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Henry Mancini really needs no introduction. His music is as much a part of the twentieth century as rock 'n' roll, the Lennon and McCartney partnership, jazz and the great American songbook. This Vocalion release compiles two albums from the later part of Mancini's more than twenty-year association with the RCA Victor label, and both show that he was more than able to 'get with it' in the funky 1970s. This is borne out in Mancini's Angels, which, of course, is a paraphrase of 'Charlie's Angels', the massively popular US TV show that invited viewers into the glamorous world of a trio of beautiful female private detectives. Mancini provides an exhilarating rendition of its theme tune along with equally thrilling arrangements of Gonna Fly Now (from 'Rocky') and, among others, the signature tunes from The Moneychangers and What's Happening!! as well as The Inspector Clouseau Theme (from 'The Pink Panther Strikes Again') and Silver Streak. In 1978 Henry Mancini and his orchestra were back in the studio to record The Theme Scene, another exploration of film and television music. 1978 was also the year disco music took the world by storm, and its influence can be felt in various numbers throughout the album, namely Mancini's superb arrangements of the themes from Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Three's Company and Fantasy Island. The musicians that feature on both albums comprise a starry cast of top-draw US session/jazz players, among them Ted and Dick Nash, John Guerin and Harvey Mason (drums), Artie Kane (keyboards), Abraham Laboriel (bass guitar) and Lee Ritenour and Tommy Tedesco (guitars).
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