The album was a departure from the glam rock sound of Kimono My House and Propaganda, and emphasised the theatrical elements of their work, with greater use of orchestral arrangements and drawing from non-rock orientated styles such as jazz, big band, swing, vaudeville, and classical music.

It was not as successful as Kimono My House or Propaganda; reaching #18 on the UK Album Chart[7] and #169 in the US.

Like the parent album they were only moderately successful reaching #27 and #26 in the UK,[7] which resulted in the Mael brothers splitting up the British-based version of Sparks and returning home to America.

The first issue by the Island Masters subsidiary added the B-side "Profile" and the non-album single "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", and its B-side "England".

The '21st Century Edition' did not include "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "England"; in their stead it included the rare "The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael" and a live recording of "Looks, Looks, Looks".