roentgenizdat
3x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2006
Posts: 3,503
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Post by roentgenizdat on Aug 15, 2007 19:10:49 GMT -5
08/25: 96 98 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 7,559 7,954 -5 1,169,697
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roentgenizdat
3x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2006
Posts: 3,503
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Post by roentgenizdat on Aug 23, 2007 5:43:08 GMT -5
09/01: 98 88 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 7,965 5 1,177,662
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roentgenizdat
3x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2006
Posts: 3,503
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Post by roentgenizdat on Aug 30, 2007 5:51:55 GMT -5
09/08: 88 85 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 8,021 7,965 1 1,185,683
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Sept 14, 2007 9:25:39 GMT -5
9/22 chart
88 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 6,868 -7% 7,401 1,199,952 (1xp)
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Sept 30, 2007 14:08:06 GMT -5
10/6 chart
120 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 5562 -5% 5880 1,211,394 (1xp)
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Nov 11, 2007 15:50:17 GMT -5
11/17 chart
182 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 4,383 4,306 +2% 1,240,334 (1xp)
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Post by reception on Dec 15, 2007 16:17:44 GMT -5
The 'Black' album
By Michael Senft Gannett News Service
MCR guitarist Frank Iero chatted just before the February launch of the tour, which included stops across the United States and in Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia.
Q. What made you decide to make a concept album?
A. It really started with our first album ("I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love"). We were writing concept songs, pieces like "Demolition Lovers," which was about a couple who die in an epic gun battle in the middle of the desert. We took that little story and ran with it for the second album ("Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge"), continuing their story. But being a young band and having life unfold around us, our experiences crept into the record, making a loose concept record.
Going into "The Black Parade," we knew we wanted to tell a story again — I think we're just innate storytellers and we've been fans of concept records as we were growing up, people like Tom Waits and Pink Floyd, the Beatles. We consciously made an effort to make a tighter album this time. I think it helped us grow as songwriters. We were better able to take our own experiences and mold them into the story line.
Q. Was that part of the reason you chose to work with producer Rob Cavallo, who produced Green Day's "American Idiot"?
A. Green Day told us to talk to him. We talked about him while we were on tour with them. They had great experiences with (Cavallo), and they knew what we were trying to do with this record. Right after that happened, we saw him quoted in an interview saying he wanted to work with us. So we got together, played him a few songs, went out for dinner, and his love of music and the music and ideas we had, it just clicked.
He's a genius, knowing how people react to music, how it makes them feel and the ways to construct sound — it's amazing. He's involved in every aspect, but he wasn't totally in control. All of our opinions were important to him — if there was something we were looking for in the recording, he would chase it to the ends of the earth until we were all satisfied.
Q. Sonically, it is very much rooted in '70s rock, yet it is unmistakably a 21st-century pop-punk record.
A. We grew up when there were genres like punk, hard-core, emo, screamo. We never quite fit into those categories — we tried to be just a great rock 'n' roll band. We draw upon a variety of influences that shouldn't work together, but they do. It's a varied sound that comes out, but our one goal was to take this melting pot of influences and make them our own.
Q. How did you get Liza Minnelli to appear on the album?
A. How awesome is that? We wrote this song, called "Mama," and the main character is Mother War. The song is about loss, about loss of human life, wishing your loved ones were with you, hoping they were all right, but knowing they aren't.
Going into the studio, we weren't sure what we would do, so we left the part blank for a little while. Then Gerard (Way) tried to sing it higher, then speed the tape up to make a female voice. We needed a woman to play the part, someone who'd lived a turbulent life, who had loved and lost, experimented and seen it all. She needed to be theatrical.
We needed someone like Liza. Finally Rob (Cavallo) said, "Do you want someone like Liza, or do you want Liza? I'll make a few calls."
And to everyone's surprise she'd heard of us and enjoyed our music. I don't know if this is true, but I heard that she bought "Three Cheers" and was dancing around her living room to "Helena." She liked the idea of doing this theatrical rock part. And her line is followed by the filthiest line Gerard sings on the record, but she was still into it. It worked out perfect — no one can do Mother War like Liza Minnelli.
Q. It's cool to see a new generation embracing the spectacle of the big rock show.
A. Absolutely. You get to a point where you have the opportunity to bring a lot of elements to your show, and you think, "Why not?" I don't think it's as over-the-top as a giant animatronic Eddie (metal band Iron Maiden's corpse mascot), but there is a lot of visual elements you can use to help tell the story. ... It's time for "The Black Parade" to come to life.
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Post by when the pawn... on Dec 17, 2007 12:32:27 GMT -5
So disappointing that they got snubbed by the Grammys. While it wasnt realistic, I think they deserved an Album of the Year nod for this. I was bummed to see they were absent from all rock categories. Such a fantastic album.
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Post by Love Plastic Love on Dec 19, 2007 1:05:56 GMT -5
I am surprised they did not get any rock nominations. They were very successful and got some critical acclaim.
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Post by reception on Dec 24, 2007 16:03:37 GMT -5
Chemical combustion A flurry of tour dates leaves little time for relaxing, but the band is still flying high
By Nancy Arcayna Star Bulletin
Gerard Way is getting accustomed to waking up and wondering where he is. Not to worry though, he is still clean and sober. The cause of the confusion: The Black Parade tour has My Chemical Romance hopping from city to city, from the United States and Canada, to Ireland and the United Kingdom, to Australia and Malaysia.
The touring hasn't kept us in one spot for too long," said Way, lead vocalist for MCR. "We've been on lots of airplanes, and endured lots of modes of travel."
The continual traveling has made it difficult to work on new material, he said. "We were able to tear out back lounges and build recording studios in the back of buses during 'Revenge.' We can't do that anymore, so we haven't written as much."
Way added, "I think it's a good thing. I think we need to get a healthy distance from songwriting for a bit."
Way said to expect a show at least 90 minutes long, but beyond that he had no specifics. "We rehearse and have a set list, but nothing is ever planned out. Every show is completely different."
My Chemical Romance launched in the early 2000s, when Way and original drummer Matt Pelissier started experimenting with songwriting. They signed with Reprise Records in 2003, and released "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge." Their first song was "Skylines and Turnstiles," inspired by Way's experiences of working in the field of animation in New York City.
Pelissier left in 2004, to be replaced with Bob Bryar. By then the band was a bona fide success.
"I made the initial calls to put it all together, but it's something I just walked into," Way said. "I had a knack for it, and so did the other guys, so it ended up taking off really fast."
"Welcome to the Black Parade" is a tight concept album featuring fast, aggressive (and occasionally slow and melodic) tunes. The hauntingly epic album, which celebrates both life and death, includes tracks about cancer, hospital stays, scary teenagers and happy memories -- with the primary story line being a terminal patient's journey toward death.
The music has a '70s flair, and it's often compared to Queen or Pink Floyd. And the over-the-top songs never fail to send a message. MCR's last album, "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge," also followed a loose concept, the fear of losing someone -- specifically the death of his grandmother, according to Way.
The band went to great lengths to create the theatrical appeal for this particular album. "'Black Parade' was a huge undertaking. It had a lot of layers, it's really crazy," Way said.
His favorite track is "Mama," which includes vocals from Liza Minnelli. "'Mama' is a lot of fun. When we wrote it, it kinda forced us to throw out a lot of other songs because it was so crazy. You can't put this song on a record without songs that aren't equally as inventive. We chucked out a lot of average punk songs."
With success comes great expectations, but Way is not worried. He doesn't feel a need to top "Black Parade."
"I don't think you can top something like this -- you go in a totally different direction," he said. "We don't try to make the same record, we just make a completely different one."
Will the next release will be another concept album? He doesn't know. "But I know it will all make sense together. It will be a cohesive record, because we can't bring ourselves to make something that is just a bunch of songs."
Way finds inspiration in everyday life. "Art is basically perspective, it's how you interpret the world." It's his own perspective and his perspective of other people's experiences that mold the music.
"This band interprets the world a certain way. It gives us our unique perspective. I think that is why people actually like the band, whether they know it or not," Way said. "We provide a certain perspective that they are not used to hearing."
The rigid schedule does not allow for much downtime, so when the boys in the band are not rehearsing or performing, they seek solitude and relaxation, Way said.
"We don't get to go out much anymore" -- the days of karaoke and hard-core partying are over. Way has remained sober for three years. "It's been great ... it's going pretty solid."
Writing comics helps him wind down. "I drink lots of coffee, smoke a lot of cigarettes and write. I really enjoy that." He's written "The Umbrella Academy" for Dark Horse Comics.
As for the others -- "Mikey (Way, bassist) plays video games, Frank (Iero, guitarist) watches movies, Ray (Toro, guitarist) plays guitar a lot. He also goes for walks and he likes looking at architecture and things like that. Bob (Bryar, drummer) generally stays in," Way said.
"We need quiet and downtime, for sure."
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Bluesy
Platinum Member
Joined: February 2007
Posts: 1,954
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Post by Bluesy on Dec 24, 2007 21:18:15 GMT -5
Evem though it's Christmas Eve and the family is starting to gather, I just spotted this thread and have to jump on to say I love 'The Black Parade.' It's strange, inventive and compelling.
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Bluesy
Platinum Member
Joined: February 2007
Posts: 1,954
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Post by Bluesy on Dec 24, 2007 21:24:44 GMT -5
So disappointing that they got snubbed by the Grammys. While it wasnt realistic, I think they deserved an Album of the Year nod for this. I was bummed to see they were absent from all rock categories. Such a fantastic album. I didn't know they were snubbed by the Grammys. It's a shame. 'The Black Parade' is my song of the year.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jan 7, 2008 17:15:11 GMT -5
1/12/08 chart:
RE-ENTRY 148 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 9,092 -20% 11,426 1,292,594 (1xp)
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roentgenizdat
3x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2006
Posts: 3,503
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Post by roentgenizdat on Jan 15, 2008 12:52:50 GMT -5
01/19: 148 159 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 5,267 9,092 -42 1,297,861
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roentgenizdat
3x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2006
Posts: 3,503
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Post by roentgenizdat on Jan 18, 2008 13:08:25 GMT -5
01/26: 159 186 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE BLACK PARADE,THE 3,388 5,267 -36 1,301,249
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