[6] It is in part a tribute to Hoboken, New Jersey, where the bandmembers lived due to the inexpensive rents, blue-collar vibe, and proximity to Manhattan.

[11] According to Robert Christgau, the "blues scholars" in the band listened to "a lot of Arabic and Eastern European music" in the lead-up to the album.

"[17] A syndicated column in the Times-News opined that vocalist Nancy Jeffries "just might be the best pop singer in the country," and noted that the album is "full of dusty, cobwebbed corners of music that no one has poked into in years.

"[15] Rolling Stone stated that the Insect Trust "explored rock's fundamental cross-currents—holy-rolling and fieldhand blues, dirt-road country and the freewheeling joys of early and modern jazz—with invention and pop acumen.

"[14] The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music concluded that "overall the collection lacked the element of surprise which made the group's debut so spellbinding.