The Fall / Shift-Work
Artist The Fall
Album Title: Shift-Work
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Alternative & Punk: Old School Punk
Format CD
Released 04/15/1991
Label Cog Sinister/Fontana
Catalog No 848 594-2
Bar Code No 0 42284 85942 4
Packaging Jewelcase
Tracks
1. So What About It? (3:25)
2. Idiot Joy Showland (3:43)
3. Edinburgh Man (4:44)
4. Pittsville Direkt (4:01)
5. The Book Of Lies (2:57)
6. High Tension Line (3:48)
7. The War Against Intelligence (3:16)
8. Shift-Work (4:38)
9. You Haven't Found It Yet (4:07)
10. The Mixer (3:37)
11. White Lightning (2:13)
12. A Lot Of Wind (3:46)
13. Rose (3:20)
14. Sinister Waltz (4:13)
Date Acquired 08/30/1991
Personal Rating
Acquired from Northern Lights
Purchase Price 24.99

Web Links

All Music Guide Entry:
Discogs Entry:
The Fall online - Discography: singles & albums

Notes

foobar2000 1.2.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-11-20 23:03:37

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Analyzed: The Fall / Shift-Work
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DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR11      -2.14 dB   -14.24 dB      3:26 01-So What About It?
DR13      -0.89 dB   -15.06 dB      3:43 02-Idiot Joy Showland
DR13      -0.34 dB   -15.60 dB      4:44 03-Edinburgh Man
DR6       -7.94 dB   -15.20 dB      4:02 04-Pittsville Direkt
DR12      -0.11 dB   -13.57 dB      2:57 05-The Book of Lies
DR12      -0.26 dB   -14.52 dB      3:48 06-High Tension Line
DR12      -2.21 dB   -15.21 dB      3:17 07-The War Against Intelligence
DR13      -0.47 dB   -16.21 dB      4:38 08-Shift-Work
DR13      -0.86 dB   -15.66 dB      4:07 09-You Haven't Found It Yet
DR12      -1.23 dB   -14.93 dB      3:37 10-The Mixer
DR11      -1.22 dB   -14.53 dB      2:14 11-White Lightning
DR14       0.00 dB   -15.57 dB      3:46 12-A Lot of Wind
DR13      -0.16 dB   -16.74 dB      3:20 13-Rose
DR14      -0.75 dB   -18.35 dB      4:13 14-Sinister Waltz
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Number of tracks:  14
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate:        44100 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   16
Bitrate:           723 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
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Reviews
All Music Guide Review:

Review by Ted Mills
Shift-Work marked the sophomore effort from a new Brix-less Fall and is a slightly more subdued effort than the raging Extricate. It also marked a new direction for Mark E. Smith and the band as what once was repetitious grooves became interspersed with pop song structures. Don't worry, the classic riffage is still here in "The War Against Intelligence," "Idiot Joy Showland," and "So What About It." But there does seem to be a softening of Smith, albeit slightly. He still rails against foolish pop stars, mass media, and the spawn of the Manchester scene (side two is headed "Notebooks Out Plagiarists") but also here are paeons to Edinburgh ("Edinburgh Man," surprisingly malice-free), social observation ("Shift Work" looks at a modern marriage and is more wistful than angry), and an electronics and violin led portrait of a DJ ("The Mixer"). Probably what's most surprising is that in retrospect most of this works, although it begins to run out of steam near the end. There are hooks and melodies here, and the group ineffably remain the Fall. The following year's Code: Selfish would return to a much harder sound, leaving this a melancholic, introspective album.


Mark Prindle Review:

Shiftwork - Cog Sinister/Fontana/Phonogram 1991.

8 out of 10


STUDIO ALBUM #13 - The Fall as easy listening. Smooth, almost non-existent guitar lines, gentle puffy production, dancey drumming, Mark actually singing. What the hell IS this crap? Well, it took some getting used to, but now I just love the songs so much, I hardly notice the sleepy quality of it all. Just smooth dance and pop, most of it really pleasant. "Idiot Joy Showland," "Pittsville Direkt," "High Tension Line," and "You Haven't Found It Yet" are my dreamtime companions, but "The Book Of Lies" is so darn strange, it might be my favorite one on here. It sounds like Tom Jones or something! Lessee... a couple of these drift by without having much effect ("Rose?" "Edinburgh Man?" Whatever, Mark...), but the mood is a truly relaxing one, plus near the end, you get to hear "White Lightning" again, and a wild (yet smooth!) punky (but with violins!) new song called "A Lot Of Wind."
I've grown to like this album a whole lot. I think it's more cohesive than Extricate, and a very interesting way to handle the post-Brix crisis. Unfortunately, it was never released in the U.S., so if you find it, it'll cost you about 20 dollars. Unless you live in England, of course, in which case, you can go to Hell, ya damn Mexican.
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