The Mekons Honky Tonkin'

The liner notes include book recommendations for most of the songs.[8] "If They Hang You" commends Dashiell Hammett for his conduct in front of a HUAC hearing.[9] "The Trimdon Grange Explosion" is about a 19th century colliery explosion; "Hole in the Ground" is also about the mining life.[10][11] "Sympathy for the Mekons" adapts themes from "Sympathy for the Devil".[12]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Robert Christgau	B+[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[15]
The Gazette	8/10[6]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[16]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[17]

Robert Christgau called the Mekons "just a catchy, rocking Brit country band with more enthusiasm than skill in the vocal department and lyrics."[14] Trouser Press wrote that "the genially appealing music, a well-organized wash of fiddles, accordion, guitars and simple drums, makes few demands but keeps the folky standards high."[9] The Los Angeles Times stated that "the closest reference point for U.S. listeners might be the Pogues, though the Mekons' anarchic approach tolerates a fair degree of amateurism."[18]

The New York Times noted that, "for all their informality, the songs gleam with intelligence," and concluded that "the Mekons bring the fatalism of country and Celtic music into the fractured 1980's."[10] The Washington Post determined that "the musical results are smoother than on the band's previous country forays, but the lyrics remain smart, funny and wary."[19]

AllMusic deemed the album "just short of a masterpiece," writing that the version of "The Trimdon Grange Explosion" "was a remarkable meeting of folk-rock's earnestness and punk's spitting wrath which ranks with the group's most powerful recorded moments."[13] The Star Tribune listed it as the 19th best album of 1987.[20]