"NME"s reviewer compared "BWPS" favorably to Sergei Prokofiev's "Lieutenant Kijé" ("its interweaved and repeated melodic strands"), Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" ("its sheer contemplative beauty"), and the work of George Gershwin and Aaron Copland ("its appropriation of American folk"). In his review for "Mojo", Mark Paytress rated "BWPS" higher than the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", as well as any "latter-day art-rock classic, say, Radiohead's "OK Computer"". Acknowledging the "issues of authenticity that arise out of this 'reconstruction'", he added, "as someone with a small collection of "Smile"("s") — and thus with one eyebrow sharply raised — I'm amazed how easy it is to believe that this is, perhaps, the genuine "Smile"."