Reviewing Give Out but Don't Give Up for Select, Adam Higginbotham praised the band for filtering their "homages, influences and straight-up rip-offs" into a unique album, and applauded them for embracing "such apparently alarmingly unfashionable rock 'n' roll and soul attitudes", which they said "indicates a wealth of exactly the kind of sneering insubordination needed in a year otherwise dominated by a lethal cocktail of slim leather ties, Blondie B-sides, an imminent BA Robertson revival and ambient house albums".

[13] Mark Bell of Vox wrote that due to the band's enthusiasm on the project, they were not wearing their influences "too firmly on their sleeves", saying: "Allowing for 'classic rock' reference points, this follow-up to 1991's heavy Screamadelica gets the benefit of the doubt and eventually succeeds on its own stop-the-world-I-wanna-get-off in 1974 terms."

"[18] Los Angeles Times writer Lorraine Ali criticised the group for mimicking the Rolling Stones and their formula of "blues-based acoustic ballads and sassy, strutting pop numbers, with an occasional country twang thrown in", writing that Primal Scream "should have stuck to its innovative blend of new and old.

[19] A month after release, NME called it "1994's MOST controversial LP – either a retro cop-out or an achingly sincere homage to the American Deep South's wellspring of boogie, blues and soul.

He considered the album to be misconceived and "hampered by the group's stylized idolization", criticising them for becoming "pastiche artists" and adding: "At this point, everything existed on the surface for Primal Scream ...

"[7] The Rolling Stone Album Guide contributor Rob Sheffield also commented on the stylistic shift, writing that the group "pretended to be shit-talking blues rockers".

"[9] Martin C. Strong of The Great Rock Discography considered the album to be an inevitable disappointment next to the unsurpassed "sheer breadth of vision" of Screamadelica, noting that the group tried "far too hard to achieve a roughshod R&B grit.

"[32] As a result, the tracks were subsequently re-worked for the official 1994 release of the album, and the original recordings remained forgotten until guitarist Andrew Innes rediscovered the tapes in his basement.

[33] Critical response to the Memphis release was positive, with God Is In The TV describing the collection as "a restrained, heartfelt, tearjerking tribute to the classic Muscle Shoals sound and very possibly the best album of [Primal Scream's] career.

"[32] Discussing hearing the material after 25 years, Bobby Gillespie said it "sounded really beautiful, really clear, well-produced; incredibly performed by all the players and musicians and singers… I was blown away when I heard it.