Byrne writes classic arty/surreal rock lyrics. The Catherine Wheel … apparently had something to do with the life and death of the American family, and Byrne's words hover menacingly around this topic. I recently described commercial television as being concerned with "stories of extreme violence and danger performed in an elliptical, laconic, laid-back style with heavy, threatening rhythmic undertones and a clipped, stylized surface." Except for the fact that there is no story, that is an accurate description of what's on this disc. Not only is there no literary, dramatic, or narrative content, there is no musical story either. No tune. These are rhythmic outlines for music with a ghastly emptiness inside—tight, heavy, even powerful structures that, frighteningly, contain … nothing. (pp. 93-4)

Eric Salzman, in his review of "The Catherine Wheel," in Stereo Review (copyright © 1982 by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company), Vol. 47, No. 6, June, 1982, pp. 93-4.