The Gray Race

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The Gray Race
The Gray Race cover
Studio album by Bad Religion
Released February 27, 1996
Recorded October-November 1995 at Electric Lady Studios, New York City, New York
Genre Punk rock
Length 38:04
Label Atlantic
Producer Ric Ocasek
Professional reviews
Bad Religion chronology
All Ages
(1995)		 The Gray Race
(1996)		 Tested
(1997)

The Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996.

This was the band's first album not recorded with original guitarist Brett Gurewitz (since the 1984 EP Back to the Known) and is their first release with Brian Baker, who replaced him during the Stanger Than Fiction tour.

The Gray Race did not sell as well as its predecessor, but at the time, it achieved modest success when MTV ran a commercial for the album. Many people also believe The Gray Race was Bad Religion's last successful album, until 2002's The Process of Belief.

Contents

[edit] Production and marketing

After the 10 month Stranger Than Fiction tour, frontman Greg Graffin soon began writing songs for Stranger Than Fiction's follow-up. The band recorded it at Electric Lady Studios, New York City, New York with producer Ric Ocasek (of The Cars, Bad Brains and Weezer fame). The recording lasted through out much of October and November 1995.

[edit] Reception

The Gray Race was released on February 27, 1996 and peaked at number 56 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[1] It spawned the moderately successful single "A Walk" in the United States. In Europe, the album also reached the German charts at # 6 as well as earn the group a gold record for sales in Scandinavia. It was also the first album since How Could Hell Be Any Worse? that the band recorded as a group.

Then former and now current guitarist Brett Gurewitz disliked the album, and noted that it was "BR's worst selling record to date" and described it as "uninspired." Part of the reason for this was financial, but Graffin also wanted to foster a sense of unity following Gurewitz's jarring departure. This was also the first album with which Graffin solicited the opinions of other band members before recording. Graffin said that collaboration significantly improved the sound and quality of the album.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "The Gray Race" – 2:06 (Greg Graffin/Brian Baker)
  2. "Them And Us" – 2:50
  3. "A Walk" – 2:14
  4. "Parallel" – 3:19
  5. "Punk Rock Song" – 2:27
  6. "Empty Causes" – 2:51
  7. "Nobody Listens" – 1:57 (Graffin/Baker)
  8. "Pity The Dead" – 2:56
  9. "Spirit Shine" – 2:11 (Graffin/Baker)
  10. "The Streets of America" – 3:48 (Graffin/Baker)
  11. "Ten in 2010" – 2:22
  12. "Victory" – 2:36
  13. "Drunk Sincerity" – 2:13
  14. "Come Join Us" – 2:03
  15. "Cease" – 2:35
  16. "Punk Rock Song [German Version]" (Bonus Track)
  • All songs by Greg Graffin unless noted.

[edit] Personnel

  • Ric Ocasek - production
  • George Marino - mastering
  • Bruce Calder - engineer
  • Frank Gargiulo - art direction, design

[edit] Notes/Trivia

  • Due to Gurewitz' departure, all tracks for this album were written by Greg Graffin, because he left the band a year before the album was recorded.
  • The European release of the album contains Punk Rock Song in German as a bonus sixteenth track
  • The track "Cease" was later re-recorded for Greg Graffin's 1997 solo album, 'American Lesion', this time as a piano and vocal arrangement. This version was played by Graffin on their 2006 DVD Live at the Palladium.
  • The album liner contains ten portraits of faces in black and white, different versions exist, with different pictures as the front cover
  • The album would earn Bad Religion a gold record for sales in Scandinavia and reach # 6 on the German charts for the single "Punk Rock Song".
  • The songs "Them and Us" and "Ten In 2010" were featured in the game Crazy Taxi.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Gray Race's entry at Billboard.com. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
v • d • e
Bad Religion
Greg Graffin • Brett Gurewitz • Greg Hetson • Brian Baker • Jay Bentley • Brooks Wackerman
Paul Dedona • Tim Gallegos • Jay Ziskrout • Davy Goldman • John Albert • Lucky Lehrer • Pete Finestone • Bobby Schayer
Studio albums How Could Hell Be Any Worse? • Into the Unknown • Suffer • No Control • Against the Grain • Generator • Recipe for Hate • Stranger Than Fiction • The Gray Race • No Substance • The New America • The Process of Belief • The Empire Strikes First • New Maps of Hell
EPs Bad Religion • Public Service • Back to the Known
Other releases 80-85 • All Ages • Tested • Punk Rock Songs
Videos and DVDs Along the Way • Live at the Palladium
Singles "Atomic Garden" • "American Jesus" • "Struck a Nerve" • "21st Century (Digital Boy)" • "Infected" • "Stranger Than Fiction" • "Incomplete" • "A Walk" • "Punk Rock Song" • "Dream of Unity" • "Raise Your Voice" • "Shades of Truth" • "The New America" • "Broken" • "Sorrow" • "The Defense" • "Los Angeles Is Burning" • "The Empire Strikes First" • "Honest Goodbye"
Concert tours Club Shows • Suffer Tour • No Control Tour • Against the Grain Tour • Generator Tour • Recipe for Hate Tour • Stranger Than Fiction Tour • The Gray Race Tour • No Substance Tour • The New America Tour • The Process of Belief Tour • The Empire Strikes First Tour • New Maps of Hell Tour
Related articles Discography • Epitaph Records • California punk scene • Hardcore punk • Warped Tour
Related bands American Lesion • Black President • Circle Jerks • Dag Nasty • Government Issue • Minor Threat • Wasted Youth
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gray_Race"
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