bad religion the gray race

From The Pit...

‘The Gray Race’ is the second major label release from Bad Religion. Many point a finger at Bad Religion for ‘selling out’ now that they are on a major label. SO WHAT’
‘Gray Race’ is the first album without Mr. Brett’s strong guitar work or songwriting contributions. Brett is now running Epitaph Records full-time. The guitar work for BR is now handled by Greg Hetson and Brian Baker.

The songs have all been written by Greg Graffin with the exception of ‘Streets of America’, ‘Spirit Shine’, ‘Nobody Listens’, and ‘The Gray Race’, cowritten by Graffin and Baker. The album is glossily produced by Ric Ocasek of Cars fame. The songs have punch and feeling but as a whole the album seems a little less raw and angry than earlier BR efforts.

The title track opens the album. It seems to be a call for individuality in a world where racial barriers have been blurred. ‘The gray race shrivels/trapped inside the world it creates.’ The three obvious standouts on the album are ‘A Walk’, ‘Punk Rock Song’, and ‘Come Join Us’.

‘A Walk’ stands among some of BR’s best work. Like so many BR songs, it’s a call for individuality and free thinking. Don’t let people who can’s think for themselves think for you.

‘Punk Rock Song’ is an unapolagetic anthem about how the world sucks. Some people have a clue, most don’t. ‘This is just a punk rock song/written for the people who can see something’s wrong’.

‘Come Join Us’ is for all the weak minded who turn to cults and religions to define themselves or understand the world. ‘You can go through life adrift and alone/desperate, desolate, on your own/but we’re lookin’ for a few more stalwart clones.’

‘Gray Race’ is a decent album. It’s not as good as earlier stuff like ‘Recipe for Hate’ or ‘Against the Grain’, or even the last album ‘Stranger Than Fiction’. It is a good set of songs with a couple of real stand out tracks.

The one constant with Bad Religion is that they play thinking man’s punk rock. The music has a message: think for yourself, be an individual. Don't let your parents, friends, government or especially religion tell you what to think or what to do.