"Bed of Roses" was released as a single and peaked at No. 23 on the Modern Rock charts.[5] The band supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with Nirvana and Das Damen; Dan Peters played drums on much of the tour.[6][7][8]
Uncle Anesthesia was the last to feature drumming by original member Mark Pickerel, who left on amicable terms in 1991.[10] He was replaced by Barrett Martin.[13]
The Calgary Herald noted the "strong rockin' guitars with psychedelic undercurrents and the occasional pause for the pensive cause."[15] The St. Petersburg Times wrote that "vocalist Mark Lanegan croons fairy tale lyrics that melt through a sonic wall of guitars and percussion."[18] The Dayton Daily News concluded that "if Jim Morrison had joined a garage band instead of the jazz-trained Doors, it might have sounding something like Screaming Trees."[19]
The Province opined that "Gary Lee Conner resurrects the guitar sound of Syd Barrett and takes the band toward Interstellar Overdrive."[20]The Washington Post determined that "Gary Lee Conner can tear off a screeching lead or stomp a wah-wah pedal like any halfway-initiated Black Sabbath disciple, but he's not merely a piledriver; his atmospheric playing on tracks like 'Bed of Roses' give them unexpected delicacy."[21]The San Diego Union-Tribune stated that "Lanegan's spooky, back-from-the-crypt vocals and Gary Lee Conner's luminous guitars give this album an otherworldly glow."[22]
