In German football, an 'Ersatzspieler' is someone who starts on the bench because he is not good enough for the starting eleven. So a substitute, and football fan and Germanophile Mark E. Smith also knows that. And he apparently also has self-knowledge, because within the enormous discography of The Fall, Ersatz GB does not get any further than the role of a substitute. There are certainly eleven
… better Fall albums to be found. Of course, familiar elements can be heard on this album: staccato broken riffs and Smith's half-drunk declamations. Only there are no songs on Ersatz GB that really stand out. Or it must be Greenway: The Fall's attempt at a metal song. It rocks too. With that the highlight of this album is immediately mentioned, because Ersatz GB mainly sounds bored and predictable. (PdK)more
