Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther (1964) [24.96 FLAC] vinyl

  Genre: Classical
  Style: Instrumental
  Source: RCA Victor (Dynagroove) Records (US)
  Codec: FLAC
  Bit Rate: ~ 3,000 kbps
  Bit Depth: 24
  Sample Rate: 96 kHz

  A1 The Pink Panther Theme 
  A2 It Had Better Be Tonight 
  A3 Royal Blue 
  A4 Champagne and Quail 
  A5 The Village Inn 
  A6 The Tiber Twist 
  
  B1 It Had Better Be Tonight 
  B2 Cortina 
  B3 The Lonely Princess 
  B4 Something for Sellers  
  B5 Piano and Strings 
  B6 Shades of Sennett 

  The Pink Panther is another fine, early-'60s soundtrack from Henry Mancini. The title track became one of his most recognizable themes and kicks off a pleasant program of dreamy lounge cuts and Latin-tinged numbers. As he did on many other movie/TV albums (Touch of Evil, Peter Gunn, etc.), Mancini also includes some noirish, big band numbers, like "The Tiber Twist" and the main title. Along with these up-tempo songs, he balances out the mostly light material with the solidly swinging mambos "The Village Inn," "Something for Sellers" (as in Peter Sellers, the movies' star), and "It Had Better Be Tonight" (co-written by frequent partner Johnny Mercer and something of a minor vocal hit upon its release). The program's highlights, though, come from the kind of sublime (some might say cheesy) ballads he usually included on his soundtracks; the after-hours jazz tune "Royal Blue" stands out in particular, with its tasteful string arrangement and glowing trumpet solo. This is a great title for fans of Mancini's lounge/soundtrack material, but those more into his jazz material should consider either his Peter Gunn or Combo soundtracks. [The 2001 reissue by Buddha includes several bonus tracks: "Return of the Pink Panther," "The Greatest Gift (Instrumental)," "Here's Looking at You Kid," and "Dreamy."]