I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.

King Crimson : Lizard A-2U / B-2U 2nd Press 1970 Pink Rim Island Label

This classic album plays to a superb standard with only minimal intrusion.  It has so many quiet sections and yet the clarity overall is stunning.  S1 in particular is spectacular, the sonic quality could not be any more impressive.  S2 does have a couple of dull clicks but the vast majority still plays with exceptional quality.  The vinyl is in lovely condition with only a couple of barely visible specks on S2, sadly I was not able to remove them!

The laminated cover has been preserved so well and has no obvious wear at all.  The plain white inner has only light wear.

This second pressing has the same label characteristics as the first pressing, the only difference is the misprint in the track order on S1 - 1,3,2,4.  It also has the same A2U/B2U matrix.  The only other difference is the cover is fully laminated and was produced by Robor Limited.

ILPS 9141 // A - 2U / B - 2U // PA 2 / PD 3

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Near Mint)

The audio on S2 ranges between Ex+ and Mint-

The gatefold is Near Mint

The labels are Near Mint

The inner sleeve is Ex-

Visual description

The vinyl is in great condition with a lovely glossy sheen and no marks or scratches.  S2 does have two tiny white 'specks' but you need a magnifying glass to see them!  There are only a small number of faint superficial hairlines. The pink rimmed Island labels are very clean with only minimal spindle wear.

Play grading

The quiet piano intro on 'Cirkus' plays so clearly with barely any static and Haskell's opening vocal section is even better, the clarity is stunning.  As the music kicks in the playback is so strong and powerful and the next verse is faultless.  There is one light tick at the beginning of the next instrumental and from then on plays with a sonic quality that could not be beaten.  The clarity of sound throughout is STUNNING and that is very evident during the quieter instrumental section.  The rest of this classic plays with phenomenal quality and it almost seems too critical to grade this as Near Mint but I can blame that one tick for that!  Aside from that the playback is out of this world!

'Indoor Games' plays with superb audio through every vocal and instrumental section.  Once again the clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is certainly comparable to a barely played vinyl, there are no negatives.  There is no background static, no background at all and Mint is 100% deserved including the end 'laugh'!

The powerful intro on 'Happy Family' is 'as new' and the first verse has no intrusion either.  It continues to play with genuine quality - no ticks, clicks, pops or static - the playback is again so clean.  With an almost jazzy improv theme this is audio of the highest calibre and the powerful end section / vocal are of the same exact standard.  Mint

The quiet flute intro on 'Lady Of The Dancing Water' plays beautifully with no interference and the opening vocal is the same with only a couple of mega quiet statics.  The brief instrumental plays with sublime clarity and the final vocal is equal to that.  For such a quiet track to play with such clean audio on a vinyl pressed nearly 54 years ago is a rarity and I cannot overstate just how strong this version is.  With only a couple of very quiet statics this has to grade as Mint-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The intro on the epic 'Lizard - Prince Rupert Awakes' plays with just a touch of very quiet static right at the start and then the first verse from Jon Anderson plays beautifully with no interference.  As the volume increases the audio is 'as new' and the next quiet verse is equal to that with only a couple of barely audible dust ticks.  From then on it plays with imperious quality and again leaves you thinking has this record ever been played before!  A STUNNING Mint- version.

'Bolero - The Peacock's Tale' then plays with great clarity and warmth for its duration.  The audio is crystal clear in the main and I only heard only a small number of minor statics which do not detract from the overall 'sound'.  There is no actual underlying static and the playback is so clean and precise - I'm going to say Near Mint for this second part of 'Lizard'.

The third part, 'The Battle Of Glass Tears' and all its separate components play with stunning clarity for the vast majority.  The vocal section has only a small number of light static ticks but the clarity is still so impressive for such a quiet track, Near Mint I would say.  It continues in much the same way - a couple of light statics during one of the quieter sections and two dull sounding clicks in a louder passage towards the end (caused by the tiny speck) but unless you were listening very carefully you would not even notice them, they are very much in the background.

The 'Prince Rupert's Lament' section is of course very quiet but overall the clarity is superb with only a couple of static sounds near the end.  Difficult to grade in a sense but I will say it ranges between Ex+ and Mint- abut there is definitely more Mint- than Ex+!!

'Big Top' is near perfect with just one dull click in the middle section caused by the other annoying speck!  Aside from that it plays with exceptional clarity.  Ex+

In summary this very early pressing plays with stunning quality for the vast majority.  There is only very minimal intrusion and I do mean minimal!  The clarity, depth and power of the audio on both sides is so impressive and you would be hard pressed to find a better version. 

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The fully laminated Robor cover is in lovely condition with barely any wear.  The edges and spine are incredibly clean and the corners have no real wear either.  The opening edge has only very minor 'crimping' at the top and bottom but clearly hasn't been handled much.  The front cover is stunning with no laminate wear - a couple of faint marks near the bottom edge or is that just the print?  The back cover is close to pristine with just one tiny corner crease bottom left and the inside of the gatefold is immaculate with no wear to be seen.  A superb example overall.

The plain white die-cut inner has some age related fading mainly down one edge and only light creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

ILPS 9141 // A - 2U / B - 2U // PA 2 / PD 3

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!