Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Roaring Silence (1976)

The reason that The Roaring Silence became Manfred Mann's Earth Band's best-selling album may have been because of both Bruce Springsteen-penned singles, but its instrumental makeup, by way of Mann's keyboard manipulation coupled with Chris Thompson's chiseled singing, had just as much of an affect. "Blinded By the Light" and "Spirit in the Night" gave the band hits at both ends of the Top 40 spectrum, with "Blinded" going to number one while the mysteriously-sounding "Spirit in the Night" edged in at number 40 six months later. Outside of the singles, The Roaring Silence is made up of clean-cut, well-established synthesizer and guitar work, with touches of techno psychedelia that are sometimes lengthy but never messy. Tracks such as "Questions," "This Side of Paradise," and even "Starbird" uncover the band's creativity and instrumental wit. Mann is careful not to stray too far with his keys, and his compliance with Thompson's vocals are noticeable in almost every track. Aside from the music, The Roaring Silence basks in veiled poetry, cryptic but at the same time intriguing, verging on the complexities of progressive rock but far from its pretentiousness. Eventually achieving gold status, The Roaring Silence both commercially and artistically became the group's finest effort.

AMG Review by Mike DeGagne