In his "Consumer Guide" column for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau commented that Special View is "an ideal introduction" to Peter Perrett, adding that Perrett "may be major if he sticks at it."[3]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett wrote, "Though a compilation of albums for America rather than a proper release, Special View could almost be a greatest hits of sorts, capturing the unexpected and underrated talents of Perrett and his bandmates for a late-'70s audience well enough and still holding up in later years."[1]
