The Black Parade is the third studio album by the rock quintet My Chemical Romance, released in October 2006.[1] It is a concept album, and a rock opera centering on a character known as "The Patient", who dies during the course of the CD. The album presents the story of his passage out of life, and his subsequent reflection on his life.[2] The album was produced by Rob Cavallo, who has also produced albums for Green Day. The Black Parade is also the first album for which Bob Bryar played drums, as Matt Pelissier played drums for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Though several reviewers have dismissed the album as a display of showmanship,[3][4] The Black Parade has, overall, been a critical success, the limited edition boxed set earning My Chemical Romance a Grammy nomination.[5][6] The album spawned "Welcome to the Black Parade", "Famous Last Words", "I Don't Love You", and "Teenagers" as its first four singles,[7] and the group plans to release the album's track "Mama", which features guest vocals from Liza Minnelli, as the fifth single.[8][9] The group then plans to release one final single from the album, though has yet to announce which song has been selected.[10] My Chemical Romance has embarked on a global tour promoting The Black Parade, consisting of two separate North American trips and a European leg.[11] It now is available in both CD and vinyl.
Contents |
Influences
Lead singer Gerard Way has cited the band Queen as a major influence on the album.[1] Similarities have been noted between the guitar orchestration in "Welcome to the Black Parade". Way has also stated that Queen's A Night at the Opera, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and The Smashing Pumpkins' album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness as influences.
Chart performance
The Black Parade debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, behind Robbie Williams' Rudebox.[12] In the United States, it also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. In its first week, the album sold 240,000 copies, far surpassing the 38,000 best-week sales of the band's previous album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.[13] The album debuted on the United World Chart at number one, selling 381,000 copies in its first week.[14] The album debuted at number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum after shipping more than 70,000 copies. It debuted atop the charts in New Zealand and was certified platinum there, with shipments of more than 15,000.[15] The Black Parade has also been certified platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1,100,000 copies.[16] It has been certified 2x Platinum in the UK, and has sold just over 600,000 units there to date. As of August 18th, the album has sold 1,169,697 copies in the U.S.[17] In 2007 the album spent multiple weeks at no.1 on the UK Rock Albums chart.
Reception
The Black Parade received generally favorable reviews from critics. Some of the most positive reviews came from All Music Guide, New Musical Express, IGN, and Rolling Stone.[6] Dan Martin from NME compared the album to Green Day's American Idiot, positing that "it's a piece of work that will challenge every preconception you ever had about the people who made it."[5] Tim Karan of Alternative Press called The Black Parade "MCR's whole raison d'etre rolled up into one mega-decibel calling card". Ed Thompson of IGN stated, "The Black Parade is a rock and roll gem that celebrates everything that was over the top about the 1970s rock scene."[18] David Fricke of Rolling Stone praised the classic rock feel of the album.[6] Rolling Stone went on to rank The Black Parade #20 in its "Top 50 Albums of 2006" feature.[19] Spin magazine named it the 5th best album of 2006.[20] EW states that "On their third studio album, a musical H-bomb of an effort, the Jersey quintet combine the rock-opera pomp of Queen with the darker, dirtier tones of their screamo past: Call it a Bro-hemian Rhapsody. Even without its broad concept — a dying cancer patient seeks revenge and redemption — Parade stands as one of the most cohesive, engaging rock records of 2006." It ranks The Black Parade the third best record of the year, being surpassed only by Gnarls Barkley and TV on the Radio.[21] The album wasn't without its share of criticism, and was panned by such publications as The Observer and Aversion. Stated Jamie Hodgson of The Observer, "...it reeks of a band with ideas above its station."[4] Matt Schild of Aversion thought the album was "over-the-top" and "lame".[3] Theon Weber of Stylus praised the album's use of Queen influences, but went on to summarize the album as "...a goofy record of bubblegum punk, with Queen lapping at its edges and enough good tracks to justify the smattering of empty screamfests."[22] The album holds a 79/100 score based on 24 reviews at Metacritic, which equates to the site's categorization of "generally favorable reviews".[23]
Versions
There are two versions of The Black Parade that have the same tracks and album art. The difference is that one bears white text on a black background, while the other had black text on a white background.
Limited edition
There is also a limited edition of the album, the product description for which is as follows:
"The Limited Edition special packaging features an 11-11/16" × 5-13/16", long skinny box with hinged lid, wrapped in black velveteen material, with an impressed design on the top. The 64-page bound paperback book inside the box is modeled after a Victorian-style photo album, and contains art by James Jean, making-of-the-album notes, and more."[24]
Japanese version
The version of The Black Parade that was released in Japan contains more content than the other regular editions. It contains 14 tracks, but the 14th track contains the song "Heaven Help Us" (which was released with the single version of "Welcome to the Black Parade"), instead of the song "Blood". The Japanese version is also an Enhanced CD and has the music video of "Welcome to the Black Parade".[25]
Vinyl versions
On December 11, 2007, The Black Parade was released in 12" vinyl format, the first of the band's albums to appear on vinyl. Two versions were released, the regular edition and the special edition. Both editions contain two discs, the first disc has tracks one to four on the a-side and five to seven the b-side. The second disc has tracks eight to ten on the a-side and 11 to 14 on the b-side. The special edition comes in a slip-case box with two 15-page books; only 2,500 copies were made of the special edition. Only 2,000 copies of the regular vinyl edition were made.[26]
The Black Parade World Tour
My Chemical Romance began The Black Parade World Tour on February 22, 2007 in Manchester, New Hampshire's Verizon Wireless Arena. Rise Against opened for the group on the first leg of the tour. Thursday opened European shows, and Muse opened on the second North American leg. The tour ended on May 22, 2007 in Portland, Oregon's Memorial Coliseum. There was a 10 day stop before the band continued on to various festivals and international concerts, before returning to the States for the Projekt Revolution tour.[11] Although the bassist of the band, Mikey Way, took a temporary break from touring due to his marriage on March 7, 2007, the tour continued with a replacement (Matt Cortez, the band's guitar tech.) Mikey Way joined the band for one song during a show towards the end of the Projekt Revolution tour and rejoined the band permanently from October 4, 2007 onwards.[27][28]
Track listing
- "The End." – 1:52
- "Dead!" – 3:15
- "This Is How I Disappear" – 3:59
- "The Sharpest Lives" – 3:20
- "Welcome to the Black Parade" – 5:11
- "I Don't Love You" – 3:58
- "House of Wolves" – 3:04
- "Cancer" – 2:22
- "Mama" – 4:39
- "Sleep" – 4:43
- "Teenagers" – 2:41
- "Disenchanted" – 4:55
- "Famous Last Words" – 4:59
- "Blood" (hidden track) – 2:53 (starts at 1:31)
B-sides
- "Heaven Help Us" – 2:54
- "My Way Home Is Through You" – 2:59
- "Kill All Your Friends" – 4:28
Appearances of songs
- "Dead!" is included in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II.
- "Mama" was used in a commercial for The Sopranos.
- "Teenagers", "Famous Last Words" and "This Is How I Disappear" are available as downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace[29] for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II.
- "House of Wolves" was used in a trailer for the 2007 Michael Davis movie Shoot 'Em Up.
- "House of Wolves" is featured in Project Gotham Racing 4, as well as the upcoming game MX vs. ATV Untamed.
- "Teenagers" appeared on the UK soap opera "Hollyoaks"
- "This Is How I Disappear" is a featured track on MLB 07: The Show.
- The video for "Teenagers" was played during an episode of Bionic Woman.
Miscellanea
- The album was originally thought to be titled The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance, but the band stated this to be a joke.
- Some of the track names originally had different titles, "The End." was called "Father", "I Don't Love You" was shortened from "I Don't Love You Like I Did", and "Disenchanted" was called "Shut Up and Play". The song " Welcome To The Black Parade" was originally called "The Five Of Us Are Dying", which is possibly a reference to the Twilight Zone Episode "The Four of Us are Dying".
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales/shipments|- |
|---|---|---|
| United World Chart | Platinum | 3,100,000 |
| USA (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,216,549 |
| UK (BPI) | 2x Platinum | 600,000 |
| Canada (CRIA) | Platinum | 100,000 |
| Australia (ARIA) | Platinum | 70,000 |
| The Netherlands | Platinum | 70,000 |
| México (AMPROFON)[30] | Gold | 50,000 |
| Switzerland | Platinum | 30,000 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ) | Platinum | 15,000 |
Credits
- Gerard Way - lead vocals
- Ray Toro - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Frank Iero - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Mikey Way - bass
- Bob Bryar - drums
- Rob Cavallo - keyboards
- Jamie Muhoberac - Hammond organ, Synthesizer, piano
- Cheech Iero - Additional percussion on "Welcome to the Black Parade"
- Linda Iero, Donald James Way, Donna Lee Way - Additional vocals on "Mama"
- Liza Minnelli - Guest vocals on "Mama" and "Blood"
- James Jean - Cover artwork
- Chris Anthony - Photography
References
- ^ a b Alternative Press Magazine. AP Article. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ "My Chemical Romance Unveil Black Parade Track Listing, Album Art", VH1, 2006-09-13. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ a b Schild, Matt. "My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade Aversion.com Review", Aversion.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b Hodgson, Jaimie. "My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade", The Observer. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b Martin, Dan. "My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade", NME. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b c Fricke, David. "Rolling Stone : Welcome to the Black Parade : Review", Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ "My Chemical Romance Discography - The Black Parade", Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ Liza Minnelli Sings on My Chemical Romance Track. Starpulse (2006-09-20). Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
- ^ DeAndrea, Joe (2007-10-07). My Chemical Romance Announce Next Single. Absolute Punk. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
- ^ Allin, Brandon (2007-09-24). My Chemical Romance Detail Forthcoming Plans. Absolute Punk. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
- ^ a b "MCR TOUR", My Chemical Romance. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ "Album Chart For Week Up To 28/10/2006", Chart Stats. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Hasty, Katie. "'Hannah Montana' Trumps My Chem, Legend At No. 1", Billboard.com, 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ http://www.mediatraffic.de/albums-week45-2006.htm. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ RIANZ. RIANZ Charts. Retrieved on November 16, 2006.
- ^ "Bilboard Album Charts - Top 200 Albums", Billboard.com, 2007-03-31. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Thompson, Ed. "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade", IGN. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ "Rolling Stone : The Top 50 Albums of 2006", Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ "SPIN.com: The 40 Best Albums of 2006", SPIN.com, 2006-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ Collis, Clark. "EW Black Parade Review", ew.com, 2006-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-04-06. (English)
- ^ Weber, Theon. "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - Review", Sylus. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ "The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance", metacritic.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ "The Black Parade [LIMITED EDITION]", Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ My Chemical Romance The Black Parade Japan CD ALBUM (379256). eil.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ BLACK PARADE ON VINYL!. My Chemical Romance.com (2007-11-16). Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ http://www.mychemicalromance.com/tour
- ^ "MCR News", My Chemical Romance, April 23, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
- ^ http://www.gpstore.com.au/News/Archive/6692.html
- ^ AMPROFON Gold Certification
See also
External links
- My Chemical Romance official website
- Official My Chemical Romance Fan Site
- The Black Parade official website
- My Chemical Romance at MySpace
- My Chemical Romance at Vampirefreaks
|
|
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|---|---|
| Gerard Way • Ray Toro • Frank Iero • Mikey Way • Bob Bryar Matt Pelissier • Matt Cortez |
|
| Studio albums | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love • Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge • The Black Parade |
| Live album | Life on the Murder Scene • Untitled second live DVD |
| EPs | Like Phantoms, Forever • Warped Tour Bootleg Series • AOL Sessions • Live and Rare |
| Demos | Dreams of Stabbing and/or Being Stabbed |
| Singles | "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" • "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" • "Headfirst for Halos" • "Our Lady of Sorrows" • "Thank You for the Venom" • "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" • "Helena" • "Under Pressure" (with The Used) • "The Ghost of You" • "Welcome to the Black Parade" • "Famous Last Words" • "I Don't Love You" • "Teenagers" • "Mama" |
| Related | Discography • Pencey Prep • Leathermouth • The Umbrella Academy • The Black Parade World Tour • Eyeball Records • Reprise Records • Projekt Revolution |
