"The Roaring Silence" is the seventh studio album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released on August 27, 1976. The album, released by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US, features a mix of original compositions and covers.
Notably, the album includes "Blinded by the Light," a cover of Bruce Springsteen's song that became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Other tracks on the album are based on classical and traditional themes: "Questions" incorporates Franz Schubert's Impromptu in G flat Major, "Starbird" draws from Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, and "The Road to Babylon" uses a canon by Philip Hayes. The introduction of "The Road to Babylon" also references Don McLean's song "Babylon" from his 1971 album American Pie.
The album marks the debut of vocalist/guitarist Chris Hamlet Thompson and guitarist Dave Flett, who replaced the long-standing Mick Rogers. It is also the final album to feature founding member Colin Pattenden.
The instrumental track "Waiter, There's a Yawn in My Ear" was recorded live with additional studio overdubs. The album's cover art reflects the track's title, and the main riff of the song is taken from a Manfred Mann Chapter Three track titled "Fish," which was recorded for an unreleased third album but was later included in the 2005 box set Odds & Sods – Mis-takes & Out-takes.
The band had toured the US before recording the album, performing tracks from their previous album Nightingales & Bombers and testing new material that would later appear on The Roaring Silence.
