Deluxe Edition of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge Arrives as an Unnecessary 2LP
20 years after its initial release, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, My Chemical Romance’s second album and commercial breakthrough, is finally being re-released with new mixes and new artwork, but once the initial excitement subsides, listeners are pleased with the music, yet left confused and dissatisfied with the packaging.
The new mixes, to be sure, are excellent, with lots of new ear candy, and subtle variations and emphasis on certain vocal points that are reminders of why fans love the band and Gerard Way’s voice. There’s a certain flair and attitude that Gerard used on the album (which is highlighted/accentuated on these new mixes): he was always artfully articulating or emphasizing certain syllables, or punches, foreshadowing the superstardom that awaited the band, primarily because of Gerard Way’s unique delivery. These new mixes present a fresh opportunity to encounter the band, almost like hearing the album again for the first time, which any teenager present at the original release can attest was a life-changing moment.
Though the album pulls in many different directions, there is a cohesiveness, an aesthetic, an approach, that molds the album together, creating a unique cultural moment, for which it is difficult to find another parallel. The new mixes result in the 2025 Three Cheers sounding even more demented than the original, but unfortunately, this “deluxe” edition of the album is deceptive and cunning. I admit that in my excitement at the announcement of the opportunity to own the album on vinyl, I “smashed” the order button on Brooklyn Vegan. However, today, revisiting the order page, I can see it was all there: all spelled out in black and white. The re-issue was a 2LP with the album on sides 1 and 2, and side 3 was four (!) live songs, and side 4 had no audio, just an etching, which is baffling, because if the new mixes of the album had not been so rewarding, this could be known as the swindle of the century, a criminal profligacy. Nothing on side 4? How wasteful. Looking at the “deluxe” edition of The Black Parade, we see b-sides and demos, but no such treats for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Why?
Further, considering the mediocrity of the live four live tracks that are included, listeners feel exploited. The articulation that makes Gerard Way so great is overblown (he’s oversinging) on these live studio tracks, at times his voice cracks, & there are many unexpected adlibs thrown in along the way, not to mention the infamous inferior backing vocals from Ray Toro, which renders the 4 live tracks immediately dismissable, not exactly worth revisiting. IF perhaps the band had provided the ENTIRE album live, instead of only four tracks, and perhaps a session from anywhere except the one provided (the “BBC Radio 1 Lock Up”), and perhaps offered the songs in order (the live tracks are arbitrarily sequenced), then this 2LP would be acceptable. As it stands, however, I am left with bitter distaste at the wasted potential for the 2LP. It didn’t need to be a 2LP. Was this only a cash grab? Perhaps the 2nd disc can be employed as a coaster or frisbee, but it shall touch the record player nevermore.
