Most of the group had recorded two albums under the name Tear Gas in the early 1970s, and John Neil Munro states in his 2002 book The Sensational Alex Harvey that they had been planning to record without Harvey for at least a year prior to the split.

[2] Some songs, such as "Smouldering" and "Outer Boogie" had been road-tested by the group during portions of shows for their 1976 tour of Europe during which Harvey was required to rest.

[2] In 2004, Ted McKenna told John Clarkson: We were big fans of bands like Little Feat... Alex would always say ‘Well, what’s the point in doing that ?’ He was right because we were playing material that had been already done by the Americans.

"Pick It Up and Kick It" / "Smouldering" was released as the lead single in January 1977, and promoted on their debut Old Grey Whistle Test performance.

[4] Between Fourplay and Rock Drill, however, Hugh McKenna — who had been a major songwriting force in SAHB — left the group.