Rhino Records is inviting vinyl fans on a musical trip to Hogwarts, with a box set of soundtracks from the Harry Potter film series.
J.K. Rowling's series of children's novels about an orphaned boy who discovers his magical powers--and, naturally, recruits his fellow magical friends to an all-out battle of good versus evil--has become a major cultural force since the release of debut book Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone in 1997. The original seven books, released over the following decade, have sold over 500 million copies and spun off theme park rides, stage plays and even a digital platform, Pottermore, based on the book's universe.
Of course, the franchise's $25 billion valuation (only Pokémon and Star Wars have made more money) comes primarily from the eight films based on the books and released between 2001 and 2011. The movies featured all-star casts of British actors around newcomers Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger--a winning combination for audiences around the world.
Music played a central part of the series from the beginning: legendary composer John Williams was instantly attached to the series, crafting the whimsical "Hedwig's Theme" initially for the film's trailer. It's since appeared in every subsequent film. Williams was on hand for the Chris Columbus-directed Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone and its two sequels, The Chamber of Secrets (also directed by Columbus; the score was entirely written by Williams but adapted by William Ross due to the composer's busy schedule) and The Prisoner of Azkaban (directed by Alphonso Cuarón, who revitalized the franchise by changing the film's tone and easing its rigid adherence to the book's structure).
From there, the baton was taken up by a variety of composers; Patrick Doyle collaborated with longtime directing partner Mike Newell on 2005's The Goblet of Fire (which introduced Ralph Fiennes as the fearsome Lord Voldemort), the soundtrack of which also featured a few wizard-friendly tunes by supergroup The Weird Sisters (featuring Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey of Puplp and Johnny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead). Nicholas Hooper teamed with his friend, director David Yates, on the spirited The Order of The Phoenix in 2007. While the box set ends here, Yates and Hooper were also on hand for The Half-Blood Prince in 2009, while the Yates-directed, two-part finale The Deathly Hallows (2010 and 2011) had scores composed by Alexandre Desplat.
Harry Potter: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks I-V features the first five film soundtracks available as double picture vinyl in die-cut sleeves. (This package marks the vinyl debut for all five albums.) All discs feature artwork and images from the films (save for an etching on the fourth side of Order of The Phoenix), and the box features a download card to listen to all the included music digitally.
The Potter box apparates into stores on November 17. Pre-order it at the links below!
Harry Potter: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks I-V (Rhino, 2017)
Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LPs 1-2: John Williams, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Warner Sunset/Nonesuch/Atlantic 83491, 2001)
LPs 3-4: William Ross, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Warner Sunset/Nonesuch/Atlantic 83574, 2002)
LPs 5-6: John Williams, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner Sunset/Nonesuch/Atlantic 83711, 2004)
LPs 7-8: Patrick Doyle, Harry Potter and The Goblet of FIre (Warner Sunset 49631, 2005)
LPs 9-10: Nicholas Hooper, Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix (Warner Bros. Records 148156, 2007)
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