"Don't Let Me Down" appeared in April 1991, and was promoted with a supporting slot for Happy Mondays in June 1991 at the Elland Road football stadium in Leeds.

Influenced by the likes of punk rock acts such as the Clash and the Jam, Peter Hooton decided to become a musician, initially picking up bass briefly before focusing on singing instead.

[2] The death of John Lennon, coupled with anger towards the Tory party following a speech by leader Margaret Thatcher, inspired Hooton to become a writer.

[5] The band's punk rock sound was out of place in the post-punk scene in Liverpool, featuring the likes of Echo & the Bunnymen, the Teardrop Explodes and Wah!.

a brass section consisting of Anthony Evans, Steve Levy, George Maher and John Melvin was brought into the band's line-up, shifting their sound towards Northern soul.

[12][13] Bill Drummond, one half of the KLF, who was well versed in the Liverpool scene and the Farm's actives, wanted to become their manager after meeting Hooton in a bar, but ultimately did not.

[17] In discussions, Moran wanted 20% of the proposed £25,000 signing bonus, claiming that as their manager he should be paid more; Hooton remarked that they considered him an equal, not a superior.

[18] Hooton then convinced popular journalists to cover the faux movement; it received significant press coverage, but did not further the careers of any of the acts grouped under it.

Barney Moores had spare money to invest in a business and was interested in helping the band; Hooton told him that £25,000 would cover the cost of an album and two singles.

[32][33][34] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it had all of the hallmarks of baggy, from "its rolling, neo-psychedelic grooves" to the "blissfully colorful pop hooks".

Its title alludes to a rally cry spoken by celebrities and politicians of the time; two years before including it on the album, Hooton said that some lyrics were added to "incorporate the plastic gangster fraternity".

"Sweet Inspiration" was written around the release of Nelson Mandela and is about political prisoners that stand up for their beliefs even when confronted by authority figures.

[38] Journalist Paul Lester wrote that the song consisted of an "iridescent African hi-life [atmosphere], quintessentially baggy 'Funky Drummer' shufflebeat and slashing" Steve Jones-aping guitarwork.

[19][36][39] Journalist Bob Stanley wrote that the song's lyrics propose that the "derelict buildings and waste-ground tell a truer story about the band's hometown than thousand Jimmy Tarbuck-fuelled platitudes".

[39] It initially had six verses, which were then edited down to two for the final version; Hooton said it referred to the slade trade and the planned redevelopment of Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock.

[29] "All Together Now" began as "No Man's Land", which Hooton had written after the reaction from right-wing press towards British politician Michael Foot wearing a coat that resembled a donkey jacket in November 1981.

For a few years, Grimes wanted to pair the words with the music of a TV advert, which featured a version of Pachelbel's Canon in D.[23][42] The band did not attempt to match them until after they had bought the aforementioned sampler; while it worked, the song still was void of a chorus section.

[45][46] The music video for it featured Bill Dean singing into a piece of rock at a Southport fun fair, cut with some footage of their trip to Ibiza.

[23] In January 1991, the Farm supported Happy Mondays at the Great British Music Weekend festival, which featured a line up of Madchester-related acts.

The other members of the band similarly suffered from restlessness; Hooton recounted how they were performing in Brighton the same night that the album went to number one "and I don't think we celebrated.

The music video for "Don't Let Me Down" was filmed in London and starred Frankie Howerd, who the band hired based on his performance in Up Pompeii!

[63][64] As Sire did not like the original music video for "Groovy Train", another one was shot with the band travelling around Manhattan on a London-themed bus.

[67][68][69] Hooton explained that they were "reading about it [in the press] and we saw the Melody Maker attacking us and we realised they wanted to get rid" of Madchester and baggy and "replace it with something that they were more comfortable with".

[67] Around this time, the band's second video album, Spartacus Live, was released, featuring footage from a show at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool in March 1991.

[83] For their fifth compilation album, Alltogethernow – The Very Best of the Farm (2004), "Very Emotional" was included and "How Long" was not ; the accompanying DVD featured the music videos for "Groovy Train", "Don't Let Me Down" and "All Together Now".

While noting that a few of the songs had been previously released, Andrew Collins of NME wrote that it was "as solid as a rock record, yet roomy enough to accommodate" experimentation on tracks such as "Hearts & Minds" and "Tell the Story".

[36] Stanley, in a review for Melody Maker, praised the band for having "the most astute lyrics" out of their contemporaries, making "it[] that much sadder that this LP is worthy but dull".

[90] The staff at St. Petersburg Times thought the band set themselves apart from "most of the other '70s revivalists, however, by being so darn serious", taking their "big-haired beat and avocado-harvest gold tones to heart".

[89] Journalist John Harris, writing in Sounds, said that when compared to their contemporaries, the Farm were "older, wiser, and in far greater command of a killer commercial sensibility" as Spartacus conveys "final confirmation of their sharp musical suss".

[98] In 2014, journalist John Robb wrote that "All Together Now" was "not only a great anthemic and uniting pop record, it also came out" during "one of those rare periods when people felt optimistic and [the song] soundtracked this, add[ing] a poignant working class memory".