KING CRIMSON In the Wake of Poseidon STUNNING N/M COPY.

	£		165
	$		219

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JUST IMAGINE: walking into a record shop back in 1970 and picking up a copy of this record that has just been delivered into your local record shop…

Artist or Band: KING CRIMSON

Album Title: In The Wake of Poseidon.

Producer(s): Robert Fripp & Peter Sinfield.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Peace—A Beginning; Pictures of a City; Cadence & Cascade; In the Wake of Poseidon.

Side 2: Cat Food; The Devil’s Triangle; Merday Morn; Hand of Sceiron; Garden of Worm; Peace—An End.

Label/Format: Island – Full Pink format, smooth labels with large white i logo. These are a beautiful deep, rich pink colour with an almost pastel-like finish. I hope my scans do these justice because I have rarely seen this album in such breathtaking condition – and it plays as good as it looks too – and that is truly stunning.

Label Conditions: Like wow! – this pair look practically like new which means a thing of rare beauty. Incredibly clean, fresh and highly attractive examples. Spindle marks?, what spindle marks?, well maybe one or two TINY traces only, but look ultra hard to see them. No wear around the hole area whatsoever and this stunning copy looks barely even played confirmed by phenomenal sound that takes you directly into the recording studio itself.

Cat Number: ILPS 9127.

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: 134 grams. Around average for this Polydor-pressed Island record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderately scarce on the pink label and like most now, getting scarcer. A vintage copy in this condition will never be easy to find, this must rank as the very best copy I have ever seen or heard. Like all King Crimson albums this is a roller-coaster ride for volume extremes and finding top copies that will look and play well is always a challenge. This one is of connoisseur standard, most collectors will know how hard these King Crimson albums are to find that play with clean sound, this is a pure delight and unlike so many, this one is pressed to the highest possible standard by Polydor and is little short of factory-fresh. ALL AUDIOPHILE COLLECTORS CAN APPLY.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9127 A // 1 1 3 1 and ILPS 9127 B // 1 1 ? ? [? = unclear]

Musicians: Robert Fripp - Guitar, mellotron, devices; Greg Lake - Vocals; Michael Giles - Drums; Peter Giles - Bass; Keith Tippet - Piano; Mel Collins - Saxes and flute; Gordon Haskell - vocal; Peter Sinfield is credited with ‘words’.

Brief Artist & Album Info: After the astonishing groundbreaking magnificence of their debut album, how could this ever be followed up? – well the answer, they thought, was to issue another similar album again. This album was not given the same adulation as the first by the critics of the day, that labelled it as another ‘In the Court of’. Sure I can see the similarities especially on side one – the formula of a loud first track, quieter second and epic third that follow the same format, but all the songs are treasures in their own right. Side two does vary more: after the somewhat bizarre ‘Cat Food’, that features brilliant piano work by Keith Tippet, it becomes awesomely powerful and compelling, as ‘The Devil’s Triangle’ instrumental builds with ferocious intensity with heavy use of the magnificent Mellotron. This incredible keyboard instrument is blasted to it’s limits by Fripp with an intensity that was probably never matched. Unfairly underrated in my opinion, ‘Poseidon’ is simply another Crimson classic. Beautifully packaged too (apart from maybe the use of silver ink inside that is always hard to see properly). It’s one of the deepest textured covers ever, the front and back almost resemble oil on canvas and hence (sorry to mention it again) this is one of the most wear prone rock covers ever made. Any friction to the front and back will literally strip off the ink from the very raised surfaces and this will rarely ever be found anything like perfect. Many, if not most are highly ‘speckled’ that ruin the appearance. This one has survived the 40+ years with any rubbing tiny and faint. That’s clearly great news, but even better still is the record which is simply sublime. It looks and plays like new – and ‘new’ sometimes is not quite good enough for this album. That really depends on the pressing quality that with Island records was often uncertain. Well rest assured, this Polydor-pressed early copy offers the most stunning sound you will ever wish to hear. It’s of true audiophile quality and for those with massively expensive systems who take sound very seriously – the dictionary definition of ‘audiophile’ – this is simply of mastertape and studio quality. Even those incredibly fragile opening and closing vocals parts by Lake are immaculate and noise-free and those massive dynamics crystal clear, focused and precise. It hardly gets better than this on a highly complex and intense record like this. There is barely a second that will remind the listener that they are listening to a vinyl record – apart the massive dynamic range and detail – it is practically as quiet as a CD and how many times I have been able to state that on a King Crimson album is very few. A copy time has forgotten, and from a prestige collection where the owner played them once or twice most. This record is barely even run-in in vinyl terms and offers unbeatable sound and that is a guarantee. I have offered one other ‘Poseidon’ of this quality, but they truly come along all too rarely. This record truly will remind collectors of a newly purchased copy.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high indeed. Most are shabby, tired and plain disappointing with the raised surfaces of the heavy texturing rubbed showing large amounts of heavy speckle. This has only light traces and still remains a real looker – and inside the is the crown jewels of a record.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an unlaminated gatefold format with heavy, deep texturing front and back. Printed and made by the E. J. Day Group.

Cover Front & Back: This looks really lovely with any rubbing to the significantly raised surfaces lilght and minor. The front has little at all infact and the back only very light indeed. I think my camera flash actually over-emphasising what little there is. The colour is very rich and intense but possible light reaction to the very edge of the spine, of that I am a little uncertain. I know for sure this has been cover-protected for most of it’s history and this is more than clear. No creasing, grubbiness or ageing at all really with even the folds unrubbedd with no ring marks. This famous prog cover is almost like holding an original painting and few will get close to this – this is a true work of art on a record sleeve.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Pristine perfect, clean and fresh as made. That silver ink is still however quite hard to read, best when tilted towards light.

Top Edges: One tiny surface chip to the front.

Bottom Edges: Slight surface rubbing to back edge towards right, little else.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any traces of wear with no trimming. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Again exceptional: solid, straight, uncompressed and folded near square. The right edges meeting up very closely with the back slightly proud of the front. All text is present and unworn with any rubbing to the fragile surface tiny, few and faint. Both folds retain all ink which is a near impossible ask, this is guaranteed untipped in, I have scrutinised this very closely and knowing the source of this record well, it’s never even an issue to consider.

Corners: Tiny tip rubs that on such covers are near impossible to avoid, possibly the least seen on what is a ruthless and uncompromising sleeve. All retain excellent to near mint shape and definition.

Cover Summary: I cannot emphasise enough how intolerant this cover is to poor or inadequate storage, protection or handling. Many are found in a poor or shabby states making one like this exceptional. Not quite ‘off-the-shelf’ new, but only slightly short, if all looked this, I for one would never complain.

The Inner Sleeve: This Polydor-pressed Island pink album included a Polydor-style lined inner as it should. This has aged little but has a little mild darkening in places. Both window circles are immaculate and the lining ultra clear and secure as are the edges. Minimal creasing with a light one on one corner. This is date coded 1/0370 which pre-dates the album’s actual issue.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-) and highly tempted to grade full Mint (a thing I rarely even consider on records this age even if it’s justified, and I really believe this has a strongest case possible). A supreme visual copy that’s super clean, with deep shine and lustre, intense black and very solidly pressed. Up there with the very best Pink Island records I have ever seen or heard – this is truly of perfectionist’s standard and sets the benchmark to ever be beaten. Pretty much devoid of any noteworthy marks or blemishes, this is one to thrill even the most discerning collector. A record played just once prior to my (THRILLING) sound-check, this vintage copy has without any doubt been carefully handled and almost certainly only exposed to fine equipment once or twice (including my own). Visually a terrific Island Pink record that should please all collectors.

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: Firstly, I have to state yet again just about all King Crimson albums are a vinyl collectors nightmare – with the ultimate in extremes and I am always a little nervous when playing a ‘new’ found title. One minute virtual silence, like the very beginning of this album and last minute of side two. Also some segments of side two’s instrumental passages where there is barely any sound at all. Then ferocious crescendos of mass volume and swirling Mellotron. This is the ultimate test for any vinyl record (and equipment) and I believe that hardly any copies will exist that will play truly ‘silent’ in their entirity, the format hardly allows it. Most sound enthusiasts are now used to CD silence, but records with contact reproduction are a different matter altogether. The tiniest fragment embedded into any groove can sound as a light pop or crackle and can anyone honestly say a record 40 years old will have none? – this is being totally honest and realistic. So how does this one play? I almost hold my breath on every King Crimson record I play-grade to offer because even if they look like new they don’t always play like that. These ultra fine delicate opening grooves are quite often found scratched with careless stylus placement and delicate is truly the word to use here – can you imagine an old thick mono needle dragging across these delicate fine opening grooves or even being dropped? – we all know it could and often did happen. Just looking at this copy simply reminds of a brand new record – played once on arrival - now twice after an exhillaring sound check. A record that delivers in every department with incredibly powerful, totally distortion-free sound. All frequencies are sharp, clear and fully focused and offers truly awesome sound quality that is astonishing with a massive dynamic range with lovely detail. Any surface sounds are minuscule and barely anything was even noticed or registered. This is an immensely challenging record that almost gives CD silence, if that is indeed possible. I noted not even one pop or click which I almost thought impossible on this album. The ultra quiet sections play superbly without that irritating crackle so many seem to have. This is mastertape quality that takes you into the studio itself with a pressing standard of the highest possible quality. As stated, some passages on side two have no instrumentation or vocal, pure silence and the reproduction here was not far short of that. On the other end of the scale, the sheer sonic power and difficult-to-track intense Mellotron sound on side two is perfect without any hint of high frequency breakup or stressing, all focused and precise, it’s just a question if your system can handle ‘The Devil’s Triangle’. Very complex groove patterns with wide and varying widths can clearly be seen with the naked eye and with close observation while playing, both the headshell and stylus can be seen ‘flicking’ from side to side just to try and stay in the groove and track perfectly. Both channels remain clean and sharp, yes even on the thunderous Mellotron climaxes, I am certain this record has hardly even been handled let alone played, and then only on quality equipment and has been ultra carefully stored and lovingly looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Like the cover, this record suffers any abuse badly and is very intolerant of ancient unforgiving equipment or overplaying on such. Nothing whatsoever spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this progressive classic – ignore those critics from the past, this is a ‘Crimson Classic’. Visually and aurally this is a delight throughout and this example will prove near impossible to find better. This merits my highest possible recommendation and even putting this up for sale is proving hard.

End Piece: I adore King Crimson, they could little wrong for me right up to Red which I regard as their final masterpiece – although the later albums are interesting, the early-era Island albums are all essential and King Crimson remain the premier league real progressive band for me. Along with van der Graaf Generator and early Genesis, their albums on vinyl are very hard to find in a fit state to really enjoy, so many being ruined by intolerable amounts of surface sound (or worse). How many copies of the debut will really play near silent? – few, if any to be honest, and this album is similar as we all know. So I am delighted to offer this near reference standard all-round early copy, not the rarest Island pink for sure, but one of the most difficult and demanding conditionwise. Any progressive or pink Island collector will enjoy this one, the sound and mix on the early pressings are vastly superior to the latter, thinner pressings that followed and all fine details that remain masked or hidden on later pressings are all here on these deep and unworn grooves. This is what real high fidelity is all about and why many collectors invest vast amounts in audio equipment to enjoy the finer details. I doubt I will ever find a better ‘difficult’ record than this all year.

…WELL IMAGINE NO MORE: this copy transports you back to 1970 and is the nearest you will ever get.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.