The album was recorded for the British label Ché and picked up by Elektra Records subsidiary Primary for release in the US.Catlin, Roger (1997) "Lilys Bringing 'Happily Chaotic Bubblegum Rock' To Waterbury", Hartford Courant, February 15, 1997 The album originally had a budget of $8,000, but this needed to be more than doubled to $17,000, with the projected studio time of one month extended to two.Gladstone, Neil (1996) "Quick Fix: The Lilys - Doom and Bloom", CMJ New Music Monthly, November 1996, p. 8 Battles with the label over finance led to several compromises; Lilys leader Kurt Heasley had originally planned the album to sound "like Badfinger backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra", and a big band had been planned but was replaced by xylophone and trumpet players, with samples of clarinet and bassoon added later, and by the end of the recordings Heasley claimed to have been a nervous wreck and 50 pounds underweight from eating only garlic.
