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The Roaring Silence

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The Roaring Silence
Studio album by
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Released27 August 1976
Recorded1976
StudioWorkhouse Studios, London
Genre
Length39:55
Label
ProducerManfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band chronology
Nightingales and Bombers
(1975) 		The Roaring Silence
(1976) 		Watch
(1978)
Singles from The Roaring Silence
  1. "Blinded by the Light"
    Released: 6 August 1976
  2. "Questions"
    Released: November 1976[1]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideC[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Melody Makerunrated[5]
MusicHound3/5[6]
Only Solitaire[7]
Rolling Stonefavourable[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Soundsfavourable[10]

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.

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

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blinded by the Light"Bruce Springsteen7:08
2."Singing the Dolphin Through"Mike Heron8:19
3."Waiter, There's a Yawn in My Ear"Manfred Mann5:39
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."The Road to Babylon"Mann, Peter Thomas, Colin Pattenden6:53
5."This Side of Paradise"Mann, Thomas, Pattenden4:47
6."Starbird"Stravinsky, Mann, Chris Slade3:09
7."Questions"Franz Schubert (Impromptus G-flat Major), Mann, Slade4:00
1998 re-issue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Spirits in the Night" (1977 version)Springsteen3:16
9."Blinded by the Light" (single edit)Springsteen3:49

There were two pressings of this album available in the U.S. 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, in 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 No. 3 and No. 7 had changed places.[14]

The 1998 Remaster release of the album had the Chris Thompson version of ‘Spirits In The Night’ added to the end of the original album sequencing as well as the single edit version of ‘Blinded By The Light’.

Personnel

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The Earth Band

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Additional musicians

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Technical

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  • 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

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 514.
  2. ^ DeGagne, Mike. The Roaring Silence at AllMusic
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 4 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Groves Dictionaries. pp. 3438–39. ISBN 1-561-59237-4.
  5. ^ Welch, Chris (2 October 1976). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band: The Roaring Silence". Melody Maker. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  6. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Manfred Mann/Manfred Mann's Earth Band". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 711. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  7. ^ Starostin, George. "Manfred Mann's Earth Band". Only Solitaire.
  8. ^ Tucker, Ken (4 November 1976). "Manfred Mann Asks, What Is Jazz Rock?". Rolling Stone. pp. 65, 67.
  9. ^ Marsh, Dave (1983). "Manfred Mann". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2th ed.). Random House. pp. 313–314. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
  10. ^ Fielder, Hugh (1976). "Manfred roars into your skull". Sounds. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b Pemberton, Pat (13 June 2012). "Blinded by the Light". Rolling Stone.
  12. ^ Südwestrundfunk page on The Roaring Silence Swr.de (in German)
  13. ^ Romano, Will (1 November 2014). Prog Rock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Most Progressive Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-61713-620-7.
  14. ^ Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence (1987, CD), October 1987, retrieved 25 May 2021
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 191. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5269a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  24. ^ "Manfred Mann's Earth Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1977". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  26. ^ "British album certifications – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence". British Phonographic Industry.
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Roaring Silence". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
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