[10][11] "Vengeance" reminds listeners that the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher won't last forever.

[15] The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "the music is stirring in its imaginative off-handedness, the genres are never condescended to ... and the politics are stated forcefully, without apology or fence-straddling.

"[22] Robert Christgau, noting the reggae influence, opined that "the skank that kicks things off is as lovable as anything they've ever done.

"[10] The Washington Post stated that "a relaxed, island-bopping rhythm has gently infiltrated the demented country 'n' western of the Mekons.

"[26] AllMusic wrote that "the deep basslines of dub and the one-drop snap of the drums merely add another filter to the overall picture of distance and ambivalence, though it's worth noting that the Mekons take to reggae like ducks to water, and this is perhaps the tightest and best-focused album the group released in the 1980s.