The album was released in celebration of Pride Month.[8]
Writing for Under the Radar, critic Frank Valish wrote the band "been a staple of quirky, exuberant, hyper-melodic, forward thinking indie rock for nearly 50 years", noting the band's catalog is an "exciting proposition." He concludes that "their best albums only bracketed that decade, with much wayward soul-searching in between. Still, kudos to Rhino for allowing such a comprehensive look back at a band that was, and still can be, so exciting".[2]
In an Uncut magazine review, Tom Pinnock concluded that as the box set rises on the charts, the band continues to be "one of those rare groups who can genuinely claim to have launched the counterculture gloriously into the mainstream".[7] In a review for Spectrum Culture, Will Pinfold called it "naturally, die-hard [for] B-52’s fans, but it’s kind of a (very attractive) washout from that point of view", noting it "simply brings together standard, non-expanded editions of readily available albums and EPs with no bonus material." He concludes that it shows "just what a delicate balance, and a symbiosis, their music is at its best".[6]
In his review for Flood magazine, A.D. Amorosi concludes it "only makes me want to live through their original release dates all over again, if for no other reason than to imagine the first-time awe of seeing and hearing The B-52’s."[8] In a contemporary review for PopMatters, Evan Sawdey concludes that it "does more than highlight a group essential to the queer canon: it preserves some of the finest, silliest, and most enduring pop music ever made".[5]
