King Crimson
King Crimson - USA (50th Anniversary Limited Edition, 200 Gram Vinyl, Colored Vinyl, Blue Sparkle)
Artist: King Crimson
Album: USA
On June 28th 1974, King Crimson's New Jersey concert was recorded to multi-track tape. 50 years later to the date of that recording, the full concert will be reissued, as a 3,000 copies limited edition on 200gram blue sparkle vinyl. From one of the last few concerts of King Crimson's final US tour of the '70s, "USA" was issued as an epitaph for the band in Spring 1975 as a single album, at a time when doubles or even triple live albums were considered more the norm for live releases. Deleted towards the end of the vinyl era in the mid-1980s, it remained unreleased in the CD era until the expanded edition was finally issued in October 2002. In common with much of Crimson's output, it was not well received by critics when originally released, though it's critical reputation grew immeasurably in the intervening years to the point where a review of the "21st Century Guide to King Crimson" boxed set in 2004 identified the album as the point "... where Fripp maps out the guitar blueprint for the entire post-punk movement." If that claim sounds somewhat exaggerated, a casual listen to the opening minutes of the album - where the ethereal 'Walk On..' tape of Fripp & Eno's 'No Pussyfooting' gives way to the sonic assault of 'Larks' II' - provides ample evidence to back up the claim. It's also worth noting the audience response to the band - especially at the end of 'Starless', a piece that had yet to be recorded in the studio at that point. The 1972/1974 King Crimson line-ups is now revered by critics and fans alike as one of the key bands of the era - a reputation enhanced by DGM's archival live releases from that period, starting with "The Great Deceiver" released in 1992, through to the multi-disc boxed sets of more recent years. Originally issued on vinyl in 2018 as part of the second King Crimson vinyl series boxed sets & only briefly available as a standalone set from that box, this vinyl reissue is much sought after by King Crimson fans & presents the 2013 mix of the concert by Robert Fripp, David Singleton & Tony Arnold.
UPC/ISBN: 633367796615
Release Date: 06/28/2024
Product Information
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This policy outlines our standard for new release and shipped comics, and the industry-standard guidelines we follow.
OUR STANDARD
Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.
We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:
- Â CBCS Comic Grading Scale
- Â Overstreet Comic Grading Standards
- CGC grading standards
If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.
WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8
Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
retailer.
A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.
We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4
Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:
Bindery characteristics:
- Minor to moderate corner tears
- White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
- Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)
Printing characteristics:
- Slight color rub on back covers
- Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
- Wavy paper texture from the printing process
Spine characteristics:
- 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
- Minor non-color-breaking spine dings
These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.
OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.
We will replace or refund:
- Books damaged during shipping (clear shipping damage, not pre-existing print characteristics)
- Books that fall below NM 9.4 standard (significant spine damage, major creasing, tears, etc.)
- Wrong cover or wrong issue shipped
For premium variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500 incentive covers, signed editions, exclusive variants), we apply enhanced QC during pull and packing. If a premium variant arrives outside our standard, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will work with you on a replacement.
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