Record Mirror originally publicised Three Mantras as, '..what's been described as "the world's longest single"..', evidently referring to a press release supplied by the group's label, Rough Trade.

[8] The album was packaged in an intentionally confusing manner, with the 'Eastern' and 'Western' titles reversed on the cover, the same label on both sides and a sticker on early pressings apologizing for there only being two mantras (despite the title) and explaining that the album was being priced as a single to make up for it.

[citation needed] The reversed vocal that runs all the way through 'Eastern Mantra' is the name of another Sheffield electronic band; The Human League.

According to Trouser Press, Three Mantras is "the group's first explicit venture into non-Western musical forms".

It further commented, "The record also marks a shift in technique, as musical demands take precedence over production to strange and beautiful effect.