The Gray Race

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The Gray Race
Thegrayracealt.JPG
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 27, 1996
RecordedOctober–November 1995
Studio Electric Lady (New York City)
Genre
Length38:04
Label Atlantic
Producer
Bad Religion chronology
All Ages
(1995)
The Gray Race
(1996)
Tested
(1997)
Singles from The Gray Race
  1. "A Walk"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Punk Rock Song"
    Released: 1996
  3. "The Streets of America"
    Released: 1996
  4. "Ten in 2010 [ citation needed ]"
    Released: 1996

The Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction .

Contents

This was the band's first album not recorded with original guitarist Brett Gurewitz (since the 1985 EP Back to the Known ) and is their first release with Brian Baker, who replaced him during the Stranger Than Fiction tour.

Some songs on the album are considered fan favorites, such as, "Them And Us", "A Walk", "Punk Rock Song", "Spirit Shine", "Ten in 2010", "Come Join Us", and "Cease".

Although not as successful as Stranger Than Fiction, The Gray Race achieved modest success when MTV ran a commercial for the album during its release. The album was re-released by Epitaph Records on September 15, 2008.

Production and marketing

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

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Alternative Rock9/10 [4]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [5]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
NME 1/10 [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Spin 7/10 [1]

The Gray Race was released on February 27, 1996, and peaked at #56 on the Billboard 200 album chart. [8] 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. Then-former and now current guitarist Brett Gurewitz disliked the album, however, and commented that it was "BR's worst-selling record to date" and described it as "uninspired." He has since taken that back. [9] Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote that Baker "not only brings new blood to the band, but also some superior guitar work. Gritty classics, tougher than recent offerings, dance on an edge not visited since the days of Generator." [4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Greg Graffin, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Gray Race"Graffin, Brian Baker 2:06
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"Graffin, Baker1:57
8."Pity the Dead" 2:56
9."Spirit Shine"Graffin, Baker2:11
10."The Streets of America"Graffin, Baker3:48
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
Total length:38:04
European bonus track
No.TitleLength
16."Punk Rock Song" (German language version)2:27
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."The Universal Cynic" 2:18
17."The Dodo"Graffin, Baker2:12

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. [10]

Bad Religion
Technical

Notes and trivia

Charts

Sales and certifications

Certifications for The Gray Race
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [20] Gold20,147 [20]

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References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1996). "Spins". Spin . SPIN Media LLC. p. 107.
  2. 1 2 Cigarettes, Johnny (March 2, 1996). "Bad Religion - The Gray Race". NME . Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  3. AllMusic Review
  4. 1 2 Thompson 2000, p. 170
  5. Robert Christgau Review
  6. Masuo, Sandy (March 3, 1996). "** 1/2 BAD RELIGION, "The Gray Race", Atlantic". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  7. Rolling Stone Review
  8. "The Gray Race's entry at Billboard.com" (PDF). Billboard.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
  9. "The Gray Race (Album) | the Answer | the Bad Religion Page - Since 1995".
  10. The Gray Race (Media notes). Bad Religion. Atlantic. 1996.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. "Australiancharts.com – Bad Religion – The Gray Race". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Bad Religion – The Gray Race" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bad Religion – The Gray Race" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  14. "Bad Religion: The Gray Race" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bad Religion – The Gray Race" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Bad Religion – The Gray Race". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – Bad Religion – The Gray Race". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  18. "Bad Religion Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  19. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Bad Religion" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved July 15, 2022.

Sources