Although the album was not a hit in the US, reviews by American critics were also positive. The noted music critic Robert Christgau was impressed by the album, writing, "The tenacious wit and accuracy of his lyrics betray how uncommon he believes his blockheaded protagonists really are, and his music rocks out in the traditional blues-based grooves without kissing the past's ass. Tender, furious, sexy, eccentric, surprising." "Rolling Stone" said, "A provocative combination of Toulouse-Lautrec and Chas Bukowski, Dury punks out in a laughingly distasteful way even as he sits on a cushion of personal warmth, feigning indifference. Whatever you choose to make of his talents, you won't be left untouched." In 1983's "The New Rolling Stone Record Guide", John Swenson deemed it a "great" album.