KING CRIMSON In The Court Of UK LP Pink i MINT- Superb

	£		261
	$		346

KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING

• ILPS 9111
• MATRIX: A-2 / B-4
• PINK ISLAND 1ST PRESSING

I AM OF THE OPINION THAT THIS IS IN THE TOP 3 OF HARDEST TO COLLECT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. NOT BECAUSE ITS A SUPER RARE ITEM, BUT SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET ONE OF THESE ALBUMS ON THE PINK LABEL THAT IS CLEAN ENOUGH TO PLAY WITHOUT ANY BACKGROUND.

THE REASON FOR THIS IS SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY QUIET PASSAGES ON THIS LP, PARTICULARLY MOONCHILD THAT THE SLIGHTEST SOUND IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE MAJOR IRRITATION TO THE LISTENER.

THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN 8 YEARS OF DOING THIS, THAT I HAVE HAD A COPY THAT FITS INTO THIS MINT MINUS CATEGORY

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS WHEN A VERY RARE AND COLLECTIBLE COPY OF THIS LP COMES UP FOR AUCTION. IF YOU WANT IT THEN DO WHAT EVER YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN IT.

THE RECORD

STARTING WITH THE PINK LABELS. THESE ARE TOTALLY PRISTINE. YOU WILL NOT SEE A BETTER SET OF ISLAND LABELS EVER. NO MARKS, NO WRITING, NO STAINS, AND NO SPINDLEHOLE WEAR, AND THE MOST FANTASTIC THING OF ALL, THERE ARE NO SPIDER LINES!!!. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WELL TWO THINGS, FIRSTLY THE LP HAS BEEN HANDLED WITH THE UTMOST CARE, AND SECONDLY IT HAS NOT BEEN ON A TURNTABLE MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES EVER, AND THIS IS WHY IT IS STILL IN THIS NEAR NEW CONDITION. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT.

THE VINYL GLEAMS LIKE NEW, AND HAS AGAIN CLEARLY BEEN HANDLED WITH EXTREME CARE. THERE ARE NO MARKS WHATSOEVER ON THE VINYL, NO SCUFFS, NO FINGER MARKS, NO HAIRLINES. EVEN UNDER THE MOST INTENSE ILLUMINATION I AM STRUGGLING TO FIND ANYTHING, PERHAPS A COUPLE OF WISPS, WHICH IN ANY OTHER LIGHT ARE INVISIBLE. DON'T FORGET THIS LP IS 38 YEARS OLD. IT IS A MAGNIFICENT SPECIMEN AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE UPGRADED

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO SIDE ONE, I AM HOLDING MY BREATH AS IT TOUCHES THE VINYL AND SETTLES INTO THE GROOVE.

SILENCE

THIS IS FANTASTIC, AND AS THE INTRO TO 21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN GAINS PACE, THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE MOST MINUTE BIT OF STATIC, BARELY AUDIBLE, AND FOR ME PROBABLY BECAUSE I SIT A MERE SIX INCHES FROM THE SPEAKERS AS I TYPE. EVEN THIS IS A SPLIT SECOND OR TWO.

ABSOLUTE JOY THE VINYL IS PLAYING EXACTLY LIKE A BRAND NEW DISC. THERE IS NO DISTORTION WHATSOEVER, AND NOW I KNOW THAT THE ONE PLAY IT HAS RECEIVED WAS DONE WITH A PERFECTLY BALANCED AND WEIGHTED CARTRIDGE.

EACH TRACK PLAYS TO PERFECTION, WITH TOTAL CLARITY AND NOISE FREE, EACH LINKING GROOVE IS SILENT. ONE OF THE VULNERABLE TRACKS IS EPITAPH, AND EVEN THIS PLAYS ABSOLUTELY SUPERBLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I THINK ONE OF THE WAYS TO TELL IF A RECORD IS GOING TO PLAY WELL IS TO LISTEN TO THE RUN OFF GROOVE. IN THIS CASE THERE IS NO MORE THAN THE MOST MARGINAL BACKGROUND AS THE STYLUS TRACKS ACROSS.

SIDE TWO AND THE TRACK!!

MOONCHILD

AS I MENTIONED I HAVE HAD MANY COPIES OF THIS THAT HAVE FAILED MISERABLY WHEN THIS TRACK IS PLAYED, THE MIDDLE SECTION IS SO VULNERABLE AS FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES THERE IS NO MUSIC JUST SINGLE NOTES PLAYED ON VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS WITHIN A SILENT BACKGROUND, AND EVEN HERE ON THIS MOST PRECIOUS TRACK THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE BAREST BIT OF STATIC IN ONE OR TWO SPOTS, AND THE ODD TINY TINY POP OR TWO. REALLY NOTHING AT ALL IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.

THE ONLY OTHER TRACK IS THE TITLE TRACK, AND IT IS WITH RELIEF I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE WHEN IT IS FINISHED THAT I CAN SAY WITHOUT FEAR THAT THIS VINYL FULLY JUSTIFIES A MINT MINUS GRADE. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS A BETTER COPY OUT THERE

THE SLEEVE

THE ONLY THING FOR COLLECTORS TO BE AWARE OF WHEN TRYING TO OBTAIN THE BEST COPY OF THIS, IS THAT IT MUST COME WITH A MATCHED SLEEVE. ITS EASY TO RECOGNISE. OPENING THE GATEFOLD ON THE LEFT PANEL BOTTOM RIGHT THE SLEEVES MANUFACTURER HAS TO BE THE E.J.DAY GROUP. IF ITS NOT, THEN THE SLEEVE IS A REISSUE. I UNDERSTAND WHY A WORN SLEEVE WOULD BE SWAPPED WITH A NEWER LATER ISSUE, AS THEY LOOK IDENTICAL, BUT THE MAKERS ARE THE GIVEAWAY. IF YOU ARE A COLLECTOR OF FIRST PRESSES AS I AM THEN YOU WILL INSIST ON A MATCHED PAIR, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE HERE. I WAS SO EXCITED BY THE VINYL THAT I FORGOT TO LOOK AT THE SLEEVE, BUT NO WORRIES, IT IS THE GENUINE ARTICLE.

THE MAIN REASON WHY THESE GET SWAPPED IS THAT THEY ARE NON LAMINATED GATEFOLD'S AND SUFFER BIG TIME FROM COLOUR LOSS, FADING, AND ALSO I HAVE SEEN MANY WITH STICKER REMOVAL TEARS.

THIS SLEEVE IS IN AMAZING CONDITION. THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT CLEAN, AND HAS RETAINED ALL OF ITS COLOUR. I SUSPECT IT WAS HOUSED IN A PLASTIC SLEEVE FROM NEW. THERE ARE NO CREASES, AND ONLY ONE SMALL LINE NEAR THE SPINE. THE TOP EDGE SHOWS THE BAREST TRACE OF SHELF WEAR, AS DOES THE BOTTOM, AND I DO MEAN MINUTE . THE SPINE IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE MOST COPIES FAIL AS THEY WEAR TERRIBLY AND THE WRITING CANNOT BE MADE OUT, BUT NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THIS ONE AS THE COMPLETE TEXT IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AND THERE IS ONLY THE MOST SLIGHT COLOUR LOSS. THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP WITH JUST TWO TINY THUMB NICKS WHICH CONFIRMS WHAT I WAS SAYING EARLIER ON ABOUT HOW MANY TIMES THE LP HAS BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE. NOT MORE THAN 2-3 TIMES. THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS GOOD AS THE FRONT AND MOST AMAZING OF ALL THERE IS NO RINGWEAR AT ALL ANYWHERE, ANOTHER THING THAT PLAGUES THIS COVER. OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PRISTINE INNER SURFACE.

THE SLEEVE EASILY GRADES NEAR MINT

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT, JUST ABOUT THE BEST COPY OF THIS LP TO BE OFFERED FOR A LONG WHILE.

IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST MAGNIFICENT COPY, AND WOULD GRACE ANY COLLECTION

A TRUE VAULT COPY