Now I love My Chemical Romance as much as any other Killjoy/Black Parade member/etc, but the band is releasing a “Greatest Hits” album…don’t you have to have some sort of ridiculous accomplishment to even qualify to do something like that? Like, quit strokin’ your ego and begging for more cash.
The album will be released in January of next year, but I must say, I’m not entirely sure that it’ll sell well at all. What fan is gonna buy a record of their singles, which were mediocre at best, when they already own the songs? But whatever, the band knows what they’re doing and their label, Warner Brothers, wants to milk the group for all they’re worth. To be honest, the only reason they ever seemed so massively impactful is because their entire fanbase were people growing up who needed salvation, something to look to, an absolute coming-of-age sort of group. They were timely and effective, and played their role in inspiring many people, musicians and fans alike. That doesn’t redeem the stupidity of a “Greatest Hits” album, though.
As lame as this is, it doesn’t discount the fact that their breakup was a total bummer. They were definitive in my growing up and introduced me to bands that introduced me to bands and so on. The statement Way put at the end of the long letter explaining the issue was intensely resonant- “My Chemical Romance is done. But it can never die. It is alive in me, in the guys, and it is alive inside all of you. I always knew that, and I think you did too. Because this is not a band – this is an idea.”