“Nightingales and Bombers” was one of the most progressive works by the British band Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and a high point in the group's musical career, coming just before their most commercially acclaimed album, “The Roaring Silence”. It was also the second album that did not include any Bob Dylan covers, unlike their first four albums. “Nightingales and Bombers”. along with “Solar Fire” and “The Good Earth", is considered part of Manfred Mann's Earth Band's progressive trilogy, featuring virtuosity, sophisticated and highly elaborate rock, incorporating influences ranging from jazz to subtle hints of hard rock, all infused with the electronic sounds of keyboardist Manfred Mann's synthesizers.
However, “Nightingales and Bombers” is the most melodic of the three, with an excellent balance between keyboards and guitars, featuring catchy tracks alongside impressive progressive arrangements. The energetic “Spirits In The Night”, a Bruce Springsteen cover, kicks off an album that at times becomes vibrant and very exciting. The fast-paced rock track “Countdown” gives way to the more virtuosic “Time Is Right” and “Visionary Mountains”, while “Crossfade” is a masterfully achieved space rock song. For its part, “Fat Nelly”, along with the title track, represents the most melodic moments of this magnificent work crafted by one of the best British rock bands of the seventies.
