It was also one of the songs from this era that Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band performed live.
Pitchfork thought the band on that version "folds the cuttingly arrhythmic honks and squawks into traditional blues arcs that are only apparent after the 'riff' is over.
[1] Rolling Stone magazine also put "Moonlight on Vermont" on their list of Top 10 Essential Captain Beefheart Songs, writing that it was "abstract expressionist".
[5] The music site Get into This called it possibly the best song on Trout Mask Replica.
[6] Classic Rock ranked the song number 3 on their list of the Top 10 Captain Beefheart songs, writing that "Bill Harkleroad excels on guitar as Beefheart builds to a climax, bellowing out 'Gimme dat ole time religion' like a drunken fairground carny.