For his film, director Jacques Demy wanted a band that captured the vibe of Los Angeles as he saw it.

Model Shop differs from other Spirit albums of the era, in that most of the songs were written collaboratively.

[3] Also, with the exception of "Now or Anywhere" and "Green Gorilla", the pieces are exclusively instrumental and highlight the Jazz leanings of the band.

Work on Model Shop had begun in the middle of recording sessions for The Family That Plays Together, and two outtakes from that album, "Fog" and "Now or Anywhere", would appear in different form on the soundtrack.

This official release marks the first time that all of the Model Shop recordings have been taken from the actual monophonic master mix of the film soundtrack.