Like several other songs on Blood & Chocolate, "Next Time Round" was attempted by Costello during the sessions for his previous 1986 album King of America, but this version would ultimately be scrapped.
Costello described this version of "Next Time Round" as "lacklustre" and noted the song woulld "have to wait until the Blood & Chocolate sessions to be more fully realised.
"[3] He explained, "The more sarcastic tone of 'Next Time Round' had ... not found a place on the previous record, but it now provided a rave-up finale for an album that stays mostly in the dark.
In a 1986 review of Blood & Chocolate, Spin Magazine described the song as "a truly towering fit of persecution mania with a great melody and a good beat.
Costello has noted that these live takes often accentuate the California Sound characteristics that were hinted at in the studio version; he specifically highlights a performance during his "Spinning Wheel" tour, where members of the Bangles made a guest appearance and provided Mamas and Papas-inflected backing vocals.