The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts explained

The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts is a reissue of American rock band My Chemical Romance's third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). The reissue combines the original album with several unreleased demos and live tracks created during the recording of The Black Parade, titled Living with Ghosts.

Background

The band's previous release was in March 2014, titled May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits 2001–2013, a greatest hits album containing material spanning their entire career, as well as some previously unreleased material.^[1]

Release and promotion

On July 20, 2016, the band posted on their official Twitter and Facebook pages a cryptic video of a flag bearing the then-new "MCRX" icon with the piano intro from "Welcome to the Black Parade", ending with a date, "9/23/16".^{[2] [3]} The video was also published on the band's YouTube channel with the title "MCRX".^[4] This led to numerous rumors and reports on the band's possible reunion, fueled by speculation from fans that noted the band deleted their break-up announcement from Twitter,^{[5] [6]} and further boosted by attention from notable names in rock music, including Hayley Williams and Alex Gaskarth.^[7] The date was revealed to be for the release of the 10th-anniversary reissue of The Black Parade with unreleased demos,^{[8] [9] [10]} to be released on September 23.^[11] A reunion would not occur until three years later.

Two months before its release, an early version of "Welcome to the Black Parade", titled "The Five of Us Are Dying", was made available for streaming, and the album was available for pre-order.^[12] On My Chemical Romance's official website, the band dedicated the reissue to their late A&R executive Craig Aaronson, who died on October 29, 2014, stating:^{[13] [14]}

Personnel

My Chemical Romance

• Bob Bryar – drums, percussion
• Frank Iero – guitars, backing vocals
• Ray Toro – guitars, backing vocals
• Gerard Way – lead vocals
• Mikey Way – bass guitar

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kerrang! My Chemical Romance announce details on greatest hits, May Death Never Stop You . Kerrang.com . February 17, 2014.
2. Are My Chemical Romance Getting Back Together?. Kerrang!. July 20, 2016.
3. My Chemical Romance post new logo and cryptic date. Alternative Press. July 20, 2016.
4. MCRX. July 20, 2016. YouTube.
5. Web site: Fans react to rumours of My Chemical Romance reforming. . August 25, 2016.
6. Web site: My Chemical Romance have released a new song after telling fans they're not reforming. metro.co.uk. July 29, 2016. August 25, 2016.
7. Musicians react to potential My Chemical Romance reunion. Alternative Press. August 23, 2016.
8. My Chemical Romance reissuing famed album The Black Parade after cryptic tweet. . Bacle, Ariana . July 20, 2016 . July 21, 2016.
9. My Chemical Romance hint at reunion for 10th anniversary of The Black Parade. Consequence of Sound. Brennan, Collin . July 20, 2016 . July 21, 2016.
10. Web site: Is the My Chemical Romance comeback a 10th anniversary 'The Black Parade' reissue?. . Britton, Luke Morgan. July 21, 2016 . July 21, 2016.
11. My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade reissue gets release date. . August 20, 2016.
12. Web site: Stream My Chemical Romance's previously unreleased track 'The Five Of Us Are Dying'. NME. Britton, Luke Morgan. July 29, 2016 . July 29, 2016.
13. Web site: My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts. https://web.archive.org/web/20160820194252/http://www.mychemicalromance.com/theblackparade. August 20, 2016.
14. Craig Aaronson (A&R for My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, the Used, more) has passed away. Alternative Press. August 20, 2016.