Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Nightingales and Bombers (1975)

'Pluto the Dog', an infectiously chugging Moog-centred instrumental from 'Solar Fire' (1973), was on heavy rotation for a while in the mid-'70s on Radio RAAF Butterworth. It was one of the first tunes that turned me onto Manfred Mann's remarkable prog-rock outfit. Not long after that, I bought this LP and became a firm Earth Band fan.

It kicks off with a hard-rocking version of Bruce Springsteen's 'Spirits in the Night' and gets into trickier stuff, like the richly atmospheric closer 'As Above So Below' which incorporates an accidental WWII recording of flying bombers. Mann's amazing Moog solos and the often intriguing interplay between him and guitarist Mick Rogers make this a thrilling ride.