Henry Mancini

There are dozens of Henry Mancini collections out there, but this one is among the very best. You get all the eternal hits from "Peter Gunn" and "The Pink Panther" to "Moon River," "Nothing to Lose" and "Romeo & Juliet" (the only one of these tunes that Mancini didn't write). The only minus is the inclusion of too many versions that feature the faceless vocal chorus that Mancini employed in title sequences -- bland zombies capture the emotions behind Johnny Mercer's perfectly crafted lyrics.