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The Black Parade

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This article is about the My Chemical Romance album The Black Parade. For the My Chemical Romance single, see Welcome to the Black Parade.
Untitled

The Black Parade is the third studio album by the rock quintet My Chemical Romance. Released in October 23, 2006 through Reprise Records, it was produced by Rob Cavallo, who has also produced albums for Green Day. The album is the first for which Bob Bryar plays drums, as Matt Pelissier played drums for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. It is a concept album centering on a character known as "The Patient". The album presents the story of his passage out of life, and his subsequent reflection on his life.[1]

Four singles were released from the album: "Welcome to the Black Parade", "Famous Last Words", "I Don't Love You", and "Teenagers".[2] Though several reviewers have dismissed the album as a display of showmanship,[3][4] The Black Parade has received generally favorable reviews. The album debuted at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart and is also certified as platinum by the RIAA.[5] The limited edition boxed set also earned My Chemical Romance a Grammy nomination.[6][7] The album has received a Platinum sales status certification in the UK.

Musical and lyrical themes

The Black Parade is a concept album centering around the character of "The Patient". It centers around his passage out of life and the memories he has of his life. "The Patient" dies and death comes for him in the form of a parade.[6][8][9] The album also expresses Gerard Way's belief that death comes for a person in the form of their fondest memory.[6]

The album also saw the creation of the alter ego band The Black Parade. My Chemical Romance would play live as The Black Parade up until October 7, 2007 Mexico City performance.[10][11] On stage, the band would don marching uniforms similar to those used worn by The Beatles for the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The live performance was theatrical, with Gerard Way assuming the character of a member of The Black Parade. Way's mannerisms were compared to Bob Geldof in his performance of the lead character in the movie adaption of Pink Floyd's The Wall. His performance was also compared to David Bowie's performance of Ziggy Stardust and Freddie Mercury's stage presence.[11] There are also similarities to Alice Cooper in his "Welcome to my Nightmare" period.

The album has been described as a classic rock tribute with influences and themes being made from 70s classic rock. Some reviewers such as Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic and Ed Thompson of IGN went so far to say that the band moved from their old emo pop sound to a more classic rock sound.[9][12] Lead singer Gerard Way has cited the bands Queen and Pink Floyd as a major influence on the album.[13] Similarities have been noted between the guitar orchestration in "Welcome to the Black Parade", and the arrangements of Queen. Additionally, Pink Floyd's The Wall is noted as a major influence for the album, which is especially evident when comparing the album's opening track, "The End.", to the first track on The Wall, "In the Flesh?".[14] Gerard Way has also stated that one of their biggest influences were The Smashing Pumpkins, often giving them credit for their thematic videos.[15]

Release

The Black Parade debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, behind Robbie Williams' Rudebox.[16] In the United States, it also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] The Black Parade has also been certified platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1,100,000 copies.[20] It has been certified 2x Platinum in the UK, and has sold just over 600,000 units there to date. As of August 25, 2007, the album has sold 1,169,697 copies in the U.S.[21]

Reception

The album received positive reviews came from Allmusic, New Musical Express, IGN, and Rolling Stone. 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."[6] 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."[12] David Fricke of Rolling Stone praised the classic rock feel of the album.[7] Rolling Stone went on to rank The Black Parade #20 in its "Top 50 Albums of 2006" feature.[22] Spin magazine named it the 5th best album of 2006.[23] Entertainment Weekly stated 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." The Black Parade was ranked the third best record of the year, being surpassed only by Gnarls Barkley and TV on the Radio.[24] Wizard Magazine praised the album in their "Best of 2006" issue, declaring it "an instant classic." [25]

The album was not 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."[8]

Versions

There are three versions of The Black Parade that have the same tracks and album art. One bears white text on a black background, the second has black text on a white background, and the third features the same track listing but instead of the marching skeleton there is a picture of the parade drawn by James Jean. Inside the booklet there are also lyrics, a photo of the band, and characters from the album.

A limited edition of the album was released the same time as the original release. It contains the same track listing as the original release but it is sold in a box wrapped in black velveteen material. It also contains a 64-page book which includes concept art by Gerard Way and making of the album notes by the band.[26]

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 is 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 includes the music video of "Welcome to the Black Parade".[27]

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 records. The first record of both editions has tracks one to four on the a-side and five to seven the b-side. The second record has tracks eight to ten on the a-side and 11 to 13 on the b-side. The special edition comes in a slip-case box with two 15-page books. 2,500 copies were made of the special edition, while 3,000 copies of the regular vinyl edition were made.[28]

Tour

Main article: 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. The tour featured 138 performances world wide, as well as several festival and condensed shows. The tour is the longest and most internationally comprehensive headlining tour that the band has played to date, featuring three legs in North America, two legs in Europe, and one in Asia, Australia, and Latin America. The shows at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico on October 7, 2007 and Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey on October 24, 2007 were filmed for the DVD, The Black Parade Is Dead!, which was released on July 01, 2008.

During the tour there were several cancellations and some members left the tour for personal or medical reasons. On January 11, 2007 Frank Iero left the tour due to an unspecified illness. He was replaced by Drive By guitarist Todd Price.[29] Mikey Way took a hiatus due to his marriage and was replaced by guitar tech, Matt Cortez, from April 18, 2007 until October 4, 2007.[30] Six shows were cancelled from April 29, 2007 to May 4, 2007 due to the band and crew contracting food poisoning.[31] Bob Bryar suffered injuries relating to his wrists during the tour which led to the cancellation of the show at the University of Maine on October 27, 2007. Bryar left the tour on November 9, 2007 and was replaced by a friend of the band, Pete, who wished to remain anonymous.[32][33] Following the November 11, 2007 show in Newcastle, Frank Iero had left the tour to return home after learning about a family member's illness. He was replaced by Matt Cortez.[34]

Track listing

All tracks are written by My Chemical Romance

The Black Parade
No.TitleLength
1."The End."1:52
2."Dead!"3:15
3."This Is How I Disappear"4:02
4."The Sharpest Lives"3:20
5."Welcome to the Black Parade"5:11
6."I Don't Love You"4:00
7."House of Wolves"3:04
8."Cancer"2:22
9."Mama"4:41
10."Sleep"4:43
11."Teenagers"2:41
12."Disenchanted"4:55
13."Famous Last Words"5:01
14."Blood" (hidden track)2:53
B-sides
No.TitleLength
1."Heaven Help Us"2:54
2."My Way Home Is Through You"2:59
3."Kill All Your Friends"4:28

Personnel

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom October 23, 2006 Reprise Records CD B000I5Y8ZU
United States October 24, 2006 093624442721
Australia October 28, 2006 9362444272
Japan December 6, 2006 WPCR-12507
Worldwide reissue December 11, 2007 double LP B000W02TDO

Chart performance

Album

Chart Peak position
ARIA Charts[35] 3
Billboard 200[17] 2
RIANZ[19] 2
Switzerland[36] 18
UK Albums Chart[16] 2

Singles

Year Song Peak chart positions
US Mod
[37] 		US Main
[37] 		UK
[16] 		SWE
[38] 		NZ
[39] 		AUS
[35]
2006 "Welcome to the Black Parade" 1 24 1 26 2 14
2007 "Famous Last Words" 4 23 8 37 6 20
2007 "I Don't Love You" 13 71 64
2007 "Teenagers" 13 9 6 16

See also

References

  1. ^ "My Chemical Romance Unveil Black Parade Track Listing, Album Art". VH1. 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2007-04-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ "My Chemical Romance Discography - The Black Parade". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-03-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b Schild, Matt. "My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade Aversion.com Review". Aversion.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b Hodgson, Jaimie. "My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade". The Observer. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Gold and Platinum". RIAA. 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d Martin, Dan. "My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade". NME. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b Fricke, David. "Rolling Stone : Welcome to the Black Parade : Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ a b Weber, Theon (2006-10-24). "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - Review". Stylus. Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Cite error: The named reference "Stylus" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen. "The Black Parade Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Phares, Heather. "The Black Parade Is Dead!". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  11. ^ a b Thompson, Ed (2007-03-21). "My Chemical Romance Bring Ostentatious Behavior To The Masses". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  12. ^ a b Thompson, Ed. "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-01. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Alternative Press Magazine". AP Article. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
  14. ^ Collis, Clark (2006-10-20). "The Black Parade". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-04-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Montgomery, James (2005-01-13). "My Chemical Romance Aim For Smashing Pumpkins Status". MTV. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  16. ^ a b c "everyHit.com - UK Top 40 Chart Archives". everyHit. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  17. ^ a b "The Black Parade". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  18. ^ Hasty, Katie (2006-11-01). "'Hannah Montana' Trumps My Chem, Legend At No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-04-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ a b "RIANZ Charts". RIANZ Charts. Retrieved November 16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Billboard Album Charts - Top 200 Albums". Billboard.com. 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ "US Billboard Charts". Billboard. 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  22. ^ "Rolling Stone : The Top 50 Albums of 2006". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ "SPIN.com: The 40 Best Albums of 2006". SPIN.com. 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ Collis, Clark (2006-12-14). "EW Black Parade Review". ew.com. Retrieved 2007-04-06. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ My Chemical Romance, "The Black Parade", Wizard Magazine, January 2007. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
  26. ^ "The Black Parade Limited Edition". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ "My Chemical Romance The Black Parade Japan". eil.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
  28. ^ "MCR Store". Reprise Records. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  29. ^ "My Chemical Romance Guitarist Leaves Japanese Tour". Spin. 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  30. ^ "MCR News". My Chemical Romance. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2007-04-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  31. ^ "Food poisoning halts Muse tour". BBC. 2007-05-02. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  32. ^ "A message from Bob". Reprise Records. 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  33. ^ "My Chemucal Romance drummer explains wrist problems". NME. 2007-11-12. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  34. ^ "My Chemical Romance lose another member". NME. 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  35. ^ a b "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (album)". ARIA. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  36. ^ "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (album)". Swiss Radio DRS. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  37. ^ a b "Artist Chart History - My Chemical Romance". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  38. ^ "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade". Swedish Charts. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  39. ^ "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade". New Zealand Charts. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
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