.beasts.that.hide.from.man.

James Newton Howard has respectfully paid homage to the great John William's theme from the original Harry Potter and you have to get a little bit excited when the score begins with that iconic music. After that wink to Williams, Howard slowly develops an astounding orchestral score that demonstrates a expansive variety of musical tones: whimsical, nostalgic, energetic and sometimes even very creepy. His range as a composer is commendable and this score clearly shows his talent to accompany emotions portrayed in the film, whatever these may be. I hear shades of Malificent (outstanding score) and King Kong here, which is thrilling. Some of the Harry Potter scores are amazing and a few are not. I'm hopeful that Howard will sign on for all the remaining scores for this new film franchise because if this first score is any indication of what's coming, we can all anticipate the upcoming scores with eagerness.

Composed in 2020 during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the first incarnation of the work was played as a sound installation at the Kapellen Leprosarium (Leper's Sanctuary) in Hanover, Germany. This sanctuary was built around 1250 and served as a quarantine for those who suffered from the plague and leprosy in the Middle Ages.

This particular box set from Wrasse contains all 26 albums, which were previously released by the label in three separate compilation groupings. Each disc is housed in its own mini-LP sleeve, bearing original cover art, and the set contains four booklets - one for each grouping of albums and a brief biography in a booklet of its own. What's confusing, at least initially, is that the back of the box numbers the albums one through 26, while each booklet numbers them starting at one. In other words, discs ten and 19 both bear the number one and start again with their groupings.

The third Tyrannosaurus Rex album, and their debut U.S. release, Unicorn was also the first to steadfastly state the game plan which Marc Bolan had been patiently formulating for two years – the overnight transformation from underground icon to above ground superstar…