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

I went through several copies, but my Moonchild complains the garden is too noisy with popping and crackling sounds to sleep.

This is one beautiful record. Not only is the full record remixed/remastered beautifully by Wilson, but the extra tracks on record two are really worth it. I'm not huge with extra tracks, demos, early takes, etc., but this is worth every penny. The instrumental version of Epitaph on side C is a feast for Mellotron lovers, then side D starts with basically Greg Lake singing Epitaph acapella with the band kicking in much later in the song. On this track, Greg's voice is full and present, like he's in the room, singing across the many years since this record first dropped. The rest of the tracks are of great interest, especially Moonchild, with Fripp's guitar and Giles drums keeping a quiet but all important rhythm. The 1969 Take of In The Court ... is lacking the choral vocals that make the version that wound up on the record so great, yet the stripped down version here features Greg's bass, drums, Ian McDonald's flute, and Fripp's strummed acoustic guitar really works. 10/10

I came back here just to say that Michael Giles’ snare sound in this album is simply the best ever recorded (even though he did not like it lol) IMO.

To listen to it in this remix (especially with headphones) is eargasmic… I got shivers down my spine, I’ve been listening to this remix for 2+ years now and it still sounds so refreshing and life-changing…

I'm not that crazy on it. It certainly sounds modern. I guess that's the point, but there's nothing particularly outdated or wrong about the original mix at all, it just has a slightly vintage sound to it that I think suits the music better. I also can't help but feel that the original's sound is so integral to the experience and character of the album, moreso than probably any other I've heard, that any effort to alter it is probably a misgiving. It's more immediate and powerful, so the recent repress of the original mix is still definitely my go-to, but all in all this isn't bad. For me though, if you're going to remix an album that already sounds good, you might as well be radical about it, but this purposefully plays it pretty safe and so even as an alternate listen kind of falls flat as it doesn't give me much to listen out for that isn't already in plain sight in the original mix. Maybe the 40th anniversary remix is the way to go for a more distinctly different mix, but I'm happy with what I've got.

The bonus material is the main draw for me. This stuff is fairly interesting, but compared to the later Larks' and Red reissues with their elemental mixes, I find this material a bit novel and don't see myself returning to it often at all.

As an aside, nothing about this packaging tells me what on earth is on the second disc. The disc itself defers to liner notes for more info, but there are no liner notes. I bought this still sealed. Even the track listing here is pretty vague. The cover itself looks great though with a higher contrast compared to the reissue of the original mix.

Sounds amazing. Pressing is OKish - my copy is quite noisy on side B (Moonchild) - loud pops a clicks.

Echoing all the other posts here, a simply phenomenal pressing. It's a privilege to listen to this, especially through a Nagaoka MP-500H.

I went to my local record store specifically to pick up a single LP pressing of the album and noticed this slightly more expensive edition. I had no idea it existed, so I went for it instead. Holy hell, it’s incredible. Sound-wise it blows older pressings I’ve heard out of the water and you get a whole extra LP of killer bonus tracks. Highly recommended.

Bought brand new sealed for 69 CAD. Stunning in every way... Mastering is phenomenal, pressing is near perfect, almost dead silent. The vocal presence is just amazing, wow! Again, a great job from Steven Wilson. I don't know if there is a better version than this, but this one sets the bar very high IMHO, no question. The bonus tracks are very interesting too. Worth every penny. 5/5

I have OG Canadian pressing and just got this 50th edition. My quick impression is that this new copy has much improved bass weight, while retain same open sounding presence. For the sack of healthy tonal balance this 50th edition is already a winner. Bonus 2nd vinyl is nice to have too. Pretty happy for C$50 purchase.

I'm not a huge fan of remixes, but this one is superbly done! Sounds great too, better than my '69 Atlantic pressing. The bonus LP is icing on the cake!