Following the commercial failure of his 1974 album Tarzana Kid, Sebastian owed one more record on his contract with Reprise Records. When his theme song for the television series Welcome Back, Kotter became a hit, Reprise wanted an LP to capitalize on the song's success. With his contract fulfilled, Reprise dropped him from the label.[1] It would be seventeen years before Sebastian's next studio album was released.
In his retrospective Allmusic review, critic William Ruhlmann called Welcome Back "…an uneven collection filled out with a near-instrumental ("Let This Be Our Time to Get Along"), a folk-blues song he'd written in the early '60s ("Warm Baby"), and a remake of one of his old Lovin' Spoonful songs ("Didn't Wanna Have to Do It"). The new material tended to be craftsman-like pop songs, the melodies simple and catchy, the lyrics light verse."[1]
Reggie Knighton – electric guitar on "I Needed Her Most When I Told Her to Go"
The Blintzes (Jon Lind, Reggie Knighton) – harmony vocals on ("She's Funny", "You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine" and "I Needed Her Most When I Told Her to Go" )
The Stone Warblers
John Sebastian – lead vocal, electric lead guitar, acoustic guitar, Indian drum, harmonica
Murray Weinstock - piano
Ron Koss - electric rhythm guitar
Ken Altman - bass guitar
The Stone Warblers (John Sebastian, Murray Weinstock, Ron Koss, Ken Altman) - harmony vocals, handclaps