Brian Eno and John Cale have a working relationship spanning decades. The artists have played together onstage, and Eno has contributed keyboards to several Cale albums in the ‘70s and contributed production to tracks such as 'Bicycle’ from Hobosapiens, and the album Words for the Dying – among other engagements. Most prominently, they came together to make the album Wrong Way Up, released in 1990.

The album features vocals, instrumentation, composition, and production from both artists across the album. The lead vocals are a near even split, with five from Eno and six from Cale. The record has a folky electronic pop style, and is best known for the track ‘Spinning Away’, which received a particularly faithful cover version from Sugar Ray for their contribution to the soundtrack to The Beach (2000). The recording sessions have been described as tense from both sides, and the original album cover has been speculated to be symbolic of this. The album was well received on release and has since been viewed as a highlight among both the John Cale and the Brian Eno discography.