[2] The album was poorly received by critics and led to the termination of the Sound's contract with WEA.

[...] The Sound responded to label demands and simmering internal pressures with a record that challenged devout fans as well.

"[1] Drummer Mike Dudley said of the album: We thought [the label wasn't] giving us the support that we were due and that if they really wanted a commercial album, they had got to put plenty of money behind it, which with both Jeopardy and From the Lions Mouth they hadn't really done [...] So when they turned around and said, 'The solution is for you to write more commercial songs', we thought, 'Fuck you', and went ahead and produced All Fall Down.

Johnny Waller of Sounds panned the album, writing, "This is the album The Sound should never have made, didn't need to make, could have made in their sleep [...] [it] adds virtually nothing to the minimalist passion of Jeopardy and the following, more impressively structured From the Lions Mouth and, as such, is virtually worthless", concluding the review with "Look in the mirror, Adrian, before you all fall down".

[6] A favourable review came from Trouser Press, which said, "The black, clashing music makes the challenging LP an acquired taste, an ambitious, admirable exploration of the downside".