After the demise of Cream in 1968, Jack Bruce launched a solo band before teaming up with ex-Mountain members Leslie West and Corky Laing in 1972. West, Bruce, and Laing had hoped to bridge the gap left by the demise of both Cream and Mountain, and although they made three decent albums, WB&L never saw the same success as either of the two groups from which it emerged.

Bruce spent most of 1974 and 1975 doing sessions for the likes of Frank Zappa and Lou Reed, but by 1977, he was back to fronting his own group. Bruce has always had pro-musicians in his bands (the group just prior to this one had ex-Stone Mick Taylor and jazz keyboardist Carla Bley), and this latest group was no exception. Although Jack Bruce has never been able to surpass the fame and acclaim he found in Cream, the powerhouse blues/rock trio he formed with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, he has managed to write and record a number of excellent solo albums. Bruce would continue working with his own band, and supporting others such as Ringo Starr, until he finally got the call from old band-mate, Eric Clapton, to reform Cream with Ginger Baker in 2005. The entire reunion consisted of 12 shows, staged only in London and New York City.