The group's previous album, "The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other" (February 1970) had achieved a small amount of commercial success and critical acclaim in the UK and Europe. The next project the group attempted was recording the soundtrack to the 1970 film "Eyewitness", but it was rejected, largely for being too sinister. They started to develop a live following during 1970, counting film director Anthony Minghella as one of their fans, but things backfired after a show at the Royal Festival Hall in June that drew negative reviews from "Melody Maker"s Chris Welch. Around this time, the band decided to write some new material for a follow-up album.