My Chemical Romance has its first No. 1 album in the United States, 20 years after The Black Parade arrived. The deluxe anniversary editions add six archival bonus recordings, but the most expensive vinyl package has a shorter track list than the deluxe CD.
For listeners choosing a physical copy, the distinction is between the original album, the expanded collection and a separate collector's pressing. Prices in the band's US store range from $14.98 for the deluxe CD to $124.98 for the One Step edition, before shipping and tax.
The Associated Press reports that Billboard announced the band's first chart-topper Sunday. The album earned 78,000 equivalent album units, including 68,000 album sales. Its original 2006 release reached No. 2 behind the Hannah Montana soundtrack. The new result follows a 20th-anniversary reissue.
Four editions, three track lists
| Edition | US store price | Listed recordings | Physical format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe CD | $14.98 | Original 14 tracks plus six bonuses | CD with lyric folder |
| Concrete Grey | $27.98 | Original 14 tracks | Single vinyl LP |
| Baby Pink deluxe | $39.98 | Original 14 tracks plus six bonuses | Double vinyl LP |
| One Step audiophile | $124.98 | Original 14 tracks plus one live bonus | Numbered double vinyl LP |
These are listed product prices, checked November 2. Stock, shipping and the final order total require a separate check.
The deluxe CD and pink vinyl share the bonuses
The $14.98 deluxe CD contains 20 tracks. The extra studio songs are "Heaven Help Us," "Kill All Your Friends" and "My Way Home Is Through You." These are B-sides from the album's era.
The remaining bonuses are live versions of "Dead!" and "The Sharpest Lives," plus "Someone Out There Loves You." The store describes these as performances from the 2007 Black Parade World Tour making their first appearance on physical music formats. Fans also know the last song as "Stay."
The CD comes in an outer sleeve and wallet, with a 16-page lyric folder and a new art insert. It is the least expensive of these four editions for someone who wants all six bonus recordings and can play CDs.
The $39.98 Baby Pink vinyl spreads the expanded set over two records. The original album occupies sides A through C; all six bonuses sit together on side D. Its gatefold jacket includes two printed inner sleeves and a new art insert. The store lists this color for independent retailers and its own shop.
The pink edition costs $25 more than the deluxe CD for the same listed songs. That premium buys the vinyl format and its packaging.
The single LP keeps the original sequence
The $27.98 Concrete Grey edition is a single record containing the original 14-track album, ending with "Blood." Its packaging includes a gatefold jacket, printed inner sleeve and new art insert.
It costs $12 less than the pink double LP, with none of the six deluxe bonuses. An owner of the original album who mainly wants the additional recordings would therefore get less new listening material from this version.
What the $124.98 pressing adds
The One Step edition lists 15 tracks: the original album and a live "Someone Out There Loves You," recorded at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, on October 24, 2007. The other five deluxe bonuses are absent from its track list.
Warner's description specifies 180-gram vinyl cut from the original analog master tapes, mastering by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, and a One Step process at Record Technology, Inc.
The package is limited to 7,000 individually numbered copies worldwide and includes a numbered slipcase, heavyweight gatefold jacket and rice-paper inner sleeves. At $85 more than the pink deluxe vinyl, its premium is for the pressing and collector's presentation.
