#howardbenson

[neonlustmusic]

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. 

[mikeywayarchive]

howardbenson: It's not everyday that a record you produced in 2004 re-enters the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts! #mychemicalromance remix and remaster just did of #threecheersforsweetrevenge! I really like what @richcostey has done with updating the sound...I know there are a lot of opinions re this but I think he did a great job keeping the essence of what we did back then and just giving it more fidelity and punch. I see no reason why both this and the original can't live side by side🙏🙏. Also now super happy I archived the original files on all my projects... when @gerardway approached me last year for them I gladly sent them... apparently some labels (who should be the archivers) actually don't have some of the older @avid.protools records in storage... I kept everything! AI does a decent job of splitting the tracks... but the original files are way more pristine.

[Jun 17, 2025]

[brokenpiecesshine]

Lzzy Hale on Instagram, 28/04/2024.

On April 28th, 15 years ago today we released our debut album on Atlantic Records. The making of this album was nothing short of a thriller… We drove from York Pennsylvania to LA in our touring RV “Stormin’ Norman”, and essentially got stuck in Hotel California for 19 months until the album was finally done, mixed and dusted. We lived through a fire, a mudslide, a flood, an earthquake, our A&R man who signed us got let go, our rock band peers were getting dropped from their labels around us, our first and second choices for a producer both fell through and the music industry was transitioning into the digital streaming world. We culled from all my old Tascam four track demo tapes and wrote no less than 67 songs… And every time we hit a bump in our journey, we’d go down to the corner store from the apartment we were staying in ( the old Oakwoods in Burbank)and buy a 5 dollar bottle of swill champagne. We would raise our plastic cups declaring“ here’s to us” to each other ( a concept that wouldn’t become a song until our second album), because through all the highs and lows…it was still Us against the world and we were in the thick of it! We were Doing IT. Because we knew if we could survive as a band, the four of us… we could figure out the rest. And here we are 15 years after our debut, 2O years as the same band members Joe, Josh, Arejay and I and 27 years since Arejay and I had our first show as Halestorm. Here’s to the shiny moments, the adventure, the forks in the road, the compromises, the struggle and having the strength to scrape ourselves off the bottom of the pit and continue climbing our personal Everest. @halestormrocks @thejoestorm @arejayhale @jodowa #15years @atlanticrecords @indegoot @peteganbarg @howardbenson @ashleywf @leapisacane #pinnacleentertaiment

[lyrasky]

【I'm Not Okay (I Promise)/ My Chemical Romance】和訳 エモバンド嫌いなバンドのエモい歌 A Band for People with Young Heart Forever

【I'm Not Okay (I Promise)/ My Chemical Romance】和訳 エモバンド嫌いなバンドのエモい歌 A Band for People with YoungHeart Forever #mychemicalromance #imnotokayipromise #ThreeCheersforSweetRevenge #burnout3 #takedown #gerardway #raytoro #emo #franklero #mikeyway #mattpelissier #howardbenson

最近刹那い曲ばかり聞いて、寝る時はJimi Hendrixって感じの日々が続いてる。 ただね… Lyraの刹那いってのが曲者で、周りにいる普通の音楽しか聴かない人には「はあ〜？こんな激しい曲のどこが刹那いの？」って��るのよね。 何故、わかんないのかしらぁ〜、この刹那い歌詞が？ 皆んなの認定印つき刹那いは、Jujuか？米津玄師か？ それならLana Del ReyやCreamの方が刹那いぞ！…エロいけど。 そして、今日ピックアップするこの曲も刹那いよ〜。 刹那いを通り越して、情けなくて泣けるって所まで行っちゃうけど笑)。 随分前にこのブログで取り上げた時は、【アメリカン・ホラー・ストーリー】絡みで和訳したのだが、書きながら「良いバンドだったから又、復活して欲しいねッ」と書いたら、見事復活してしまったのだから凄い！奇跡⁈ ＊【アメリカン・ホラー・ストーリー8 黙示録】第1話…

[metalsludgeceo]

Who hung at the Cat Club in New York City back in the day? Tuff played there on the “What Comes Around Goes Around” tour for our 1st ever show in the Big Apple. #tuff #nyc #catclub #bigapple #atlanticrecords #mtv #newyorkcity #stevietuff #stevierachelle #jorgedesaint #toddchaisson #michaellean #howardbenson #hollywood #sunsetstrip #losangeles #california 😁🛴🔥🔪❤️💪🎤😃 https://www.instagram.com/p/CAThRRwn7uG/?igshid=1nb97n24ntiuk

[lifeonthemurderscene]

howardbenson: Circa 2004... I had just produced "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" for @mychemicalromance and then "Move Along" for @therejects... None of us knew how much those songs would change all of our lives at that moment

[frnko-mars]

howardbenson: THROWBACK TUES... ME, GERARD WAY, TYSON RITTER AT BAY 7 STUDIOS CIRCA 2006

[current-mcr-news]

howardbenson: Me and @gerardway circa 2005 at show in Camden NJ... Three Cheers was blowing up and I think at that moment both of us were pretty stoked! Was one of my favorite records to produce, and to watch it blow up..was so happy for those guys! #mychemicalromance#threecheersforsweetrevenge

[threedaysgraceofficial]

Having dinner with the dream team!🤘🏻 @chrislordalge @howardbenson @mikeplotnikoff http://bit.ly/2Rq03IX

[tom-adams-music]

Great to get back to writing my own stuff again - using EZ Drummer 2 & my @stltones Kemper bundles #music #songwriter #singersongwriter #poppunk #poprock #ukpoppunk #singer #musician #originals #songwriting #ezdrummer #toontrack #logicprox #homestudio #alltimelow #greenday #neckdeep #fender #guitarist #prs #kemper #maydayparade #stltones #dankorneff #howardbenson #andrewwade #leemalia #johnfeldmann #davidbendeth #paramore #bringmethehorizon https://www.instagram.com/p/BxPvUt6A3k4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=oecu4qqdy2vs

[thefrstofficial]

…and just like that….🫰one of the fastest and most rocking years of my life has flown by…in 2022 I got engaged to my best friend, saturated my hair in glue, went back out on tour, made music w some of my fav bands @deadbundyoh @solcuraband @justarideband @punknites and earned likes and follows from some of my idols (@howardbenson @jadepuget I’m looking at you 😅🙌) THANK YOU SO MUCH FRST FAMILY, LUV U & C YA NEXT YEAR! 😋🎉 … #thefrst #punkhair #punkstyle #mgk #nupunk (at The Frst) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2e7oGOyKi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sonicscoop-blog]

What in-studio decisions help a song go on to be a #1 hit? Elite #producer @HowardBenson tells everything that went right for the @ThreeDaysGraceOfficial smash “The Mountain." #studio #audio #recording #mixing #rock #music #vocals #guitar #proaudio #producerlife #Canada (at Los Angeles, California)

[surrender-the-ectype-band]

Anyone else loving the Howard Benson JST Vocal Bundle? This thing is a huge time saver. @joeysturgistones @howardbenson #musicproduction

[lyrasky]

【Motörhead/ Burner】和訳 解説Lemmyの独白⁉︎ Lemmy Kilmister Forever

【Motörhead/ Burner】和訳 解説Lemmyの独白⁉︎ Lemmy Kilmister Forever Lyraのブログへ #moterhead #burner #lemmy #bastards #lemmykilmister #Motörhead #モーターヘッド #レミー #philcampbell #Zööm #Würzel #michaelburston #MikkeyDee #HowardBenson #lemmykilmisterrip #happybirthdaylemmy

「Lemmyの命日(お誕生日も先週)だから、彼のバンドMotörhead の曲を和訳してLemmyを偲びましょう」って思ったら結構迷うよね? Motörhead…

[metalsludgeceo]

Read this Open Letter at Metal Sludge! CASHING IN … An Open Letter to Mark Knight and Anyone Else, Who Say that Bands are Still ‘Living In The Past’ and Just Trying to ���Cash In’ #stevierachelle #tuff #metalsludge #markknight #bangtango #howardbenson #unsungheroes #unknownheroes #sludge #stevietuff #cashingin #damnright #metalsludge @markknightmusic @howardbenson @bang.tango @stevietuff http://metalsludge.tv/cashing-in-an-open-letter-to-mark-knight-and-anyone-else-who-say-that-bands-are-still-living-in-the-past-and-just-trying-to-cash-in/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cekdqjfrkke/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[omandm]

Dinner with our record producer @HowardBenson