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My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row (Single)
Now I know that we usually review full albums, or movies, or what have you, but this time around, I'm going to review one singular song... you got it, it's the new single from My Chemical Romance, the cover of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row, as made for the new movie Watchmen. Now, I don't know much about the movie, or the comic book or anything like that, but I know punk rock... and what we have here is dirty ass punk rock.
This is My Chemical Romance unlike you've heard them before, straight out of the pages of the Sex Pistols, the UK Subs, Stiff Little Fingers and the Anti-Nowhere League, My Chemical Romance joins the ranks of the really truly dirty punk. The first time I heard it, I was shocked, I wasn't sure I was hearing the right song, had it not been for the lyrics that I knew were from Desolation Row, I would not have recognized singer Gerard Way's voice, until he hits the higher register at which point the iconic My Chemical Romance vocals came out, and I knew it was the right one.
A lot of people I've talked do are giving a bit of flack to the cover, wishing that the band covered the full eleven minutes song, rather than an abridged version, but in an interview with MTV News, Gerard way is quoted as saying:
"That song is epic, and has so amazing lyrics, but I had to pick kind of my four favourite verses, you know? But we wanted the song to actually feel like a product of its era, not of its era, but of the movies. So it's recorded and performed in a very early eighties punk style, similar to the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, that's what it feels like. It's a dirty punk song."
And I agree with this sentiment. Bob Dylan's Desolation Row in it's original format is over eleven minutes long, and as aggressive and grungy as the new cover of the song is, it would be difficult to listen to eleven minutes of pure aggression. The abridged verses work perfectly!
Having gotten so used to the classic rock style of My Chemical Romance's previous album The Black Parade, it was breath of fresh air and a revitalization of my love for this band to hear this new sound come out of them. Well done, boys, I'm sure Dylan is proud!
