At the time Al Capone was written in 1964, many Jamaicans had a fascination with films from Hollywood, particularly gangster and Western films. Al Capone, the American gangster from the 1920s and 1930s, held a particular interest for Jamaican listeners. Primarily an instrumental, the song starts with the sound of a car crash, gun fire and squealing tyres. Buster's backing group, the All Stars, provide jazzy horns while piano playing keeps the rhythm. The recording session included Dennis Campbell and Val Bennett on tenor saxophones, Raymond Harper and Baba Brooks on trumpets, Junior Nelson on trombone, Ernest Ranglin on guitar and bass, Jah Jerry Haynes on guitar, Gladstone Anderson on piano and Drumbago (Arkland "Drumbago" Parks) on drums. The few lyrics are provided by Buster in an MC style.