The Sleeve:
The Gatefold:
The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
None.
Personal Review:
So, I believe every twenty-something year old knows who My Chemical Romance is, I know my sixth grade year of school I spent a lot of time listening to the “Black Parade” and thinking how badass I was. Anyways, so, they ended up breaking up in 2013 – and this is their greatest hits.
The album opens with the track “Fake Your Death” – and Gerard Way has a great voice, incase you didn’t know. The song starts off pretty slow, but it’s still pretty good. Going to admit, I only know their super popular and well known tracks, but this one is still pretty good. Definitely a solid track to open their greatest hits with. Then comes one of their more ‘hardcore’ tracks, “Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For the Two of Us” – and the musicianship is pretty good, and the vocals are amazing. My Chemical Romance was a pretty big thing for a lot of people. The song is pretty good. The next song is “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” and well, the musicianship is good so far, no complaints – it’s a little slow in my opinion, and though, the lyrics are pretty good. Though, it’s not really my type of song. Oh, a personal favorite of mine comes next, “Helena” comes and well, it’s basically amazing – and I love every part of it, right down to the… chorus… “So long, and good night!” – but yea, it has pretty great musicianship and singing. Love it, love it, love it. Anyways, the A-Side ends with the track “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison” – which is another personal favorite of mine, and it’s pretty great to listen to. It’s definitely in my top most played songs on my iPod. Then the chorus, and everything is alright, because this song is amazing.
The B-Side opens with another personal favorite of mine “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” – which many memories growing up are soundtracked to this song, many, many, many. “If you wanted honesty, that’s all you had to say!” – so many times I’ve used that line, and many other lines from this song too. It’s really one of their best songs, especially the end part where it’s like “I’m not okay, I’m not o-fucking-kay.” Then comes “The Ghost of You” which is a slower song, and it’s alright! The musicianship and vocals are always amazing with My Chemical Romance, it’s a pretty great track. The next song, is their most well known song, “Welcome to the Black Parade” – which has that slow parade like start, and kicks off into this amazing rock anthem. “Son, when you grow up, will you be the savior of the beaten, the broken and the down?” – it’s honestly, the first My Chemical Romance song I’ve heard, and inspired a lot of stuff in my life, and it’s just so amazing. I cannot get over how great the song, and that album are. “Do or die, you’ll never make me. Because the world will never take my heart, though you try, you’ll never break me.” – anyways, it’s followed by the bittersweet, and ever so sad, “Cancer” – with the line “because the hardest part of this, is leaving you.” and this song is absolutely depressing, like, it can kill the happiest of moods, but the meaning and heart in it is beyond true that you know how serious it is. The B-Side ends with the track “Mama” which starts with the line “Mama, we all go to Hell, I’m writing this letter and wishing you well.” – let me say this, so far, every track on this album is amazing.
Onto the C-Side, (I feel I’ve only said that once before, but this isn’t the last time I will.) it opens with the amazing “Teenagers“, the song is about gun violence among teenagers, and yea. “Teenagers scare the living shit out of me” – basically, Gerard felt the same way I do about teenagers when he wrote this song. The joys of being an adult. Anyways, this song is another personal favorite of mine and it’s absolutely amazing! Then comes my all time favorite My Chemical Romance song, “Famous Last Words” – which has the greatest chorus of all time, and I do mean of all time. “I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone, honey if you stay I’ll be forgiving!” – that line right there, is the single greatest line in all of rock history, nothing is more deep and intense as that. Gerard Way is one of the GREATEST songwriters alive. “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” comes next, and it’s off their final album, it’s enjoyable, really fast paced and just amazing musicianship. I definitely really, really love My Chemical Romance. Oh look, another great My Chemical Romance song off of their last studio album, “Sing” – which once again, features another great chorus line – “Sing it for the boys! Sing for the girls! Every time that you’re losing sing it for the world!” (among others, I’m just not good at keeping up.) – it is definitely another personal favorite of mine, and I still remember the first time I heard it. The C-Side closes with the track “Planetary (Go!)” which is also off of their final album, which starts off with this air raid siren style type thing, and it’s pretty great. The whole album has been far from disappointing thus far. My Chemical Romance doesn’t seem to disappoint, ever. It ends up being a pretty solid way to end the C-Side.
Finally, the D-Side which opens with “The Kids From Yesterday” – that little “ooh” at the beginning made me think it was going to be a cover of “Goodbye Horses” – anyways, the song is a pretty solid track with really great musicianship. The song is really great, I’m definitely in love with this album. It is then followed by a demo version of “Skylines and Turnstiles” – which is more of a heavier song from one of their earlier EP’s, and well, it’s not the best, but that is because it’s a demo version. It’s then followed by “Knives/Sorrow” – which is another demo. The demos are all a little rough, and I feel they could’ve filled this space with something else. But hey, they’re the band and producers, not me. It’s a good demo, just not my type of thing. The album closes with a demo of the “Cubicles” – and it’s a pretty solid demo, and makes for a good way to end the album.
“One day your life will pass before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching” – Gerard Way.
Interesting Facts:
None.
Track Listing:
A1 – Fake Your Death
A2 – Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us
A3 – Vampires Will Never Hurt You
A4 – Helena
A5 – You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison
B1 – I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
B2 – The Ghost of You
B3 – Welcome to the Black Parade
B4 – Cancer
B5 – Mama
C1 – Teenagers
C2 – Famous Last Words
C3 – Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
C4 – Sing
C5 – Planetary (Go!)
D1 – The Kids from Yesterday
D2 – Skylines and Turnstiles (Demo)
D3 – Knives/Sorrow (Demo)
D4 – Cubicles (Demo)
Label:
Reprise Records
Catalog Number:
541079-1
Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Bass Guitar – Mikey Way
Drums – Bob Bryar & Matt Pelissier
Lead Guitar – Ray Toro
Lead Vocals – Gerard Way
Rhythm Guitar – Frank Iero
Other Albums I Own by My Chemical Romance:
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Released:
2014
