LP NM

 

Jacket NM-

Smooth cover ,Title Sticker on back

Artist Biography by Bruce Eder

If there is one group that embodies progressive rock, it is . Led by guitar/Mellotron virtuoso , during its first five years of existence the band stretched both the language and structure of rock into realms of jazz and classical music, all the while avoiding pop and psychedelic sensibilities. The absence of mainstream compromises and the lack of an overt sense of humor ultimately doomed the group to nothing more than a large cult following, but made their albums among the most enduring and respectable of the prog rock era.

 originally grew out of the remnants of an unsuccessful trio called .  (drums, vocals),  (bass, vocals), and  (guitar) had begun working together in late 1967 after playing in a variety of bands: 's resume included tenures with  and the Majestic Dance Orchestra, while the brothers had played with  After signing to Deram, the trio recorded their debut single, "One in a Million," and began cutting a follow-up album, , during the summer of 1968.

Even as the album was in the works, however, the group's lineup was changing: ex-Infinity singers/guitarists  and joined late in 1968, and Julie Dyble, who had passed through the first  lineup, signed on briefly as a singer. This lineup recorded demos of "I Talk to the Wind" and "Under the Sky, " but soon dissolved: exited the scene in November of 1968, and 's childhood friend, vocalist/bassist , joined two days later. The new roster of , , , and  -- with satellite member  writing their lyrics and later running their light show, among other functions -- officially became  on January 13, 1969, deriving the name from 's lyrics for the song "Court of the Crimson King."

In July of 1969, the group debuted in front of 650,000 people at a free concert in London's Hyde Park on a bill with ; later that month  ultimately recorded and produced their first album.  was one of the most challenging albums of the entire fledgling progressive rock movement, but somehow it caught the public's collective ear at the right moment and hit number five in England in November of 1969 -- four months later, the album climbed to number 28 on the American charts. Ironically, at the peak of the LP's success the original band broke up:  and  were becoming increasingly unhappy with the music's direction, as well as the strain of touring. By November they decided to leave --  was so shaken that he even offered to exit if they would stay. The original group played their last show in December 1969; , having joined the group last, was uncomfortable with the idea of staying on with two replacement members, and had also been approached by  of  about the possibility of forming a new group. He soon decided to leave  as well, but agreed to stay long enough to record vocals for the next album.

Whether there would even be a next album was debatable for a time after was offered the chance to replace  in . Finally, a new single ("Catfood") and album () were recorded early in 1970: essentially a -dominated retake of ,  sang on all but one of the songs,  played the Mellotron as well as all of the guitars, and a new singer, 's boyhood friend , debuted on "Cadence and Cascade."  spent the month of August rehearsing a new  lineup, consisting of himself, (bass, vocals), saxman/flautist  (who had played on ), and Andy McCullough (drums). This group, augmented by pianist , guest vocalist  of , and oboist/English horn virtuoso , recorded the next  album, , in the fall of 1970, but  and  both walked out soon after it was finished; with  busy putting a new band together,  took over the final production chores.

In December of 1970,  joined on drums, and after auditioning several aspiring singers including ,  chose  as the group's new vocalist. The latest  lineup of , , , and  emerged on-stage in April of 1971, and for the next year,  was a going concern, playing gigs across the globe. The only casualty during the remainder of the year was , who split in December after  asked him to leave. Their new album, , got to number 30 in England, and number 76 in America; the band might've succeeded had it lasted for another album to make its case, but in April of 1972, this latest lineup broke up after , , and  moved as a trio to join  in a band called . ( later became the bassist with .)

It seemed as though  had finally come to an end. Then, in July of 1972,  put together a new band consisting of ex- drummer , ex- member  on bass and vocals, on violin and Mellotron, and  on percussion. 's successor as lyricist was , who was otherwise invisible in the lineup. This group recorded their debut album, , and made their debut in Frankfurt in October of 1972.  was out of the lineup by early 1973, but as a quartet the band toured England, Europe and America while  made it all the way to the Top 20 in England. In January of 1974,  cut a new album, , thus becoming the first lineup to remain intact for more than one American tour and more than one album (discounting the departed ).

Alas, by July of 1974 even this long-lasting  lineup had begun to splinter. This time  was the one to exit, following a performance in New York. With  reduced to a trio of , , and , one more album, , was completed that summer with help from  and former members  and  (who was soon to go on to fame and fortune as the co-founder of the arena rock band ). disbanded the group on September 25, 1974, seemingly for the last time. later passed through the lineup of  before going on to international success as the lead singer of , while  later turned up on the Mellotron multi-artist showcase album .

In June of 1975, 11 months after their last public concert, a live album called was issued, followed four years later by 's first solo album,. Finally, in April of 1981,  formed a new group called with , bassist , and guitarist/singer . By the time their album was released in October of that year, the group's name had been changed to  (the album was still titled, however). This band, with a herky-jerky sound completely different from any of the other lineups to use that name, toured and recorded regularly over the years, which included full-length video productions; they splintered after two more albums, 1982's  and 1984's .

 remained silent for about a decade, as compilations and vintage live performances continued to trickle out (including the box sets , which mostly covered classic studio material, and , which featured live performances from 1973-74). Finally, in 1994,  reunited with the-era lineup, augmenting the group with drummer/percussionist  and bassist/guitarist/Chapman Stick player . The EP appeared late that year, setting the stage for a full-fledged comeback with 1995's . The album earned generally good reviews and re-established  as a viable touring concern, although it took until 2000 for the band to come up with a new studio album () amidst a continuing stream of archive-clearing collections. In the five years between  and , the members of  often fragmented the band into experimental subgroups dubbed ProjeKcts. The idea was to mix things up a bit and generate fresh musical ideas prior to the forthcoming album; in the meantime, drummer  and bassist  left the band. Culled from the supporting European tour, the live box was released later in 2000. For the band's 30th anniversary,  commissioned the remastering of the first 15 years' catalog, featuring remastered sound and original album art.

All LPs Are Sight Graded

  Note: I Do Not Grade inner sleeves, If these are Important to you then you may e-mail me)

 

RECORD GRADING

Based On Goldmine Grading Standards:

Near Mint (NM): A nearly perfect record. There may be one or two small inaudible defects. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other sights of slight handling. An LP jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any other noticeable similar defect. No cut-out holes, either.

Near Mint Minus (NM-): A record that should play mint but has a few slight visible marks. The album will have as much luster as an NM, there just may be some superficial scuffs from the sleeve or very light hairlines that shouldn't be audible. An NM- album cover subjectively fits somewhere in between VG+ and NM.

Very Good Plus (VG+): A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don t significantly affect play. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. 45 Picture sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned-up corners, or a slight seam-split. An LP jacket may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.

Very Good (VG): Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song s intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as will light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, just two or three of them.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+): Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play though without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear. A jacket or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the subject. 

Poor (P), Fair (F): Below good. imperfections will be described.

Please check out my other items for sale. (I offer shipping discounts) I'll Be adding More Daily except for Friday and Saturday.

ALLSHIPPING PRICES ARE FINAL

additional items are 1.50 per item up to 6 within USA (if you are bidding on multiple items lots I have in one listing. you pay each shipping total added together)

Priorty shipping is available e-mail for total

Please Do A One Time payment for combined shipping on all all items won. Request a Final invoice if I have not already combined them for you

NOTE: Gatefold Lps Count as 2 Lps when shipping out of the country

SHIPPING TO CANADA Multiple LP Shipping Rates In USD

1 LP 11.50

2. Lps 13.00

3 Lps 15.00

4 Lps 17.00

5 Lps 26.00

6 Lps 29.00

Multiple Shipping Rates SHIPPING TO Rest Of The World Outside USA in USD

Note: Gatefold Lps Count as 2 Lps

1 LP 17.25

2 LP 20.00

3. Lps 26.50

4 Lps 30.00

5 Lps 48.00 (price jump becuse weight usually takes it to priority mail rate)

6 Lps 51.00

7 Lps 54.00

8 LPs 58.00

9 Lps 61.00

10 Lps 64.00

11 Lps 67.00

12 Lps 70.00

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