专辑简介The Ultimate Pink Panther gathers the themes and other pieces of Henry Mancini´s scores from the six Pink Panther movies. Beginning with the instantly recognizable "Pink Panther Theme" and verging from almost unbearable romantic ("Royal Blue") and lusciously smooth ("Champagne and Quail") to silly ("It Had Better Be Tonight," "Shades of Sennett"), the tracks from 1964´s film The Pink Panther are the most enjoyable. The theme to A Shot in the Dark (also from 1964), a wonderful and inventive slice of spy music, is also quite fun. The tracks from the Pink Panther films of the ´70s don´t hold up quite as well. Perhaps it is the overly smooth sound of the orchestra which sounds closer to an elevator than a cocktail lounge. Perhaps it is the lack of memorable melodies. Perhaps it is the presence of an uncomfortable oily vocal by Tom Jones on "Come to Me." Perhaps it is all of the above plus the ´70s added together. Whatever it is, the drop off in listenability is precipitous. The only track that really measures up to the ´60s work is the "Main Title From The Pink Panther Returns," which dresses up the original with some witty musical quotes and plays it for laughs. The Bobby McFerrin version of the "Pink Panther Theme" from 1993´s Son of the Pink Panther is also interesting, once. If you are looking for a disc that gathers up the best of the Pink Panther scores, this is the place. If you want the absolute best of Mancini´s Pink Panther work, track down the score for the first film.