 Alan <unk> writes of reviewers criticising " Back Off <unk> " for being <unk> , leading Starr to respond in a 1973 interview : " Play me a pop song that isn 't . " On release , Chris Welch wrote in Melody Maker : " A Number One hit could easily be in store for the <unk> of rock drums . There 's a touch of the Marc <unk> in this highly playable rhythmic <unk> ... It 's hypnotic and effective , ideal for <unk> and liable to send us all mad by the end of the week . " <unk> described the single as " every bit as <unk> " as " It Don 't Come Easy " , although " slightly inferior " , while Mike <unk> of AllMusic views it as a song where " [ t ] he <unk> spirit of <unk> Starr shines through " . In a 1974 article for the NME , Charles <unk> Murray highlighted " Back Off <unk> " as a " great radio and <unk> @-@ box tune " . 
