After the middling success of The Wings of an Eagle, Paul McCartney knew it was time for another change in sound. In the late 60s up until the mid 70s, musical style changes came very naturally to the band, and it progressed as time went on. Times were different now, two of the members from that period of time were gone, and they had just released their worst selling album ever. Too little time had passed to let the sound change on its own, so McCartney decided to force change on them. In September 1978, Blondie released their third album Parallel Lines. McCartney first listened to it on the day of release and instantly fell in love with the record, especially its standout song "Heart of Glass". McCartney wanted the Beatles to make an album like that, album full of new wave/disco tunes that would be accessible to all ages. Recording started a month later, and there was immediate backlash to the new change in style by George Harrison and Denny Laine (Linda McCartney had left a few months prior, mostly due to lack of interest in the band and to focus on her and Paul's family). As a middle ground, the band settled on a mostly rock-based record with some funk and disco aspects thrown in for good measure. Recording for the album was done surprisingly fast, with the band only needing not even a month to record ten songs. The threshold of songs that were brought in by each member was also surprisingly low; there wasn't many songs recorded outside of the ten that made it on the album.
The resulting album, and the successor to The Wings of an Eagle, was Going Faster, released January 15, 1979, to a different reaction then what McCartney was hoping. The album bombed like no other Beatles album had before, and critics agreed it was due to the forced change in direction. No Beatles fan wanted a disco album and it showed. While The Wings of an Eagle still sold less, Going Faster was easily the bigger failure, with the album's single "Blow Away", barely reaching the top 40. In later years, acclaim for the album would grow some, but would still be seen as a lesser release. McCartney conceded, and he, along with the rest of the band, decided it would be better if the band took an extended hiatus to focus on themselves. They weren't breaking up, but they agreed to spend some time apart from each other to better themselves. Perhaps when they returned to the studio, they would be joined by two old friends.
McCartney and Laine's tracks are sourced from Back to the Egg and 7" Singles ("With a Little Luck" is the DJ edit). Harrison's tracks are from George Harrison and the reissue of Somewhere in England. And Ringo's sole track is from Ringo the 4th. "Reception" from Back to the Egg is an unlisted track that comes before "Faster".
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