Īs of 2002 it had sold 100,000 units in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. Since late 2010, the album has been sporadically performed live in its entirety over the years, and on May 26, 2016, an orchestra was used to embellish sounds of the album while the band played their main instruments for the album at the concert. According to Acclaimed Music, The Soft Bulletin is the most acclaimed album of 1999, as well as the 110th most acclaimed all time. AllMusic's Jason Ankeny gave it a highly enthusiastic review, concluding that 'there's no telling where The Lips will go from here, but it's almost beside the point - not just the best album of 1999, The Soft Bulletin might be the best record of the entire decade'. Pitchfork ranked the album 3rd on the Top 100 albums of the 1990s list, and awarded it a rare score of 10.0. In 2006, Robert Dimery chose The Soft Bulletin and its follow-up Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots as part of his book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The Soft Bulletin is considered by some to be partially responsible for establishing the latter-day identity of the Flaming Lips, and as its following expanded over the years after its release, paving the way to their being among the most well-respected groups of the 2000s. The album is now considered by many to be the Flaming Lips's masterpiece. The Soft Bulletin was lauded by critics and fans alike and topped numerous 'Best of 1999' lists. Reception Professional ratings Aggregate scores The original photograph was featured in a 1966 Life magazine article on LSD. The cover artwork of the album is a modified version of a photograph taken by Lawrence Schiller titled The Acid Test: Neal Cassady, which according to Schiller, depicts Neal Cassady dancing with his own shadow during an Acid Test conducted by the Merry Pranksters. This sound was achieved in part by detuning and layering multiple MIDI keyboards as opposed to recording a live orchestra. Its large, layered, symphonic sound has also earned it a reputation as the Pet Sounds of the 1990s from a few critics.

The album was also noted for its fusion of ordinary rock instruments, electronic beats, and synthesizers. The album was considered to mark a change in the course for the band, with more traditional catchy melodies, accessible-sounding music (their previous album Zaireeka was a quadruple album of experimental sounds meant to be played on four separate stereo systems simultaneously), and more serious and thoughtful lyrics.

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