KING CRIMSON, ISLANDS, 1971 UK ISLAND, A-1U/B-1U 1st PRESS

	£		142
	$		188

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer a superb example of the hard to find fourth studio album by KING CRIMSON titled “ISLANDS”, Catalogue Number ILPS 9175. This is an ORIGINAL 1971 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the PINK RIM ISLAND RECORD LABEL, with a 1st ISSUE E.J. DAY MATT-FINISH SINGLE FLIPBACK SLEEVE. Complete with the 1st issue E. J. Day gatefold lyric inner sleeve. [The matrix numbers are the earliest ILPS 9175 A-1U and ILPS 9175 B-1U].

The sleeve is in VG+ condition (strictly graded) with just light wear and minor creasing. This is a tough sleeve to find in nice condition due to its relatively fragile construction and un-laminated finish – but you can see from the photos that this is a very presentable example indeed with no serious detractions.   

The vinyl is in EX+ condition. The Island labels are like new with only a few short spindle traces each side. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top end hifi. It’s a top quality pressing which plays with barely any residual surface sound, which is very important for this particular album due to the number of quiet passages. The sound quality is outstanding – very clear and vibrant with excellent stereo instrument separation. Both sides play EX+ throughout with no discernable deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. It really is a beautifully clean-playing copy.

The gatefold lyric inner sleeve is in EX condition. There is a short repaired split to one side edge which is barely noticeable (see close-up photo). It is otherwise in excellent unmarked condition. 

Overall this is a superb and complete 1st press copy which plays to an exceptionally high standard.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.95

Worldwide - £14.80