Nightingales & Bombers is the sixth studio album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1975. "The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record nightingales. The bombers flew over at the same time and were recorded by accident. The recording has been incorporated in 'As Above, So Below'." The recording was made on 19 May 1942 by a sound engineer for the BBC. Intending to capture the nightingale's song he also, by accident, recorded the sound of RAF bombers on their way to attack Mannheim, Germany. In that raid 197 planes were dispatched and 12 were lost. This was the last album to feature guitarist and original lead vocalist Mick Rogers until he returned for 1986's Criminal Tango.

Track listing

Side one

Side two

Bonus tracks on 1999 CD re-issue

(*) The US version of the album includes "Quit Your Low Down Ways" as the second track on side two, which was not part of the original UK album. This song was recorded at the behest of the US record label, who were concerned that the album didn't contain enough songs with vocals (on the original UK LP, every second track is an instrumental, aside from one faintly heard line in the title track and some backing vocals on "As Above So Below"). "As Above So Below" is edited from a jam session that the band played in the middle of a 16-minute live version of "Mighty Quinn", recorded at the Marquee in London on December 18, 1973. This recording was then overdubbed with sound effects such as the aforementioned nightingales and bombers and reversed female vocals.

Personnel

The Earth Band

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts