In 2009 West and Laing briefly relaunched the band, with Jack Bruce's son Malcolm substituting for his father on bass.

Bruce was thus viewed as a natural "replacement" for Pappalardi in West and Laing’s post-Mountain venture, with several record companies and management organizations expressing interest in signing the new band.

[2] West and Laing’s manager Bud Prager, and Bruce’s manager Robert Stigwood, jockeyed for influence with WBL, with Prager ultimately establishing the more dominant position by brokering a US$1 million, three-album contract (7.5 million dollars in 2024) for the band with CBS/Columbia Records – a large artist signing for the day.

CBS Records' head at the time, Clive Davis, would be quoted as saying that the negotiations for WBL "showed record-company competition at its fiercest.

[9] WBL continued to tour North America and Europe extensively during late 1972 and early 1973 in support of Why Dontcha.

The sessions became contentious – they became "really nasty because of the smack" according to the album's co-producer Andy Johns[11] – with West and Laing electing to return home to New York before mixdown was complete.

This group was advertised by some venues as a reformation of West, Bruce & Laing, with Malcolm described as "filling in" for his father on the tour.