This album saw the band nearly abandoning its Mexican-themed music, featuring mostly instrumental arrangements of popular songs, and also generating some major pop hits for the first time since "The Lonely Bull".

Whipped Cream & Other Delights sold over 6 million copies in the United States and the album cover alone is considered a classic pop culture icon.

The art was parodied by several groups including once A&M band Soul Asylum, who made fun of the liner notes along with the back cover on their 1989 EP Clam Dip & Other Delights.

On this album, eventual members of the Tijuana Brass (John Pisano, guitar and Bob Edmondson, trombone) were featured as well as elite session musicians from the Wrecking Crew: Hal Blaine (drums), Carol Kaye (electric bass), Chuck Berghofer (double bass), and Russell Bridges (who would later become famous in his own right as Leon Russell).

It was at this time that Alpert formed the public version of the Tijuana Brass which included: Pisano, Edmondson, Nick Ceroli (drums), Pat Senatore (bass), Tonni Kalash (trumpet), Lou Pagani (piano) as well as Julius Wechter on marimba and vibes (studio only).

A remix of the album was released in 2006 on the Shout Factory label with model Bree Condon "clothed" on the cover in a similar fashion to the original.