As on their previous two albums, the instrumental backing was provided by the group of session musicians known as
The Section, here consisting of keyboardist
Craig Doerge, guitarist
Danny Kortchmar, and drummer
Russell Kunkel, along with multi-instrumentalist
David Lindley and bassist
Tim Drummond and known as 'The Mighty Jitters' when on tour with the duo. Many tracks for this album, including "Time After Time," "J.B.'s Blues," and "Marguerita" were left over from the sessions for
Wind on the Water. The song
Mutiny is a reference to the
Mutiny Hotel in
Miami, a noted hotspot in the 1970s. Both this album and its predecessor exemplify the sub-genre of
soft rock prevalent in much of mid-1970s popular music. With two gold albums in a row, the duo's success on records had outstripped that of their former partner Stills, whose only gold album certification among his most recent five albums had been the one in tandem with Young. Yet, when the opportunity arose, the pair agreed to join up with Stills and continue as Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Sessions took place at Rudy Recorders in
San Francisco, and the Sound Lab in
Los Angeles.
Whistling Down the Wire was reissued for
compact disc on January 11, 2000, on
MCA Records. It was made available again as part of MCA's new manufacture on-demand process. ==Track listing==