 Apple Records issued the single on 17 March 1972 in Britain , as Apple R <unk> , with a US release taking place three days later , as Apple 1849 . It was Starr 's first release since " It Don 't Come Easy " , a year before . During this period , his priority had been to develop a career as an actor in films such as 200 <unk> ( 1971 ) and <unk> . Further <unk> himself with Britain 's <unk> rock movement , Starr made his directorial debut with Born to Boogie ( 1972 ) , a film starring <unk> that included Starr 's footage of a T. Rex concert held at Wembley on 18 March . With " Back Off <unk> " , NME critic Bob <unk> noted Starr 's success in establishing himself in the two years since the Beatles ' break @-@ up , and wrote that the single " confirmed that he and Harrison , dark horses both , were the ones who had managed their solo careers more purposefully and <unk> " compared with McCartney and Lennon . 
