the first reaction by critics to "q: are we not men? a: we are devo!" was mixed. tom carson, wrote in "rolling stone" that "there's not an ounce of feeling anywhere, and the only commitment is to the distancing aesthetic of the put-on", and opined that "devo lacks most of eno's warmth and much of bowie's flair for mechanized melodrama. for all its idiosyncrasies, the music here is utterly impersonal." critic robert christgau gave the album a positive rating of a b+, but noted, "in small doses it's as good as novelty music ever gets, and there isn't a really bad cut on this album. but it leads nowhere." it was voted one of the best albums of the year in the "village voice"'s pazz &amp; jop critics poll for 1978. in january 1980, "trouser press" also named it one of the best albums of 1978.