Cranna said that the album was "proof positive that there's just no substitute for a good song delivered with power and emotion." Cranna added, "[The band] deliver attractive melodies with dark and moody (but not obscure) personal lyrics, all turned into compulsive listening by a driving beat, ringing guitars and a hauntingly emotional voice." Reviewing the album in 1981 for Rolling Stone magazine, David Fricke awarded it four out of five stars and described McCulloch's vocals: "[He] specializes in a sort of apocalyptic brooding, combining Jim Morrison-style psychosexual yells, a flair for David Bowie-like vocal inflections and the nihilistic bark of his punk peers into a disturbing portrait of the singer as a young neurotic." Fricke went on to say, "Behind him, gripping music swells into Doors-style dirges ('Pictures on My Wall'), PiL-like guitar dynamics ('Monkeys'), spookily evocative pop ('Rescue') and Yardbirds-cum-Elevators ravers jacked up in the New Wave manner ('Do It Clean,' 'Crocodiles')." Reviewing the 2003 remastered version for American music magazine Blender'''s website, reviewer Andrew Harrison also gave the album four out of five stars and said, "[...] the Bunnymen were a pure nihilistic thrill, with Will Sergeant's desperate, mantra-like guitar summoning up a primal night of blinking hallucinations."Crocodiles reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart in July 1980. The album has since sold over copies and the band were awarded a gold disc for the album on 5 December 1984 by the British Phonographic Industry. In 1993, the NME listed Crocodiles at number 28 in its list of the 50 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2006, Uncut magazine listed the album at number 69 on its list of the 100 greatest debut albums. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2020, Rolling Stone included Crocodiles'' in their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising "Will Sergeants’ ice-dagger guitar and Les Pattinson’s spelunking bass, making “Rescue” and “Pictures on My Wall” the perfect invitations to crawl down into Ian’s hot pit of despair." Track listing All tracks written by Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson and Pete de Freitas except where noted. 1980 UK LP version and Canadian Cassette Side one "Going Up" – 3:57 "Stars Are Stars" – 2:45 "Pride" – 2:41 "Monkeys" – 2:49 "Crocodiles" – 2:38 Side two "Rescue" – 4:26 "Villiers Terrace" – 2:44 "Pictures on My Wall" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson) –