The album was recorded across four sessions in March 1971 at Morgan Studios in London, produced by Don Paul with engineering by Roger Quested.

[1][2] According to Atkin and James, the album marked a turning point for the artists, away from writing songs for other performers to sing and toward more idiosyncratic style, structure and subject matter.

The title track explored American themes, culture and iconography, though at the time of writing, James had not yet visited the country.

"The Kent State disaster created, in my mind, a vortex of centripetal energy that pulled second-hand vignettes together with such force that they fused, as if a junk-pile had melted," he recalled in 2008.

“Very interesting sounds against Pete Atkin’s soft vocalising” said NME, which singled out "The Faded Mansion on the Hill" for praise.

Val Doonican's version in 1980 provided royalties to Atkin and James that the songwriters jokingly claim surpassed their previous album sales.