"Rock with the Caveman" was originally a comedy number, described by Steele as "a joke, a spoof, the sort of thing Monty Python might have done".

Steele was backed by a number of well-known jazz session musicians, including pianist Dave Lee from Johnny Dankworth's band and tenor saxophonist Ronnie Scott.

[2] After the success of "Rock with the Caveman", Steele was dubbed "Britain's Elvis" and only a month later was voted one of the top-ten British singers in a New Musical Express poll.

[7] Writing under his Alley Cat pseudonym, Maurice Kinn of the NME felt "Rock with the Caveman" lacked "the essential authentic flavour" of American rock and roll and praised "Ronnie Scott's driving tenor-sax playing" as the record's best feature.

[5] Writing in The Times, Bob Stanley described the song as "charming and gawky, midway between a raucous tribute to rock’n’roll and a cartoonish parody".