KING CRIMSON In the Court… VERY RARE LAMINATED EX++ LP

	£		162
	$		215

Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: In the Court of the Crimson King

Producer(s): King Crimson.

TRACK LIST: Side 1: 21st Century Schizoid Man; I Talk to the Wind; Epitaph.

Side 2: Moonchild; In the Court of the Crimson King.

Cat Number: C 062-91 093

Label: Columbia (EMI State Side) – yes a little different aren’t they? (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and fresh with only light and fine spindle marks.

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: A very impressive 154 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: Germany.

Original Year of Release: This rare copy was pressed in the early 1970s.

Matrix Nos: 10062-91093-A-1 / 10062-91093-B-1

Rarity and Significance: Since selling records on Ebay several years ago now, I have offered some pretty outstanding items, but for me this has to be (so far) the most incredible item of them all. In terms of sheer visual beauty few can compete with this astonishing item. This rare German copy of In the Court of the Crimson King is up there with the very best items I have ever seen, let alone offered. So what’s so special about it? – well the answer lies in the cover – IT’S LAMINATED! – Yes True – how many have stated this cover was never laminated?, well the proof is here, the German’s have triumphed again in the most spectacular way possible on probably the most famous rock cover ever made and this really has to be seen to be full appreciated – its jaw-drop astonishing!, nothing less. The laminated front and back has taken this incredible artwork into a new dimension of beauty and makes even a near mint original UK version look somewhat bland and ordinary. The full colour of this famous sleeve are bought out in the most amazing way possible. The deep rich glossy shine gives a genuine de luxe look and adds extra class. My pictures can never do this cover full justice but I hope they look good on your screen. When this is seen for real, it almost makes you wonder why Island did not laminate their covers as well, most end up rubbed and ringworn and often very tatty. Of all the items I have yet offered this is one that wont be easy to let go. Without doubt it’s a scarce item and only the second one I have ever seen and several dealer friends have never seen it at all. Although laminated, this is a still a very fragile cover and made with only very thin card hence a few light surface blemishes and edge chips are apparent, but that said, remember its great age, any wear on this is very small and mild. The actual record is much heavier pressed and thicker than most of the UK Pinks. 154 grams is a very substantial weight for any record and few other pressings will match this. Not only is the cover astonishing, the record has beautifully clean playing surfaces and looks sparingly played. Sound quality is very high and put against most Pink Island copies, that often were not the best pressed Island records ever made, this excels. One of the most challenging albums to find that will play quietly on vinyl, mainly due to the very gentle song ‘Moonchild’. Even on this high quality pressing there are a few light sporadic clicks and crackle traces but far cleaner that most UK examples I have yet heard. More on that further down. This is a Court of the Crimson King for the connoisseur collector, forget any doubts about non-UK pressings on this one, like the German version of ELP’s debut (also laminated, and a gatefold cover), it leaves the UK cover for a poor second best, even the nicer condition ones that still exist. This is special, and when my regulars see me getting ‘excited’ about an item, they will know this is “Extra Special’’. A definite contender for the ‘greatest cover ever made’. I have stopped to admire this into double figures while simply tapping out this paragraph, I must get it back into a protective sleeve for safety. If great and wonderful-looking albums are important to you, I simply cannot recommend this one highly enough – it’s a real work of art.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Subtitled: An Observation by King Crimson, this was arguably the birth of ‘real’ UK progressive rock and rarely, if ever, was this pioneering album ever matched or bettered. Issued back in 1969, this actually charted at 5 in the UK, nothing had been heard quite like this before. Even the cover design and artwork was quite radical and visually stunning, it can hardly go unnoticed can it? The brilliance of the music lay within the band personnel, namely: Robert Fripp on guitar; Ian McDonald on reeds, woodwinds, vibes, keyboards, mellotron and vocals; Greg Lake, bass and lead vocals; Michael Giles, drums and percussion with words written by Pete Sinfield. Comprising of just five songs, this groundbreaking, and at times ear shattering, rock masterpiece - an album that more than justifies this word - still sounds fresh and is still eagerly searched for as ever. As far as vinyl goes this has to be one of the hardest albums to ever find that plays well, a record I have had several times on different label variations and most all had varying degrees of surface sound and sometimes even minor pressing flaws – these are far from unusual. From information received by other collectors, pressing flaws are not uncommon for this album and I have encountered them once or twice. This German copy plays through in its entirity without tracking problems of any kind. That said, this album is a roller-coaster ride of extremes, the manically powerful and electrifying opener ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’, arguably the greatest progressive track ever written, is as loud and thrilling as rock ever gets and then to the other end of the extreme comes the lengthy ‘Moonchild’ that occupies a large proportion of side two. This is a fragile and delicate track that plays very quietly to almost near silence in places - all very challenging for any vinyl recording. Delicate acoustics and percussion interplays with gentle clarity and fine stereo imagery, but so testing for pressing and groove-wear quality. Finding a copy that plays the loud passages distortion-free and ‘Moonchild’ anything like quiet and noise-free is near impossible bearing in mind what early copies of this album were likely to have been played on. This is up there amongst the best I have heard but is not totally silent on ‘Moonchild’. Most all plays very well but there always will be the odd mild sporadic click and crackle trace at the very least and this has a very modest few. A few brief light clicks near the very beginning of the song disappear fast and it just gets better to the end. A very clean record with any surface marks tiny and faint very few, it retains a fine shine and lustre of a little handled record, and German pressed, it has to sound good; and it does. Also a massively thick and heavy pressed record, the grooves are deep and wide and the sound is awesome. Even the manic nirvana of ‘Schizoid Man’, which can often sound muddled on less than worthy systems, can be heard with all the instruments sounding individual, not just blended together. The keyboards can be heard separately from the rasping saxes, even on the wild climax, clarity and detail remain in focus. Greg Lake’s vocals, usually so clear and precise and one of the best of his type ever, are rendered almost sub-human on ‘Schizoid’ it can make the neck hair stand on end – ‘Cat’s foot, iron claw, neuro surgeons scream for more, at paranoia’s poison door, 21st-Century Schizoid Man!’ – crazed lyrics sung in a totally demented voice, this is prog at its blistering best. Sound quality of the highest order and its not unique to just this track, all songs are clear and more balanced with higher definition and clarity. That stunning drum crash after the quiet flute passage on the title song (often where the pressing fault lies) is massively solid with terrific slam and when the mellotron’s kick in soon after it gives the rare tingle factor that only the great recordings ever can. I cannot guarantee CD silence on ‘Moonchild’ – and never will, if that is demanded, best stick to the silver disc (but lose out on one of the truly great vinyl recordings ever made). The number of copies that will play this near impossible track to near silence will be next to none, if any exist at all, whatever pressing from whatever era from whatever country. Please believe me I have heard copies of this record, via Pink and pink rim, even the late Polydor pressings that simply are unlistenable, virtually all have some surface sound, odd click or pop at very best - many simply sound awful. So this copy, is not dead silence throughout all of the quiet passages, but sets a high standard and will better many, if not most. It’s totally devoid of distortion and that is hugely important too, mellotrons and electric saxes and winds do not tolerate overplaying or abuse gladly and all play sharp and focused on this splendid copy. One that should please most realistic collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ a even with a few small edge chips, still a wonderful sight. A gatefold format, LAMINATED FRONT and BACK, the inner gatefold is NOT laminated but wrap around on the top to the inside and all edges are covered. This was printed in Germany. Breathtaking and a cover to simply treasure and cherish. An item like this should please most collectors and those who want something beautiful, scarce and different.

Laminate – Front & Back: Awesome, if a little scary. This has the most phenomenal colour and clarity but as stated above, the card is very thin and delicate, hence some chipping, mainly to the corners has occurred. The only real blemish on the main two faces is a mild pressmark on the front, near the top teeth area (which I have zoomed-in on), I doubt if anything will even be seen, it’s minimal and only really shows with angled viewing. All the laminate is fully adhered with no blistering or lifting, always good news for maximum viewing pleasure and any creasing few, light and small. There few traces of any friction rubs or dulling but small corner chips to encroach into view on both sides. The difference the laminate makes to the overall effect of the incredible artwork has to be seen for real to be fully appreciated, I feel sure the winning bidder will be delighted.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Both faces look superb with deep rich colour, barely any signs of wear and again a pleasure to view.

Top Edges: A couple of very small chips on the front and the cornertips have rubbed. But still straight, neat and retaining the laminate.

Bottom Edges: Similar again with just slightly more chipping around the fragile corners.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid but fragile with again a very few, tiny chips. Minimal compression and folded square so the right edges meet up together and parallel. All text has avoided any chipping and looks perfect under the solid laminate.

Corners: As mentioned above, the corners have some chipping but nothing large or serious but small whites are exposed. This chipping to the vulnerable ends seems a trait of this delicate, but immensely beautiful cover.

Cover Summary: One for the cover connoisseur and specialist, how many of these were made or exist I have no idea, but they sure must be pretty elusive when I cant find even long experienced dealers who have seen or had one. Certainly within the UK and non-Europe countries this HAS to be rare. Not only that, will any other laminated examples will look much better these days? Even with a few minor imperfections, this is still an outstanding and delightful item.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Probably undergraded at EX++, I can see a couple of tiny marks, one at the very edge of side two that has little impact on sound. A beautifully clean visual copy with fine shine, intense black and heavily pressed, no worries about oil shortages on this one. A copy without doubt only lightly played, it 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: After at last hearing a copy that can actually be enjoyed it comes as no major surprise to me why this record is so desirable. The sound, detail and mix can only be described as awesome. My head was constantly turning towards the speakers as details came out I swear I had never heard before, especially on the latest CD versions. Subtle acoustic guitars over the mellotrons on the title song, delicate pianos on ‘Epitaph’ and what sounds like harpsichord pieces too. The power on ‘Schizoid Man’ is breathtaking with the saxes really rasping in anger and the simple things like the percussion on ‘Moonchild’ simply rings ‘n’ tings with super clarity. The mellotron whooshes and the cymbals zing with astonishing resolution. The delicate flute passage on the the title track is beautifully quiet, and quite honestly this copy will match most around and better the vast majority. This is a vintage hi-fi masterpiece with faultless production. This is the definitive vinyl sound and if you have not heard this album via the original format you simply have not heard it for real. This super record plays up to its high visual grading and even exceeds for most parts. Powerful, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear and that’s not putting too finer a point on it - the types of sounds on this album often break up with unwanted echo type distortion. I have outlined pretty much what to expect here on ‘Moonchild’ already, there is the odd light sporadic crackle trace or light muted click or two, just a one rev pop was noted also. This is vinyl over 35 years old don’t forget - I still think silence is unrealistic for this most difficult record - I am very fussy and very little spoilt my enjoyment of this amazing State Side pressing. The benefits of the original mix and blistering sound quality far outweigh any minor extraneous sounds. When virtually no sound is present on the record, the stylus has only to hit the tiniest piece of debris or fragment to induce an audible sound, on ‘Moonchild’ there is simply nowhere to hide. Thus my Moth clean will always benefit, as it will on all records I offer. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better for audio playback and near impossible to beat for stunning clean looks. I am still getting my breath back after listening to this – as good as the latest CD remasters are, they simply do have the power, clarity and detail of this phenomenal recording - but it does play dead silent. I refuse to knock CDs, there is a time and place for both formats - that said this record is very special.

End Piece: I cannot emphasise enough the beauty of this album and also the fragile nature of its contents and cover. These grooves are as clean and new looking as any I have seen for this record and bar an unplayed copy that’s been kept in cotton wool for 35+ years, I can hardly imagine one that will seriously outperform it audibly. I have outlined how it plays I am not going to sit here and count every tiny little blemish, if it had several revs of audible clicks from a major scratch that’s a different matter, but this has nothing like that to report - I say once more, if absolute silence is demanded, the CD will give you that, it too sounds fine - if the real thing is wanted, with its minor blemishes, this may just be the copy for you. It tracks perfectly and sounds amazing - even after all these years. I feel totally confident this copy will give any other a strong run for its money. With UK Pink copies fast running out as demand grows – and clean fine sounding copies almost non-extent these days, I strongly recommend this stunning German, laminated cover copy, it has to be top ten ‘essential to own on vinyl’ albums. Its worth owning just to look at, the fact the record plays so well too has to be a massive bonus – do not not let this bona fide classic slip the Net again.

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: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. 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 thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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 and well as 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make 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, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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 Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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’.