Two 20th Anniversaries, One Record Store Trip: The Black Parade vs. Back to Black on October 23

October 23, 2026 is one of those rare days when a record store trip feels like a decision, not just a browse. My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade turns 20 today: the original album was released on October 23, 2006, and its expanded 20th anniversary edition arrives today. On the same day, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black 20th anniversary editions reach stores, four days before the original album's 20th anniversary date of October 27, 2006. Two landmark albums, two very different kinds of anniversary set, one wallet. This guide compares them head to head, so you can decide which one to buy first, and which version of each one actually fits how you listen.

If you only have time for the short answer, here it is. Buy The Black Parade first if you want the most new music: the deluxe edition adds six bonus tracks, including a live recording fans have waited years to own officially. Buy Back to Black first if you want the most complete single-artist archive: the 3LP and 3CD sets collect demos, B-sides and a full 2007 Amsterdam concert alongside the original album. Buy the cheapest standard pressing of either album if you are just starting out, because both original albums are strong enough to carry the whole purchase on their own.

At a glance: Black Parade vs Back to Black vinyl on October 23

What is included in The Black Parade 20th anniversary deluxe edition?

The deluxe edition pairs the original album with six bonus tracks. Three are B-sides: "Heaven Help Us," "Kill All Your Friends" and "My Way Home Is Through You." Three are live recordings from the band's October 24, 2007 show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, a 200-capacity hometown club: "Dead! (Live)," "The Sharpest Lives (Live)" and "Someone Out There Loves You (Live)." The original album itself is 14 tracks, from "The End" and "Dead!" through "Welcome to the Black Parade," "Teenagers" and "Famous Last Words," closing with "Blood," listed as a brief intermission.

The most talked-about bonus track is "Someone Out There Loves You (Live)." Fans have long called this song "Stay," and this is its first official release as a recording. It matters because it is not a studio outtake polished years later: it is a document of the original Black Parade tour, played in a tiny room, and it finally gives a fan-circulated favourite a proper place in the catalogue. The other two Hoboken tracks were previously available on the DVD part of the band's 2008 live collection The Black Parade Is Dead!, but the deluxe edition puts the audio on vinyl for the first time in this set.

Original cover artist James Jean, who painted the first Black Parade cover, has created three new pieces of art for the anniversary. The band's current tour world, built around the fictional country of Draag and its invented alphabet, Keposhka, is also the theme of the Hot Topic store takeover running through October 31 at Ovation Hollywood, with an all-store listening party on October 23.

Which Black Parade 20th anniversary vinyl should I buy?

Start with a simple split: deluxe 2LP if you want the bonus tracks, standard 1LP if you only want the album. Everything else is a colour, a pressing method or a sold-out exclusive.

Is the Black Parade One-Step vinyl limited to 7,000 copies? Yes. Warner Records' announcement and Discogs' master listing both give 7,000 copies for the Because Sound Matters One-Step 180g 2LP. That number is the whole point of the edition: it is the audiophile choice, not the everyday listening copy, and it is the version most likely to disappear first among the deluxe pressings. Is the laser-etched hologram vinyl sold out? Yes, on the official store listing checked for this article, where it is marked sold out at US$36.98. Treat any resale listing for it as a secondary-market price, not the original price.

What is the difference between the Tan & Black Galaxy and Baby Pink Black Parade vinyl? The music is the same deluxe 2LP in both: the difference is the colour and where it is sold. Tan & Black Galaxy is the Hot Topic and HMV exclusive colour; Baby Pink is the independent retail colour. If you care about the colour, buy the shop that carries it. If you care about the music, buy whichever deluxe 2LP you can actually get, because the tracklist does not change.

What did My Chemical Romance play at the Hollywood Bowl on October 23, 2026?

At the time of writing, before tonight's show, the October 23 Hollywood Bowl setlist is not yet known, and this article does not guess it. What is confirmed is the run itself: five Hollywood Bowl nights on October 21, 23, 24, 30 and 31, closing the band's Black Parade 2026 tour. October 30 is billed as Devil's Night, with The Used as guests, and October 31 is the Halloween night, with Thrice as guests. The sensible way to follow tonight's anniversary show is to check the setlist after the concert, not to trust any pre-written setlist published before the band walks on stage.

What is included in the Back to Black 20th anniversary 3LP?

The 3LP clear vinyl edition, with a matching 3CD edition, is the definitive Back to Black archive set. LP1 is the remastered original album: "Rehab," "You Know I'm No Good," "Me & Mr Jones," "Just Friends," "Back to Black," "Love Is a Losing Game," "Tears Dry on Their Own," "Wake Up Alone," "Some Unholy War," "He Can Only Hold Her" and "Addicted." LP2 collects B-sides and demos, including the live BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge version of "Valerie," plus four previously unreleased demos. The set also carries new alternative cover artwork, an image of Amy's handwritten lyrics from Mark Ronson's archive, previously unseen photographs by original album photographers Mischa Richter and Alex Lake, and new liner notes from Ronson and Salaam Remi. The United States suggested retail price for the 3LP set is US$64.99.

LP3 is the reason many collectors will choose the full set over a single LP. It is the complete Paradiso, Amsterdam concert from February 8, 2007, released in full on vinyl for the first time. The 11 vinyl tracks are: "Addicted," "Just Friends," "Tears Dry on Their Own," "He Can Only Hold Her / Doo Wop (That Thing)," "Wake Up Alone," "Back to Black," "You Know I'm No Good," "Me & Mr Jones," "Rehab," "Love Is a Losing Game" and "Valerie." Note one format difference: the 3CD version's live disc adds three more songs, "Cherry," "Fuck Me Pumps" and "I Heard Love Is Blind," for 14 live tracks in total. If you want every Paradiso song, the CD set has the longer live disc; if you want the concert on vinyl, the 3LP set is the first full vinyl version.

The single-LP options are simpler. The 1LP Chalkboard Marble edition is the original album in a limited colour pressing. The webstore-exclusive 1LP zoetrope edition, priced at US$35.98, is the original album in a die-cut sleeve: as the record turns, the zoetrope animation shows moving footage of Amy. Is the Back to Black zoetrope vinyl worth it? It depends on what you are buying it for. As a listening copy, it is the same 11-track original album as any other 1LP. As a collector's object, it is the only version in this anniversary range with a moving-image effect, and it is webstore-exclusive, which is exactly the combination that tends to sell out first. No total pressing number for the zoetrope has been published in the sources checked, so do not pay a resale premium based on an invented rarity figure.

The Roundhouse concert: what happened on October 21, and when can you watch it?

Two nights before today's street date, on October 21, Mark Ronson, Salaam Remi and the Amy Winehouse Band performed Back to Black in full at London's Roundhouse, with a rotating cast of guest vocalists. The guest-to-song line-up, as reported across multiple concert reports, was: Corinne Bailey Rae on "Back to Black," Sasha Keable on "Just Friends," Nia Smith on "Tears Dry on Their Own," Skye Newman on "Addicted," YEBBA on "Love Is a Losing Game," Terri Walker on "Me & Mr Jones," Lianne La Havas on "You Know I'm No Good," Baby Rose on "Wake Up Alone," Jorja Smith on "Some Unholy War," FLO on "He Can Only Hold Her" and Jessie Reyez on "Rehab." The whole company closed the night together on "Valerie," the Zutons song Amy made her own.

The venue matters to the story. The Roundhouse in Camden is the room where Amy made her last public appearance, on July 20, 2011, three days before her death. Hearing her songs sung there, by singers chosen by the album's own producers, is why this tribute carries more weight than a standard anniversary concert. When is the Back to Black Roundhouse concert on BBC Two? The concert, Amy Winehouse: Back to Black at 20, airs on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Saturday, October 24 at 9:35 p.m., preceded the same evening by Amy Winehouse at the BBC at 8:35 p.m. BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds carry the concert on Monday, October 26, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Jo Whiley's show, and BBC Radio 6 Music marks the anniversary today, October 23, with Amy Winehouse Forever from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Broadcast availability outside the United Kingdom depends on your local BBC access, so check iPlayer and BBC Sounds availability in your region.

Should I buy The Black Parade or Back to Black vinyl today?

Buy The Black Parade deluxe 2LP if you are an MCR fan, an emo or alternative rock collector, or a listener who values bonus material: six extra tracks, a first official release for "Stay," and a live set from a 200-capacity club are a genuine reason to buy a record you may already own. Buy Back to Black 3LP or 3CD if you are a soul, jazz-pop or classic album collector, or if you want one set that covers the whole era: demos, B-sides and a full concert in a single package is a stronger archive than a colour variant of the original album alone.

On a tight budget, buy the standard pressing of the album you will actually play most. The Concrete Grey Black Parade 1LP at US$30.71 gives you the full original album without the bonus tracks. The Chalkboard Marble Back to Black 1LP gives you the full original album in a limited colour without the archive discs. On a collector's budget, the two editions to chase are the 7,000-copy Black Parade One-Step and the webstore-exclusive Back to Black zoetrope, because both are defined by a physical feature, a limited channel and a number or exclusivity that cannot be reproduced by a standard re-pressing.

For a first-time buyer who owns neither album, start with Back to Black. It is the more self-contained classic: 11 songs, five Grammy Awards in 2008, more than 25 million copies sold worldwide, a UK 15x Platinum certification and a Billboard 200 peak of No. 2. The Black Parade, RIAA-certified 4x Platinum and ranked among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, rewards listeners who already love concept albums and theatrical rock; its deluxe edition is the better second purchase, once the original album has had time to land.

What to buy at Catalog To Music today

Catalog To Music ships from Toronto worldwide, and today's two anniversary editions are a reminder to check what is actually in stock before you assume a new pressing is available. The new 20th anniversary editions described above are not presented here as in-stock Catalog To Music products: use the store search links below to check current availability for each artist. What is in stock and verified for this article is the original Back to Black album pressing, and the My Chemical Romance catalogue that leads into The Black Parade.

Start with Amy Winehouse - Back to Black [Vinyl LP], the original album pressing in stock at Catalog To Music. It is not the new 20th anniversary 3LP set, and it is not labelled as one here: it is the US edition of the original album, including the bonus "You Know I'm No Good" remix featuring Ghostface Killah, and it is the right buy if you want the record itself today without waiting for the anniversary set. For the full anniversary range, check the Amy Winehouse vinyl at Catalog To Music.

For My Chemical Romance, check the My Chemical Romance vinyl at Catalog To Music. The in-stock predecessor worth hearing first is My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge [Vinyl LP], the album that came immediately before The Black Parade, along with its anniversary edition, My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (20th Anniversary) [Red & Black Marble 2LP]. Neither is The Black Parade, and neither is presented as a substitute for it: they are the route into the band's sound for a listener who is new to MCR. Browse the wider shelf in the Rock & Classic Rock vinyl collection.

Frequently asked questions

What is included in The Black Parade 20th anniversary deluxe edition?

The original 14-track album plus six bonus tracks: three B-sides and three live tracks from Maxwell's, Hoboken, on October 24, 2007.

Which Black Parade 20th anniversary vinyl should I buy?

Buy the deluxe 2LP for the bonus tracks, the standard Concrete Grey 1LP for the album alone, and the One-Step 2LP if you want the limited audiophile pressing.

What is "Someone Out There Loves You (Live)" on The Black Parade deluxe?

It is the live recording fans call "Stay," recorded at Maxwell's in Hoboken in 2007 and released officially for the first time in this anniversary edition.

Is the Black Parade One-Step vinyl limited to 7,000 copies?

Yes. The Because Sound Matters One-Step 180g 2LP is limited to 7,000 copies, made from the original analog master.

Is the Black Parade laser-etched hologram vinyl sold out?

Yes, on the official store listing checked for this article, where the US$36.98 hologram 1LP is marked sold out.

What is the difference between the Tan & Black Galaxy and Baby Pink Black Parade vinyl?

Both are the same deluxe 2LP tracklist. Tan & Black Galaxy is the Hot Topic and HMV exclusive colour; Baby Pink is the independent retail colour.

What is included in the Back to Black 20th anniversary 3LP?

The remastered original album, B-sides and demos including four previously unreleased demos, and the full Paradiso, Amsterdam concert from February 8, 2007 on LP3.

Is the Back to Black zoetrope vinyl worth it?

As a listening copy, it is the same 11-track original album as other 1LP editions. As a collector's object, its moving zoetrope animation and webstore exclusivity make it the anniversary range's most distinctive single LP.

What is on the Back to Black Paradiso 2007 live recording?

On vinyl, 11 tracks from February 8, 2007, ending with "Valerie." The 3CD live disc adds "Cherry," "Fuck Me Pumps" and "I Heard Love Is Blind" for 14 tracks.

When is the Back to Black Roundhouse concert on BBC Two?

Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 9:35 p.m. on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, with BBC Radio 2 on October 26 and BBC Radio 6 Music's Amy Winehouse Forever today, October 23.

Should I buy The Black Parade or Back to Black vinyl today?

Buy The Black Parade deluxe for new bonus material, Back to Black 3LP or 3CD for the fullest archive, and the standard pressing of either album if budget is the deciding factor.

What did My Chemical Romance play at the Hollywood Bowl on October 23, 2026?

That setlist was not yet known at the time of writing, before tonight's show. Check the setlist after the concert rather than trusting any version published in advance.

What was verified, and what was not

Verified for this article: the October 23, 2006 original release date of The Black Parade and the October 23, 2026 anniversary release; the deluxe 20-track contents and the Hoboken show details; the 7,000-copy One-Step limit; the hologram and signed Bloodline Red sold-out listings; the Back to Black 3LP contents, Paradiso date and tracklists from Universal Music Canada; the Roundhouse guest line-up and BBC broadcast times from multiple concert reports; and the in-stock status of the Catalog To Music products linked above, checked against the store catalogue. Not verified: Canadian in-store availability of the Hot Topic Tan & Black Galaxy colour; Canadian retail prices for either anniversary range; the total pressing number for the Back to Black zoetrope; and tonight's Hollywood Bowl setlist, which had not happened at the time of writing. Those gaps are stated here rather than filled with estimates.

Two anniversaries, two very different anniversary sets, and one clear lesson for record buyers: buy the version that matches how you listen, not the colour that photographs best. The deluxe and archive sets reward fans who want more music. The standard pressings reward listeners who want the album. Either way, October 23, 2026 is a good day to be in a record store.

Cover photo: Amy Winehouse Florianapolis C. Costa 1 by Caiel Costa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.