[2][3] Allmusic's Mark Deming rated the album three stars out of five, saying that, "the feel of the album is pretty close to The Who's version," and that "guitarist Jim Babjak may lack Townshend's epic vision and sense of flourish, but he gets the crunchy bash of this music right, and drummer Dennis Diken and bassist Severo Jornacion find a way to pare down the style of the most manic rhythm section in rock history while achieving some approximation of their power and musical sense".

However, Deming concluded that the album is "little more than an oddity for Smithereens completists and Who fans obsessive enough to want every cover version of their favorite band's work.

[1] Will Layman of PopMatters rated the album 5 out of 10 and said "The Smithereens, packing dosed-up guitars that ring with power and full-throated singing, are up to the task of playing Tommy.

There were a few exceptions, though, according to Layman, ""Acid Queen" is absolutely outstanding, with DiNizio sounding just like himself ... remaking the tune not only in the vocals but also in how the arrangement is layered in the brief bridge.

... Second, The Smithereens answer the question posed in [the album's] liner notes: "What if the Live at Leeds or Who's Next [era] Who had recorded a proper, all-out rock studio version of Tommy‘s best songs?"