• The complete recording sessions of King Crimson’s 1971 release Islands on 1CD/1 Blu-Ray
• Blu-ray features 2026 Steven Wilson Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD MA 24/96 Surround and 24/96 Hi-Res Stereo mixes
• New Elemental Mixes of the entire album in 24/96 Hi-Res Stereo by David Singleton
• The 30th anniversary remaster in 24/96
• The complete recording sessions from 1971 in 24/96 and Live at Summit Studios in Quadraphonic sound
• Presented in replica mini-vinyl style packaging with booklet, including photos and sleevenotes from King Crimson biographer Sid Smith.
• CD contains the 2026 Steven Wilson stereo album mix and a selection of Elemental Mixes.
Robert Fripp: Guitar, Mellotron, Peter’s Pedal Harmonium & Sundry Implements
Mel Collins: Flute, Bass Flute, Saxes & Vocals
Boz Burrell: Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals & Choreography
Ian Wallace: Drums, Percussion & Vocals
Peter Sinfield: Words, Sounds & Vision
Islands was the sole studio album by the Fripp, Collins, Burrell and Wallace line-up and the last to feature Peter Sinfield as a full creative partner. It was the record that closed one chapter of King Crimson history while quietly sketching the next. Historically, it captured the band in a brief but amazingly fertile formation, with material developed under touring pressure and recorded between live dates. Musically, it is where the group’s early sound was stretched to its limit and began to fracture into something tougher, stranger and more open-ended. While the album contains widely varying types of material across its six pieces - hints of the future present on material such as Sailor’s Tale with Fripp’s sharp guitar work and Collins’ searing saxophone sit comfortably alongside the purely orchestral Prelude: Song of the Gulls – Islands has a cohesive story to tell as a collection of music and a reflection of King Crimson at that particular moment in time, a story that can be heard, most completely, in this release.
KCXP5014 Islands
Disc 1 CD
2026 mixes - Produced and Mixed by Steven Wilson
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands
2026 Elemental Mixes - Produced and Mixed by David Singleton
7. Formentera Lady
8. Sailor’s Tale
9. Ladies of the Road
10. Islands
Disc 2 Blu-Ray
I 2026 Dolby Atmos, DTS HD-MA 5.1 Surround & 24/96 Stereo
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands
II 2026 Instrumental, 24/96 Stereo
1. Formentera Lady
2. The Letters
3. Ladies of the Road
4. Islands
III 2026 Elemental Mixes, 24/96 Stereo
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Islands
6. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
IV Complete Recording Sessions, 24/96 Stereo
Islands Studios
July 22nd, 1971 Ladies of The Road Early Uptempo Takes 1 & 2
Command Studios
Aug 2nd, 1971 Ladies of The Road Takes 1 to 5
A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls Takes 1 to 3
Aug 25th, 1971 Checking Levels
Ladies of The Road Take 1
Band Jam
Ladies of The Road Takes 2 to 4
Aug 26th, 1971 Band Jam 2
Ladies of The Road Takes One to Five
Ladies of The Road Backing and Overdubs
Ladies of The Road Vocals and Overdubs
Sept 1st, 1971 Ian Drum Check
The Letters Section One First Two Verses
The Letters Section Two Riff
The Letters Section Three Solo Takes 1 and 2
The Letters Section Four Last Two Verses
The Letters Intro Overdubs
The Letters Riff Overdubs
The Letters Vocals and Piano Last 2 Verses
The Letters Backing and Flute Last 2 Verses
Sept 8th, 1971 Formentera Lady First Two Verses Takes 1 to 5
Formentera Lady Backing and Overdubs
Formentera Lady Vocals and Overdubs
Sept 9th, 1971 Band Blow
Sailor's Tale Bass, Drums and Overdubs
Sailor's Tale Sax and Banjo Guitar Overdubs
Sailor's Tale Piano and Guitar Overdubs
Sailor's Tale Mellotron Overdubs
Oct 1st, 1971 Prelude Rehearsals and Flute Takes 1 to 3
Islands Takes 1 and 2
Oct 2nd, 1971 Prelude Takes 1 to 3
Oct 3rd, 1971 Prelude Takes 1 and 2
Islands Master Piano, Guitar and Wind Overdubs
Islands Master Keys and Mellotron Overdubs
V Original Mixes - 30th Anniversary Master (24/96 Stereo)
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands
VI Live at Summit Studios March 1972 - Quadraphonic Sound
1. Pictures of a City
2. Cadence and Cascade
3. Groon
4. 21st Century Schizoid Man
5. Improv: Summit Going On
6. My Hobby
7. The Sailor’s Tale
8. The Creator Has A Master Plan (including Summit and Something Else)
• A 200g vinyl editon of David Singleton's 2026 Elemental Mixes of King Crimson’s classic Islands.
• Cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering.
KCLPR4 Islands Elemental Mixes LP (200gram Super-heavyweight vinyl)
Side A
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor's Tale
3. The Letters
Side B
1. Ladies Of The Road
2. Islands
3. Prelude Song of The Gulls
For King Crimson fans, Islands – 2026 David Singleton Elemental Mixes is both a compelling standalone listening experience and an essential companion to the original album — offering fresh insight into the sessions, a renewed immediacy to the performances, and a rare opportunity to hear this distinctive work from a radically different angle.
To pre-order:
CD/Blu-Ray: https://burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/king-crimson_islands_cd_blu-ray
Vinyl: https://burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/king-crimson_islands-2026-david-singleton-elemental_vinyl
CD/Blu-Ray & Vinyl Bundle: https://burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/king-crimson_islands_cd_blu-ray-vinyl-bundle
For further information, please contact: info@panegyric.net
Press inquiries: Keith James, Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com
