Visions of Eight (The Original Sound Track Recording) Henry Mancini & His Orchestra

• 1Ludmilla's Theme02:36
• 2Pretty Girls02:30
• 3Spaced Out02:48
• 4Warm Up02:12
• 5Soft Flight03:39
• 6The Race02:04
• 7Salute to the Olympians01:08
• 8Olympic Village03:30
• 9Ludmilla's Theme (Reprise)02:33
• 10Hurdles and Girdles02:30
• 11Theme for the Losers05:10
• 12Salute to the Olympians (Finale)02:16
• Total Runtime32:56

Info for Visions of Eight (The Original Sound Track Recording)

Two 70s moments from Henry Mancini – back to back on a single CD! First up is Visions Of Eight – a wonderful Henry Mancini soundtrack, and one of his most overlooked – possibly because it was scored for an odd little film that featured the work of eight different directors! The mood of the film changes a lot based on the directorial style, but the score's got some really wonderful moments that offer the best that Mancini had to offer at the time – including some really nice lightly dancing groovers that sparkle with a 70s bossa style – and others that have that cool, pillowy approach to sound that Henry was using on his great mellow records of the period. Titles "Salute To The Olympians", "Ludmilla's Theme", "Spaced Out", "Warm Up", "Soft Flight", and "The Race". Just You & Me Together Love is a collaboration with poet John Laws – a project that almost recalls some of the Rod McKuen/Anita Kerr projects of the late 60s, but which has a deeper, more sophisticated Mancini feel! Laws reads his own words, but does so in a subtle, expressive way – often just doing a short passage to start things off, as Hank then follows with some cool soundtrack-styled orchestrations. Most titles are short, but have a really rich feel – and titles include "The Scene Of Your Nearness", "Closer", "Just You & Me Together Love", "Closer", "Empty Glasses Crumpled Sheets", and "The Rhythm Of Wanting".

Henry Mancini (1924-1994)
(Enrico Nicola Mancini) was born on 16 April 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio, but he grew up in Pennsylvania. His father, an Italian immigrant, taught him to play the flute and piccolo. As a young boy, he played the flute in a youth band for several years. After graduating from high school he received musical training from Max Adkins, the musical director of the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, who encouraged Henry to pursue further musical studies. Mancini decided to attend the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh (now Carnegie Mellon University). Adkins introduced Henry to Benny Goodman, who encouraged Henry to move to New York. Mancini took Goodmans advice and left Philadelphia. Soon after his move to New York, he was accepted into the Julliard School of Music.

After only a year in New York, Mancini was drafted in into the Air Force in 1943 during WWII. After his service ended, he moved to Los Angeles with his new wife, Ginny OConnor and began working as a freelance musician. He received a wonderful opportunity in 1952 when he was hired for a temporary assignment at Universal studios, working on an Abbott and Costello film. His talent earned him a permanent position at Universal Studios where he remained for 6 years, building his reputation as a skilled film composer and arranger. One of his earlier projects, The Glenn Miller Story, earned him an Oscar in 1954 (Best Adaptation of a Score). Mancini went on to receive eighteen Academy Award nominations, winning two Oscars for Breakfast at Tiffanys, one for The Days of Wine and Roses, and one for Victor/Victoria. Mancini was also nominated for 72 Grammys. Among the twenty Grammys that he was awarded are five for Breakfast at Tiffanys and three for The Pink Panther. He also received two Emmy nominations and was given a Golden Globe Award for his work in Darling Lili in 1970 (Best Song).

In addition to his motion-picture work, Mancini did work for television films (including The Thorn Birds), wrote the themes of many popular television shows (including Newhart, Peter Gunn, and Remington Steele) and recorded more than ninety albums. Through the nineteen-eighties, Mancini continued his work on film scores, while also working as a conductor and performer.

After a long battle with Cancer, Henry Mancini passed away in Beverly Hills, CA on 14 June 1994.

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