Once her popularity seemed assured, Warner Bros. felt safe releasing this five-record set (since reissued on four CDs) comprising
United States' entire four-and-a-half hours. It's not the first place I'd recommend going to hear
Anderson's work, but for those so inclined it's well worth the effort. Although live performances of
United States included film segments that ran during some of her monologues,
United States is about communication and how we interpret and use language. It's a bit pretentious, a tad long-winded, and its size makes it unwieldy to listen to in one sitting, but this is an important work loaded with enough insight, wit, and humanity to make relistening and re-evaluating worthwhile. ~ John Dougan, All Music Guide