The R&B band Them, founded in Belfast in 1963 and known far beyond the borders of Ireland, underwent a complete musical transformation after singer Van Morrison left the band in 1966. They subsequently relocated their home base to Los Angeles, California, in the United States and became part of the psychedelic rock movement that was very popular there. In the summer of 1968, when they were recording their second LP (without Morrison), the quartet consisted of guitarist Jim Armstrong (who had been voted the third-best guitarist in the world at the time), singer Kenny McDowell, bassist Allan Henderson and drummer Dave Harvey. They recorded their follow-up album at Gold Star Studios in L.A. with the guidance of producer Ray Ruff.

Featuring an eye-catching psychedelic cover design, the album Time Out! Time In For Them was released in November 1968 by Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. Almost all of the songs were written by the external songwriting duo Tom Lane and Sharon Pulley and presented American-influenced psychedelic rock with lots of fuzz guitar, sitar and surreal lyrics. At the same time, the single Waltz Of The Flies was released, though it failed to chart. The album, too, did not receive the attention it deserved and sold poorly. However, it is now regarded as their finest work following their stylistic shift and has certainly earned its status as one of the Tower label’s most sought-after collector’s items.