The Roaring Silence

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]
  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.