In a review for AllMusic, John Dougan wrote: "Headfirst kicks off with the brain fry of 'Lizard Eyes' only to launch into a Sharrock improv called 'Don't Be a Cry Baby, Whatever You Do.' Brotzmann blows wild and free here, and his squeal and blurt provides a great counterpoint to the rumble of the rhythms and the pummeling sonic overload of Sharrock's guitar. Another piece of blurt that will make you head spin."
Writing for Trouser Press, Greg Kot stated: "While cutthroat power is still very much part of the group's repertoire, the emphasis is more on give-and-take... 'Jesus! What Gorgeous Monkeys We Are' simmers rather than boils for all of its eleven minutes, a four-way conversation of the type rarely heard on the earlier albums."[3]
