heavily dated production. Erlewine argued that tracks like "The Only Flame in Town" and "I Wanna Be Loved" benefit from the production, while most of the album's finest songs—"Room with No Number", "The Comedians", "Sour Milk-Cow Blues" and "Peace in Our Time"—all necessitate stripped-down arrangements. On the album as a whole, Erlewine felt the lackluster performances of all personnel involved equate to a lack of musical captivation. Conversely, Record Collector Terry Staunton believed Costello's vocal performances offer power on "Home Truth" and "Inch By Inch". In 2021, writers for Stereogum felt there were overlooked moments of "brilliance" in tracks like "The Deportees Club" and "Peace in Our Time", but ultimately stated the record was "Costello as his most incongruent in terms of sound and vision". A year later, Spin Al Shipley believed the record was "more pleasant than its reputation suggests", but nevertheless felt it lacks the personality to attract even Costello's most die-hard fans. On the other hand, some find the record lacking in quality entirely. In a career retrospective, Trouser Press wrote: "Goodbye Cruel World seems awkward and forced. The playing's overly baroque, the melodies mild and too much of Costello's edge is sublimated by the Langer/Winstanley cushion of sound." Ultimate Classic Rock Michael Gallucci, who criticised the production as "misguided", found the recordings themselves disassociated from the artist in the final product. Author Tony Clayton-Lea opines that "most of the songs were written on an enforced 9–5 basis, and it shows." Nevertheless, Tierney Smith of Goldmine magazine argued that Costello's "worst" is superior to other artists' best efforts. Commentators have also maligned the album's title. Jones referred to it as "barren", while Hinton says it as sounds "like a suicide note in vinyl". In his 2004 biography of the artist, Thomson states: "Some albums that meet with critical dismay upon their release are later hailed as lost, overlooked gems, but Goodbye Cruel World will never be one of them." Reissues Goodbye Cruel World was first released on CD through Columbia and Demon in January 1988. Its first extended reissue through Demon in the UK and Rykodisc in the US on CD came on 7 March 1995, with bonus tracks that dated from the time period. Costello's liner notes open with the statement, "Congratulations! You've just purchased our worst album." Goodbye Cruel World was again reissued by Rhino Records on 3 August 2004 as a two-disc set with