The Black Parade [LIMITED EDITION]

My Chemical Romance

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2006)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000I2J5UG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,162 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way has alternately described his band's third album as "completely over the top" and "borderline psychotic." But even those words can't adequately prepare fans of the group's 2004 platinum major-label debut, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, for the onslaught of twisted song suites, glam-rock cannon fire and drama-club theatrics that make up The Black Parade. Tracks like "Mama" and "The End" make "Bohemian Rhapsody" sound like "Blitzkrieg Bop." It's no coincidence that the disc feels as dizzyingly monumental as Green Day's American Idiot--after all, the two albums share the same label, producer, studio, janitorial team, and sense of apocalyptic dread. Similarly, The Black Parade will cast its creators in a completely new light. Despite its overly histrionic tendencies and a totally oddball cameo from Liza Minelli, it offers a clear signal that My Chemical Romance is ready to be taken seriously. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description
The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance's follow-up to its 2004 platinum major-label debut Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, "is way more dramatic, way more theatrical, completely over the top, borderline psychotic," says Gerard Way. "It's the most pure, intense thing we've ever been involved in." Producer by Rob Cavallo (Green Day), the album is a celebration of lvoe and death and darkness. Join The Black Parade. The Limited Edition special packaging features an 11-11/16" x 5-13/16", long skinny box with hinged lid, wrapped in black velveteen material, with a debossed design on the top. The 64-page bound paperback book inside the box is modeled after a Victorian-style photo album, and contains Gerard's drawings, making-of-the-album notes, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful., October 25, 2006

By	Shannon Wright "graveyardghosts" (Woodstock, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Okay, I'll be the first to admit... I had my hopes that this album would be amazing, but at the same time I couldn't bring myself to believe that My Chemical Romance could possibly exceed both of their previous albums. After I heard the rumors that the new CD's title would be "The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance", my hopes kind of fell into a rather large hole. You'd be amazed to know how something as small as a CD title can affect my brain--it seems silly, but I began to not expect much from them.

Finally, I heard about The Black Parade... my hopes skyrocketted because I started hearing more and more good things about the album. And upon purchasing it yesterday, it has not left my home, car, and work CD player. It's on constant repeat. I'm so, so, so happy to say that I was not disappointed by MCR. This album has only served to increase my absolute love of this band.

Okay. They've changed their sound. The music isn't as dark... but the LYRICS. The lyrics are still MCR. They still scream bloody murder WE. ARE. MY. CHEMICAL. ROMANCE. Even if the music or Gerard's voice are both different from their first two albums, who cares? The band is growing. I happen to like Three Cheers and Bullets equally. I don't think MCR would want to sound the same time after time after time... To me, an album is an expression of where you are in life at that particular moment. The lyrics and music SHOULD reflect this, and it shouldn't matter if it's creating a different sound or not. MCR's music is just about as much for them as it is for their fans, if not more. We should remember this as fans of their music and not write them off as complete has-beens because they've been featured on MTV one too many times. Just because they have a new sound DOES NOT mean they've sold out.

I digress. The effort put into this album is apparent from the very beginning as you tear off the wrapping and take your first glimpse at the album's enchantingly beautiful artwork. The amount of work that went into creating this concept must've been brilliant--it just looks perfect. The music itself gives off this air of being reborn, or that no matter what situation you're in, there's always hope for you. That death (The Black Parade?) is something to never fear because it's only the beginning of something new. The lyrics still speak to us of death and darkness and blood, but, again, they give us faith. We'll make it through this thing we call life. Death isn't as scary as you think. Don't worry anymore.

I just want to say, this album is a great way to start off as an MCR fan. If you've never listened to them before, or only heard one or two songs off their other albums--now's your chance to hear one of the best things they've ever done. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Achievement, October 24, 2006

By	Matthew Lingo (Northridge, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll be the first to admit it: I was not a fan of My Chemical Romance. This was exactly the type of band I had taken to ignoring; it sounded like pop-punk, so it had to be worthless in my eyes. My Chemical Romance was nothing more than a derivative band with no identity, a group who were more interesting in vampires and selling T-Shirts than in crafting essential music. My disinterest was such that when told by a friend that the new single (the epic "Welcome to the Black Parade") was actually good, I distractedly listened to the first three minutes and said I liked them. After all, I couldn't be missing much, could I?

It turns out that I was missing a lot, and in writing this, I'm going to eat my words. It was easy to dismiss My Chemical Romance before, but now it will be impossible. With The Black Parade, an urgent, passionate, insane, awesome piece of music, this band has become essential to the musical landscape. This is an album for the ages.

The Black Parade is a concept album, and tells the story of a man known only as The Patient, a victim of cancer. The album starts with the Patient's death, spends its midsection ruminating on the life he left behind, and ends with his good-byes. It's a hugely ambitious work, and it would have been so easy for it to implode into a sloppy, incoherent mish-mash of "sensitive", junior high level poetry and forgettable power chords.

That's the kind of thing the old MCR would do. It's what characterized their first two albums, their Goth-oriented fashion sense, everything about them. But that's the thing about this album: more than anything, it's a coming out for the new My Chemical Romance--a glorious, unapologetically theatrical behemoth. The Black Parade of the title is as much a celebration of this new sound as it is a rite of passage for the deceased protagonist.

Here we see MCR dipping their toe into all sorts of musical styles. "Mama" starts out as a baroque number reminiscent of The Decemberists, before evolving into an exuberantly nasty cabaret number (complete with a cameo by Liza Minelli). "Teenagers" is a throwback to some of the best punk rock of the 70's. The lyrics may not exactly be poetry, but they don't have to be. The juxtaposition between the bombastic grandiosity of the musical arrangements themselves and the direct, bruising quality of the lyrics (Cancer's icky "I'm soggy from the chemo" sticks in the mind) make for a sort of abrasive splendor; this is possibly the most triumphant album about death and dying that has ever been recorded.

None of this would matter of course, if the music itself wasn't up to snuff. Here, frontman Gerard Way reveals a previously untapped musicianship, an ability to make the hugeness of The Black Parade's sound remain fresh through the use of diverse instrumentation and irresistible hooks (something The Killers failed to do in their similarly anthemic but overcooked sophomore album). It isn't every band that manages not only to stick a tra-la-la sing-along at the end of a song song, but dare you not to sing along with it.

And now, as the Patient joins his Black Parade, as the hype dies down, as the implications of this astounding achievement make themselves known, questions arise: was it a fluke? Did My Chemical Romance always have this untapped potential? And, perhaps most importantly: what's next? All I have to say is this: Gerard, the ball is in your court.

10/10

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth 200 million stars, April 6, 2007

A Kid's Review

My Chemical Romance is by far one of the best bands out there, and this album proves it. You can see how much this band put into their work and how empowering everything is. I have this limited edition version of the Black Parade and it is amazing. The extra cards are so cool and the booklet is hard to put down. Then there's the cd...oh the cd. It's one of the best cd's I own and it really shows MCR's growth.

The End- A great opening that shows you just what to expect in the other tracks

Dead!- One of my favorite MCR songs ever. It has a great beat that never gets old

This is how I Disappear- Amazing song, It sounds really cool towards the end

The Sharpest Lives- I love this song! Great lyrics and also a good beat

Welcome to the Black Parade- This is the definition of a rock opera. It has all sorts of different parts to it that makes it so epic.

I Don't Love You- Such a sad song, watch the music video and see how emotional Gerard Way (the lead singer) is. so sad! (I love Gerard!!)

House of Wolves- Another of my favorite songs, it is so energetic and lively!!!

Cancer- Also sad, not one of my personal favorites but it is a really beautiful song

Mama- A different song, but still awesome. It sounds so cool...enough said

Sleep- Very, very sad. Especially when you hear a man at the end say "I can't even wake up." *tear*

Teenagers- The chorus of this song is so addictive. It's a song that make you want to get up and jump around...

Disenchanted- Yet another sad song with a little bit of a faster pace. I can't describe this song really, just listen to it...it's good.

Famous Last Words- WOW!!!!!!!!! Most definately the BEST SONG EVER!!!! My favorite song by MCR!! In the lyrics, music, and video they are really giving it there all.

Hidden Track: Blood- A hilarious song that has sort of the music style like Mama in a way.

My Chemical Romance is an amazing band. At first I hated them, thinking that they were just some Green Day wannabe's because they dressed like them and now had the same producer. But I never listened to them and I was so0o0o0o0o0o0o0o wrong. They are totally different in a good way, and I love both Green Day and My Chemical Romance. They have incredibly enchanting lyrics and riffs that just blow me away. They are not emo, or goth. They consider themselves punk rock or simply just rock for the most part. Don't judge them before you listen to them with an open mind. Just listen and you'll see....