold

The E.J Day textured gatefold is in great condition and the only wear is some rubbing on the top and bottom edges that you commonly find.  Actually there is very little on the top edges - just a little more on the bottom ones.  The wide spine is in excellent order with only a little rubbing on the bottom corner and even less on the top corner.  It remains 100% legible.  The other corners have only very minimal wear and the opening edge is very clean with hardly any handling wear and just one small 'ding' which you can see on the back cover.  The front cover is immaculate and has no marking and the back cover is almost as good aside from that minor 'ding'.  The inside of the gatefold is 'as new' and has retained all of its strong colour.  An excellent example of this iconic cover.

The Labels

The pink 'i' labels are in superb condition with no marking or writing and very little spindle wear, just a bit more on the S1 label.

The Inner Sleeve

The original poly-lined 'plastic bags...' inner dated 0470 has no side splits or tears and only a couple of minor marks on each side plus some light creasing.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

ILPS 9127  A // 1 / B // 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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