King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson)

I like my 1978 US reissue sounds real good to me

Great sounding, though near impossible to get a true near mint without some surface noise due to so many quiet moments.

Side note: does anyone else have the A3 / B4 matrix? I’ve heard a very few were pressed, and couldn’t find the exact same variation listed.

I prefer dance music such as House and Garage but this song has a special place in my heart. I don’t know what makes me love it so much but it’s a bit more pricy than I thought…

The A2 , B2 ( which was the very first press ) original sounds glorious , and beats all the recent reissues ( although they're good ) by a country mile . Grab a clean copy if you can find one .

Incredibly groundbreaking record - ahead of its time... the first pressings can only go up in price

Interesting. My elder brother bought this on Vinyl when it first came out and he used to play it endlessly, so although not a fan at first, I knew the tracks quite well. I always associate this record with a Science Fantasy work I greatly enjoyed in that long ago time: Jack Vance's The Eyes of the Overworld which, as it is set in a very distant future, chimed well with the album. Years and years later I acquired a cassette version which I've listened to on and off. My track timings are:
21st Century Schizoid Man: 6:54
I Talk to The Wind: 6:07
Epitaph: 8:45
Moonchild: 12:13
The Court of the Crimson King 9:28

I have this and the Discipline Reissue and to my ears the Discipline Reissue beats it by a lot. More bass, no distortion. Get the reissue. The cover of this copy is amazing however. Super high quality, more detail than the reissue, nice texture. What I did was put the Reissue disc in the original sleeve

At no small cost a few weeks ago I was able to buy an original UK first press textured Island (small white I) pink label in excellent condition, with (Discogs Version 1) matrixes:

ILPS 9111 A▽2 1 4
ILPS 9111 B//2 1 5

The A2/B2’s with raised rim and textured pink labels rarely come up for sale and even more rarely in excellent condition like this one with little to no groove wear and virtually quiet vinyl, a miracle. The pressing I had before this was a near mint US George Piros cut that sounds amazing in it’s own right.

The pink label A2/B2 CRUSHES it - it is on another level and maybe the best sounding rock record I have ever heard. It is literally a religious experience to hear this sort of absolutely STUNNING sound, without any doubt cut from the mastertape. It fills the room from floor to ceiling, wall to wall and front to back with exquisite imaging, little to no distortion, and no harshness at all in the vocals or instruments even at the loudest levels. The crescendos at the end of Epitaph and In the Court of the Crimson King are house-shaking mind-blowing sonic explosions that will bring tears to your eyes. No joke.

Can’t imagine there is a better pressing than this, period.

My favourite album by a great band. In my personal top 5 list of rock albums you should listen to before you die, it's number 1. 1st UK press A3/B3. My copy has a terrific sound solid EX. Island Pink labels with a white little "i" logo from the late 60s.

The matrices of my copy are here:
ilps 9111 A 3 1 3
ilps 9111 B 3 1 3

P.S. A fine example of the lush psychodelic multiinstrumental sound of the dawn of hippie culture, this band has inspired many of my wonderful paintings and the cover of this album I consider the greatest painting (illustration) of the psychedelic avant-garde in art, thank god for giving me ears to enjoy the enchantingly beautiful sound of this album, the greatest phenomenon in music since the creation of the world and human civilization. Bravo, Crimson, you made me perceive the usual dull grey colours of music in a new way and brought many beautiful moments into my life, thank you very much for that guys. :-) d^_^d

Upd: Rest in peace (RIP) Ian McDonald (25 June 1946 - 9 February 2022) I'm really sorry to hear such a talented musician go to heaven so early, I hope it was Paradise after all, cancer proved to be stronger, recently 21 November 2021 at 6:40 a.m. one of my very close family (dad) ed away (died) also of lung cancer at the age of 74 (17 October 1947 - 21 November 2021), so it's a bit sad associations when listening to this wonderful album, and the warmest and fondest memories I have of a close family member (relative) who died. My dad really loved this album, knowing how to listen to good (right) music, this music takes me back to the times when we together used to listen to this album (vinyl record) with my daddy when I was a kid. Daddy, I miss you so much, thank you so much for my happy carefree and joyful childhood and God bless you. :-( :**(

Most pure sounding copy I have ever heard, as close to the OG tapes that money can buy.