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All Music Guide Review:
Review by Ted Mills
Shift-Work marked the sophomore effort from a new Brix Smith-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 was once repetitious groove 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"). What's probably most surprising, in retrospect, is that 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. [The CD was reissued in 2002 with two bonus tracks: "Blood Outta Stone," and "Xmas with Simon."]
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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