 Excerpts of the songs "Living on the Ceiling" and "Sad Day" featured on one side of a flexidisc given away free with the issue of "Melody Maker" dated 24 April 1982.The other side of the disc featured the song "Born Every Minute" by The Passage.Critical reception for "Happy Families" was mixed, with many reviewers feeling the album trod a sometimes unsuccessful path between experimental aspirations and commercial sensibilities.