Today we bring you another excellent collectors item hand-picked by the staff of eil.com. Our stock addition manager and all-round prog aficionado, Syd, has chosen an early pressing of King Crimson’s magnum opus, In The Court of The Crimson King.
“After rightfully hat-tipping the The Wilde Flowers, Soft Machine, Arthur Brown or even early Floyd & Caravan for their parts to play in making important steps beyond 60s psychedelia, and frankly transcending what The Nice, Procol Harum, and The Moody Blues brought to the table, In The Court of The Crimson King has to mark the undeniable true dawn of progressive rock.
“This is the one that had the attack, the real contrasting darkness and light, the unsettling balance of chaos and order and the ambiguity that any definitively daring piece should offer, and it’s crucial that this is the one that landed just before the main onslaught that followed over the subsequent few remarkable years from Comus to Gentle Giant to the Krautrock and Canterbury movements and can stake its claim as the archetypal pioneer of musical exploration in a rock setting.
“The artwork itself is colossal among the host of iconic cover designs from the era, no small achievement in a time where album sleeve art had the potential to become historic in music culture. Its representation of the sound of this record perfectly portrays the equally harrowing surrealist music with nothing short of suitably devil-like temptation. A formidable work of forced nature and the benchmark of breaking conventional chains, you could call it the genesis but that name was used elsewhere. These guys just took it to a whole new level.”
1969 UK first issue 5-track stereo LP on the smooth pink Island label with white ‘i’ logo [A2/B4 matrices], matt gatefold picture sleeve with lyrics inside. The sleeve has a some minor scuffing to the edges but has no splits of rips, however the striking artwork is not compromised & the colours are still vibrant. The vinyl shows only minor evidence of play with some light surface scuffs, overall a very good example and an ideal play copy ILPS-9111
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- King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King - 2nd - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £35.00, $42.70, €40.60 (New Item) (arrived 09-Jun-2022 11:52)
KING CRIMSON In The Court Of The Crimson King (1970 UK second issue of the 1969 debut 5-track vinyl LP on the pink rim palm tree label, iconic matt gatefold picture sleeve. The sleeve is graded as VG with general wear, whilst despite spindle wear to the labels, the vinyl shows few signs of play. Essential for any Progressive Rock collector ILPS9111)
- King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King - 200 Gram - Steven Wilson Stereo Mix - Sealed - UK - vinyl LP - £22.99, $28.05, €26.67 (New Item) (arrived 08-Jun-2022 12:26)
KING CRIMSON In The Court Of The Crimson King (2020 UK limited edition 200-gram vinyl LP release of the 40th anniversary stereo mixes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp. This justifiably classic 1969 album, one of the most frequently requested high quality vinyl reissues, is finally returned to the LP format. Gatefold picture sleeve with hype sticker, factory sealed)
- King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King - 200 Gram Super Heavyweight Vinyl - Sealed - UK - vinyl LP - £22.99, $28.05, €26.67 (New Item) (arrived 08-Jun-2022 12:23)
KING CRIMSON In The Court Of The Crimson King (Back in print for 2020, their classic 1969 LP album pressed on 200-gram Super-Heavyweight vinyl, the original stereo mix newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp. Factory sealed gatefold picture sleeve with barcoded hype sticker attached. Essential) See separate listing for the Steven Wilson/Robert Fripp remix version cat no. KCLLP1...
- King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £20.00, $24.40, €23.20 (New Item) (arrived 28-May-2022 15:42)
KING CRIMSON In The Court Of The Crimson King (1977 UK issue of the classic 1969 5-track debut LP by the Crim, gatefold picture sleeve reproducing the original iconic artwork. The sleeve has just a little light edgewear and spine scuffing whilstthe vinyl shows few signs of play - an essential addition to any collection)
- King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon - 2nd - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £30.00, $36.60, €34.80 (Back In Stock) (arrived 18-May-2022 15:38)
KING CRIMSON In The Wake Of Poseidon (Early 70s UK second issue of the 1970 10-track vinyl LP on the pink rimmed palm tree label, housed in a textured gatefold picture sleeve. The sleeve shows some light edge scuffing, whilst the vinyl shows few signs of play ILPS9127)
- King Crimson - Earthbound - 1st - VG - UK - vinyl LP - £15.00, $18.30, €17.40 (New Item) (arrived 18-May-2022 15:12)
KING CRIMSON Earthbound (1972 UK first press 5-track LP of live recordings on a black Island label with pink 'i' logo, matt title sleeve with black Island inner. The sleeve shows some light edge scuffing and ringwear, whilst the vinyl has just few cosmetic surface scuffs - a very respectable VG copy for a great price! HELP6)
- King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £100.00, $122.00, €116.00 (New Item) (arrived 11-May-2022 12:54)
KING CRIMSON Starless And Bible Black (1974 UK pink rim 'palm tree' Island label 8-track LP, ranking as one of the best albums from the Bruford/Wetton period, textured gatefold picture sleeve. The sleeve has very little sign of wear leaving it Excellent, as is the vinyl with just a few light scuff scuffs not affecting play ILPS9275)
- King Crimson - Earthbound - 1st - UK - vinyl LP - £40.00, $48.80, €46.40 (New Item) (arrived 11-May-2022 12:48)
KING CRIMSON Earthbound (Scarce 1972 UK first issue 5-track LP of live recordings on a black Island label with pink 'i' logo, matt title sleeve. The sleeve, as is often the way with this release, has some light scuffing & ring wear & the vinyl is excellent with minimal sign of play HELP6)
- King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon - 1st - UK - vinyl LP - £395.00, $481.90, €458.20 (New Item) (arrived 11-Apr-2022 15:15)
KING CRIMSON In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970 UK first press 10-track stereo vinyl LP with A1/B1 matrices on the pink with white 'i' logo Island label, featuring their big hit single [!] 'Cat Food' and vocal duties on 'Cadence And Cascade' handled by Gordon Haskell. The original front textured heavyweight gatefold picture sleeve has the lyrics printed within and has only some very light edgewear, the labels have minimal spindle wear and the vinyl itself remains in stunning near mint condition. Almost impossible to find in this kind of condition - Recommended! ILPS9127)
- King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black + Inner - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £125.00, $152.50, €145.00 (New Item) (arrived 01-Apr-2022 11:54)
KING CRIMSON Starless & Bible Black (1974 UK first issue 8-track vinyl LP on the pink rim 'palm tree' Island label, the sixth studio album from the legendary English progressive rockers. The textured gatefold picture sleeve shows just a littleage yellowing & minor surface marks [light foxing] which is common for white sleeve of this release but displays no seam splits or tears and comes complete with the rare flipback lyric inner which also displays no seam splits. The vinyl remains in superb EXcondition with only a couple of light surface scuffs to indicate light use, remaining seldom played. A nice copy of an essential Crim classic - recommended! ILPS9275)
It’s the first two Crimson lps for me; Crimson King and Poseidon. Love ’em, have so since they came out. Inventive, musical and pleasing tonality. Fripp, Lake, McDonald et. al. And don’t forget the awareness at the time of Pete Sinfield, his delivering of the lyrics.