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
's lounge/soundtrack material, but those more into his jazz material should consider either his
or
Combo
soundtracks. ~ Stephen Cook