Album · The Fall
Shift‐Work by The Fall
Shift‐Work is an album by The Fall, released in 1991. 5 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 5 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Edinburgh Man”, on 1 list with a best position of #4.
Shift-Work, the Fall's 13th album, came out on Phonogram in April 1991, and it's the sound of Mark E. Smith clearing the decks. After the Australian leg of the Extricate tour he sacked guitarist Martin Bramah and keyboard player Marcia Schofield, and for the first time ever the Fall were down to four: Smith, Craig Scanlon on guitar, Steve Hanley on bass and Simon Wolstencroft on drums. Only "Rose" survived from the sessions with the old lineup.
With Craig Leon producing, the leaner band let some air in. The repetitive grind that is the Fall's lifeblood is still there, but now it keeps breaking into proper pop-song shapes, and Smith sounds almost reflective. "Edinburgh Man", in which he pines for the Scottish capital, is so free of spite it's practically a love letter. The album reached 17 in the UK, the best showing the band had managed.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Shift‐Work on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh Man | 1 | #4 | – | 1991 | |
| 2 | A Lot Of Wind | 1 | #9 | – | 1991 | |
| 3 | The War Against Intelligence | 1 | #35 | – | 1991 | |
| 4 | The Mixer | 1 | #41 | – | 1991 | |
| 5 | So What About It? | 1 | #43 | – | 1991 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.