King Crimson – Islands

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Label:	Island Records – ILPS 9175, Island Records – ILPS-9175
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country:	UK
Released:	1971
Genre:	Rock
Style:	Prog Rock

Tracklist

A1	Formentera Lady	9:55
A2	Sailor's Tale	7:20
A3	The Letters	4:25
B1	Ladies Of The Road	5:29
B2	Prelude: Song Of The Gulls	4:14
B3	Islands	9:14

Companies, etc.

Record Company – Island Records Ltd.
Copyright © – E.G. Music Ltd.
Produced For – E.G. Records (2)
Recorded At – Command Studios
Printed By – E.J. Day Group
Made By – E.J. Day Group
Published By – E.G. Music Ltd.
Pressed By – The Gramophone Co. Ltd.

Credits

Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals, Choreography – Boz*
Cornet – Mark Charig*
Design [Cover], Painting – Peter Sinfield
Double Bass [String Bass] – Harry Miller
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Ian Wallace
Engineer – Andy Hendrikson*
Flute, Bass Flute, Saxophone, Vocals – Mel Collins
Guitar, Mellotron, Harmonium [Peter's Pedal], Effects [Sundry Implements] – Robert Fripp
Oboe – Robin Miller
Orchestra, Strings, Leader [Uncredited] – Wilf Gibson (tracks: B2, B3)
Photography By – Robert Ellis (4)
Piano – Keith Tippett
Producer [Produced By] – King Crimson
Soprano Vocals – Paulina Lucas
Technician [Equipment] – Mike*, Vick*
Violin [Uncredited] – Wilf Gibson (tracks: A1)
Words By, Sounds, Other [Visions] – Peter Sinfield
Written-By – Sinfield* (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3), Fripp*

Notes

This edition (1st edition) comes in a sleeve with flipback.
Released on a pink rim palm tree label
with a gatefold lyrics inner sleeve, inside opening.

℗ 1971 (on center labels).
Recorded at Command Studios, Piccadilly, London.
Produced for E.G. Records.
All songs published by E.G. Music Ltd. © 1971.
Printed and made by the E.J. Day Group, London and Bedford.

Catalogue numbers:
- ILPS-9175 on center labels
- ILPS 9175 on inner sleeve
- no designations on outer sleeve whatsoever

Outer cover illustration 'Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius' by courtesy of The Institute of Technology and Carnegie Institution of Washington

This version has an hidden track (1:36), about 1 min. after the end of 'Islands' side B. It is an excerpt from a 'Prelude: Song of the Gulls' studio session (R. Fripp talking and ensemble tuning sounds). It does appear also on CD issues, again after 1 minute of silence.

All runout variants: stamper "M" may look like "I.I", stamper "G" may look like "C".
Runouts are stamped.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 1): ILPS 9175 A-1 U V
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 1): ILPS 9175 B-1 U RP
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 2): ILPS 9175 A-1 U AL 3
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 2): ILPS 9175 B-1 U M A 2
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 3): ILPS 9175 A-1 U G 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 3): ILPS 9175 B-1 U G 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 4): ILPS 9175 A-1 U RP
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 4): ILPS 9175 B-1 V
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 5): ILPS 9175 A-1 U RG 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 5): ILPS 9175 B-1 U MG 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 6): ILPS 9175 A-1 U AT 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 6): ILPS 9175 B-1 U AL 3
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 7): ILPS 9175 A-1 U RU 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 7): ILPS 9175 B-1 RA 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 8): ILPS 9175 A-1 U RP 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 8): ILPS 9175 B-1 U AO 3
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A variant 9): ILPS 9175 A-1 U L 1
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B variant 9): ILPS 9175 B-1 U GD 1

Other Versions (5 of 148)

View All

	Title (Format)	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
	Islands (LP, Album, Stereo)	Island Records	85 806 IT	Germany	1971
Recently Edited	Islands (LP, Album)	Island Records	ILPS 19175	Italy	1971
New Submission	Islands (LP, Album)	Island Records	85806 IT	Netherlands	1971
Recently Edited	Islands (LP, Album)	Island Records	ILPS 9175	Sweden	1971
	Islands (LP, Album, Stereo)	Island Records, Island Records	ILPS 9175, ILPS-9175	UK	1971

Reviews

ttmecvinn Jan 21, 2023
The sonics on this press are from another world. Insanely good, huge dynamics.
johnnypro Aug 11, 2021
Edited one year ago
this first pressing has so much bass that I honestly prefer the 2014 reissue
StanleyBarker7230 May 30, 2021
Edited one year ago
Anyone know why this was released with a flipback cover in the UK? I thought they were near completely phased out by the end of the 60s.
meltdog Dec 4, 2020
Formentera Lady, so mystical and magical. Jazz meets old English folk stuck in an elevator on the way to Mars. Thats my description anyhow...5 stars
LeonTP Jun 20, 2020
Edited 2 years ago
I prefer the 40th remix almost all the way. It has nearly as good a bass as the UK original but with a better vocal presence like on the 2010 version without sacrificing other areas.

Ranking:
1. 40th Wilson Remix
2. UK original
3. 2010 Reissue
bell-end Nov 23, 2018
Has nobody really left a comment about the track 'islands'? It is so profoundly moving I feel like crying every time I listen to it.
It builds and builds over 6 minutes,though it clocks in at over 9 minutes.
Tonyjopet Mar 5, 2016
There is also a small mistake in the lyrics for the first line in the 4 verse. It is written "sun shine down", but he sings "star(s) shine down".
harrymerkin Feb 5, 2014
Highly under rated King Crimson LP in my opinion. I think the opening track is fantastic, the way its drifts off into a heavy string melody. All around a classic I think.