The Roaring Silence
1976 studio album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band
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The Roaring Silence is the seventh studio album by English rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It was released on 27 August 1976, by Bronze Records in the UK and by Warner Bros. Records in the US. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers. "Blinded by the Light", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100,[11] is a cover version of a song by Bruce Springsteen;[11] "Questions" is based on the main theme of Franz Schubert's Impromptu in G flat Major (1827);[12] "Starbird" takes its theme from Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird (1910); and "The Road to Babylon" is based on the canon "By the Waters of Babylon" by Philip Hayes. Lyrics and melody of the intro of "The Road to Babylon" is taken from the song "Babylon" from Don McLean's second album, American Pie, released in 1971.
| The Roaring Silence | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 August 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Studio | Workhouse Studios, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:55 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | |||
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Roaring Silence | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C[3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| Melody Maker | unrated[5] |
| MusicHound Rock | [6] |
| Record Mirror | favourable[7] |
| Rolling Stone | favourable[8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| Sounds | favourable[10] |
This album marked the arrival of vocalist/guitarist Chris Hamlet Thompson, and Dave Flett, who replaced longtime guitarist/vocalist/composer Mick Rogers. It is also the last album recorded with founding member Colin Pattenden.
The instrumental track "Waiter, There's a Yawn in My Ear" is based on a live recording (with studio overdubs added later). The album's cover art is a visualization of this track's title. Its main riff is taken from the Manfred Mann Chapter Three track "Fish", which was recorded for their abandoned third album. It was ultimately released in 2005 on the Odds & Sods – Mis-takes & Out-takes box set.
Nightingales & Bombers was released, and when Chris [Thompson] and I joined we'd done an American tour without recording. I remember, on tour, we did a few tracks from the Nightingales & Bombers album, including "Spirit in the Night." We also did "Father of Day, Father of Night," and a couple of the newer ones, what would wind up on The Roaring Silence, to see how they went down.
— Dave Flett, Prog Rock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Most Progressive Music[13]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blinded by the Light" | Bruce Springsteen | 7:08 |
| 2. | "Singing the Dolphin Through" | Mike Heron | 8:19 |
| 3. | "Waiter, There's a Yawn in My Ear" | Manfred Mann | 5:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "The Road to Babylon" | Mann, Peter Thomas, Colin Pattenden | 6:53 |
| 5. | "This Side of Paradise" | Mann, Thomas, Pattenden | 4:47 |
| 6. | "Starbird" | Stravinsky, Mann, Chris Slade | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Questions" | Franz Schubert (Impromptus G-flat Major), Mann, Slade | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Spirits in the Night" (1977 version) | Springsteen | 3:16 |
| 9. | "Blinded by the Light" (single edit) | Springsteen | 3:49 |
Two pressings of this album were available in the US: the original, shown here, and a reissue from 1977 with a blue cover which included "Spirit In The Night", another Springsteen song which had previously been released on Nightingales & Bombers and was now re-recorded with Chris Thompson taking lead vocals, between "The Road to Babylon" and "This Side of Paradise". The first CD release (1987) of this album did not contain bonus tracks, and tracks 3 and 7 had changed places.[14]
The 1998 remastered release of the album had the Chris Thompson version of "Spirits In The Night" appended to the original album sequencing as well as the single edit of "Blinded By The Light".
Personnel
The Earth Band
- Chris Hamlet Thompson – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Manfred Mann – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on the final verse of “Blinded by the Light”
- Dave Flett – lead guitar
- Colin Pattenden – bass
- Chris Slade – drums, backing vocals, percussion
Additional musicians
- Doreen Chanter – backing vocals
- Irene Chanter – backing vocals
- Suzanne Lynch – backing vocals
- Mick Rogers – backing vocals
- Barbara Thompson – saxophone
- David Millman – string arrangements
Technical
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band – producers
- Laurence Latham – engineer
- David Culpan, Margaret Wood, Tony Rowell, Edwin Cross – assistant engineers
- Shirtsleeve Studio – design. Modelled by artist Derek Goldsmith
- Martyn Goddard – photography
- Re-mastered by: Robert M Corich and Mike Brown
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[27] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||