"The Daily Mirror" hailed it as the "most intriguing Queen album since their finest, "Sheer Heart Attack"," commenting that "whether all the obvious tension within the band will spur them on, or simply pull them apart, remains to be seen." Although "Sounds" dismissed side one as "foreboding," they reacted positively to side two, particularly praising "My Melancholy Blues." "The Valley News" criticised it as being "tamer" than the band's first four albums, but concluded that "Queen still pulls off top honors," particularly praising the production, Mercury's vocals and May's guitar work. In a mixed review, "Record Mirror" described "News" as "Queen stripped down to almost basics...it's not a bad album by any means, but it could have been better."