KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

A rare and increasingly sought after copy of this 1969 UK 1st press progressive rock classic on the coveted pink ISLAND label, ILPS - 9111

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  ILPS 9111 A//3 with stampers "11 3" at 8.30 o'clock and 8.45 o'clock respectively

Side 2  ILPS 9111 B//3 with stampers "12 3" at 11.30 o'clock and 911.45 o'clock respectively

The appearance of the vinyl is EXCELLENT. Completely flat and with a beautiful jet black lacquered sheen the appearance of both sides of the vinyl is truly impressive in normal daylight. Under scrutiny of a bright light a number of wispy hairlines and superfical, very light scuffs come into view, however, with one of these wispy hairlines on side 1 spanning from a third of the way into track 1 to the beginning of the dead wax area and this, along with two further 3cm hairlines on side 2, are visible in normal daylight when the vinyl is tilted at the right angle. None of these wispy hairlines and light scuffs are feelable, and none appear to be below the surface though close attention on playback does reveal some very light and occasional clicking on "I Talk To the Wind" and some further light clicks, along with a little very mild back ground crackle and two slightly louder clicks on "Moonchild", so I can only summise that a couple of these wispy hairlines must have gone slightly below the surface. Even these blemishes do not spoil the the enjoyment of the aforementioned tracks and the remaining tracks play beautifully. So, taking all of this into account I would grade the overall condition of the vinyl as VG+.

The labels are excellent+. I could just make out a single, and very small, spindle trail adjacent to the centre hole on each of the labels - apart from that, pistine. All text remains beautifully intact as does the iconic matt textured background. Brilliant!

The iconic non-laminated, outer gatefold sleeve is VG.  All edges, including the spine, remain firm and well defined but there is some mild scuffing along each edge (very light and sporadic on the top edges, a little more noticeable on the bottom edges), and although the spine remains firm and nicely intact there are a few nicks and just a little light sporadic scuffing both on and immediately adjacent to the spine, with the scuffing being a little more noticeable towards the bottom of the spine. There are also a few light, sporadic abrasions towards the bottom corner on the front side and just the hint of some very mild ring wear on the reverse side. On the front side there is also a small area of some minor nicks and indentations towards the bottom right corner. The inside of the gate fold is truly excellent, with no unwanted writing or doodles, no nicks or tears or creasing, and with all text perfectly intact and legible. Note the text "All songs published by E.G. Music Ltd." which is indicative of a first pressing. I still get the shudders when I open this amazing and iconic gatefold! 

Finally, the quality of the audio is VG+. For "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Epitaph", and ""Court Of The Crimson King" the quality of the audio is truly excellent, with great tone and clarity throughout, and no skips, pops, intrusive clicks, or background interference. Wonderful! For "I Talk To the Wind" the audio quality is VG+, with just the hint of some very, very mild background crackle/static towards the beginning and x14 very mild (but audible) background clicks during the first half of this track. And as already mentioned above there are two clearly audible clicks and some mild background crackle during the first half of "Moonchild" on side 2. There is also some mild, background static.crackle right at the beginning and end of each side but this soon diminishes to nothing. In summary then the quality of the audio is mostly excellent, on "I Talk To The Wind" it is VG+, and on "Moonchild" it is VG, hence my overall assessment of VG+. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. 21st CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN including MIRRORS

2. I TALK TO THE WIND

3. EPITAPH including (a) MARCH FOR NO REASON (b) TOMORROW AND TOMORROW

Side 2 :

1. MOONCHILD including (a) THE DREAM (b) THE ILLUSION

2. THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING including (a) THE RETURN OF THE FIRE WITCH (b) THE DANCE OF THE PUPPETS

Comes with original Island poly lined inner sleeve with correct "U.K. Patent..." blue text located towards the bottom left corner and "Made in England" blue text in the bottom right corner. There are no splits or tears, just a little creasing, and this inner remains fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a VG+ copy of this increasingly rare and highly sought after 1969 UK 1st pressing progressive rock masterpiece - a worthy addition to any vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be :

for the UK, Royal Mail 1st class, tracked & signed for  : £5.00, 

for continental Europe international tracked & signed for : £11.00

and for Rest of the World international tracked & signed for £15.00

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler