 Hull of Creem wrote that "Once again on "Honi Soit" – from the opening trumpet blast of "Dead or Alive" to the final pounding of the drums on "Magic & Lies" – Cale evokes the epochal – this time as a series of battles, as a pure declaration of war.Like Lou Reed's "Street Hassle", it's a work on which the artist finally reveals himself, concealing his tracks yet at the same time blowing his cover.