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

Whats the sound on this one like? It'll always be a rare one because its a color press but I just wanna know how it sounds

great pressing. nice and dynamic, and the gatefold is cool. an og press probably sounds better, but this is a solid affordable pressing.

5/5

This pressing is one of the best in my collection, it is so quiet during I Talk To the Wind and Epitaph. I don’t understand people who say it has cracks or pops exchange your copy.

about time they reissued this album! was starting to think I'd never find a copy

Dissatisfied with this edition, I would think that being Japanese it would be of better quality, but it is not. It lacks depth in the bass, in general everything sounds very flat.

Excellent pressing, dead quiet, flat vinyl, worth picking this one up.

Very good pressing, i had the 2019 repress of 2010 version, this one have less bass but warmer Sound, instruments sounds better, with more "air" and soundstage, not the typical digital muffed reissue!! The 2010 one sounds great, but i like this versión Even more

1903 have it on Discogs.... 101 for sale... but limited to 2000? I realize the numbers aren't entirely accurate, but at the same time, Discogs doesn't represent even close to complete ownership numbers.

You might at first be fooled, thinking this is a remix to skip out on, but listen further and you might change your mind.
The opening track Schizoid Man, which we have all heard, is left more or less the same. Maybe a few touch ups here and there, refining some of the inherent distortion. Moving past that its a whole other ballgame however, and later you really appreciate the thought that went into it.
I Talk To The Wind blew me away. Going back to my 2010 reissue with the original mix its clear to see that its also good, its a well produced song and we all praised that reissue back then. On the remix, the changes really bring it home for the better though.
The most striking one for me was how the vocals just breathed such realism. They might have more presence on the 2010, but the fact that everything else seems to compete for front stage makes it sound flat and more artificial in comparison.
Here we get depth and not to mention a bass boost that is felt. Im so impressed that I might call this a true audiophile test track at this point, it really has all the features of a great soundscape that reveals your systems capabilities through it. I would maybe have liked slightly more shimmer on drums, but with upgrades Ill be sure to check if this area isnt improved, because Im quite sure it will.
Moving on I do skip some stuff since I at this point already feel the proof has been laid out. To manage making a 1969 prog effort sound audiophile at times is really a feat.
Im sure some of the bells and strings on Moonchild are more highlighted and spacious, the vocals here are favored to remain more low end however. More interesting I suppose would be if its quiet or not, which I will get to towards the end.
Lastly I just wanted to mention how our final track has better separation, fullness and air to it than on the 2010.
Vocal wise I hear more clearly how 5 pillars of sound appear, singing the title track oh so majestically, over the general blob of sound on the original mix.
How much of these differences should be attributed to the mixing or the mastering I can not say and dont feel I need to. This is just through and through a passion project it seems. Going back to how the opening track is kept very much the same, its not a sign of laziness, rather a smart decision to keep whats rough and gritty as it classically is.
This shows an understanding of the material which is quintessential to making a great product.
Pressing wise this is excellent as well. Near dead quiet playing surfaces which is needed for some of these songs. And while Moonchild isnt void of any pops or crackles, thats just my copy, and it did come with 2 visible marks that lightly tick. You might be luckier. It is the quietest vinyl version Ive heard yet anyway.
I havnt even gotten to the second disc with extras yet and Im already wishing they do remix projects like this for all the other KC albums, I would buy them all again!

Equipment Used:
Technics SL1210GR
Paratrace tipped Nagaoka MP-200
Cyrus 2 Amplifier
System Fidelity SF-3050 Tower Speakers

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