[2][3][4] The cover art was created by Mort Drucker.

[5] AllMusic wrote that "the tunes are tight, smart pop gems, distinguished from so many other bands by the wild antics of Belew's guitar.

"[6] The Washington Post called the album "a little too precious and labored ever to attain the unforced grace of good old rock 'n' roll.

"[1] Trouser Press wrote: "Challenging, muscular, tuneful, idiosyncratic and accessible, The Bears ... is a superlative record.

"[8] The Encyclopedia of Popular Music remarked that the album "invoked comparisons with Squeeze and XTC, and for good reason.