[2][3] Goodman finished the album a short time before his 1984 death of leukemia, and it was released posthumously on his Red Pajamas label.

[10] Robert Christgau called the album "a fitting testament to a likable artist who often went soft around the edges.

"[13] The Chicago Tribune deemed it "a fittingly eclectic monument to one of the funniest, most intelligent and most courageous performers who ever picked up a guitar.

"[12] Reviewing a reissue, DownBeat praised the "jazz-infused reading" of "The Big Rock Candy Mountain".

[15] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide considered it to be Goodman's "best collection, produced just the way his music ought to be.