The band's roster on this album comprises Dave Alvin (guitar), John Doe (bass), Chris D. (vocals, maracas), Steve Berlin (saxophone, rhythm sticks), D. J. Bonebrake (maracas, snare, marimbas) and Bill Bateman (drums).

Reviewing the album in 1981 for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau wrote, "this eschews the no-speed-limit egoism of El Lay punk convention for a more matoor view of the world, based on the idea that horror movies are worth taking seriously.

"[4] AllMusic's Patrick Kennedy later called it "a classic album of trashy-noir darkness, seamy Hollywood dreck, campy blues horror, and Stax-influenced, stripped-down guitar punk".

[2] In the 1995 Spin Alternative Record Guide, Byron Coley gave the album a perfect score and named it "in my opinion, the finest album ever recorded", writing "[t]he lineup ... was absolutely incredible, sliding between roars of punk bombast, American swamp-roots underpinnings, and explosive jazzy improvs like no one before or since.

"Cyrano de Berger's Back" was composed by John Doe, and was later covered by his band X on their albums See How We Are and Alphabetland.