Back to Earth would become Cat’s last album for almost 30 years. By the time of its release he had embraced the Muslim faith and changed his name to Yusuf Islam. The album saw the return of Alun Davies on guitar, Gerry Conway on drums, and producer Paul Samwell-Smith, all of whom had been absent from the previous album, Izitso. During the recording it was implicitly understood that Cat / Yusuf was about to step away from the music industry which lent a sombre mood to the sessions. The album’s lyrics make a number of references to Cat/Yusuf’s dissatisfaction with the industry, however, there are also some small hints of the return that would keep fans waiting for nearly three decades.