Mike DeGagne of AllMusic wrote that with the Commotions, Cole "produced a number of melody-ridden songs that are best accessed on 1984–1989, a collection of their finest material", going on to say that the compilation "really does gather the cream of their music, and each song relinquishes a clean, robust sound" that has the "bright jangle of guitar that's hitched to palatable pop tempos" and "used polished instrumentation behind elements of subdued '80s Europop". DeGagne concluded: "Relatively unknown in North America, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions contributed to some of the finest music to ever hover with pop ease, and this compilation lines up his best work all in one place."
