"Poor Man's Moody Blues" was written after a journalist angered the band by referring to Barclay James Harvest as a "poor man's Moody Blues".[2] In response, guitarist John Lees wrote a song which sounded like the Moody Blues song "Nights in White Satin", but in fact was cleverly not the same - the words would not fit. Justin Hayward was not pleased; meeting him years later, bassist Les Holroyd apologised for it.
Other songs on the album deal with subjects like ended relationships ("Friend of Mine"), alienation ("Leper's Song") the exploitation of animals for their fur ("Spirit on the Water") and the space race ("Sea of Tranquility").[3]
The album's title, Gone to Earth, refers to the fox hunter's cry used to indicate that the quarry has returned to its lair.
The original LP version of the album, designed by Maldwyn Tootill, featured die-cut outer cover and full-color inner album sleeve. On one side of the inner sleeve was an owl (as shown in the picture); on the other side was a picture of a sunset. The inner sleeve could be reversed so that either side would be displayed through the die cut.
