The newest issues of the Italian magazines “CityMilano” and “Tutto” both contain articles about the band’s recent tour through the country. Tutto, in particular, carries some great backstage photos which are definitely worth a look.

Thanks to Lorenzo for the scans.

Source: Exclusive

The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan has made several hints in recent years that she would like to pursue a side project in acting. British-based news service Ananova reports today that she has already received several offers and has had to turn many of them down, mainly due to her packed touring schedule.

Her most recent offer came from Irish director Jim Sheridan. “The role he offered me was that of a really provocative woman whose every second word is something dirty,” she told the daily Lidove Noviny after the recent Prague gig. “Jim said he wants his character to be really sexy,” she added, which isn’t too far from what Dolores would like to be playing.

“I want to play some kind of femme fatale – curly hair, big breasts and a tight dress. I imagine it would be like ‘Hollywood! I’m here – Dolores O’Riordan in person!'”

Source: Ananova

Management for The Cranberries, most notably Timeless Music, has just pulled out of an unsuccessful bidding negotiation to acquire the fan-owned domain name “www.the-cranberries.com.”

The Cranberries Tape Trader, which is currently situated at www.the- cranberries.com, is owned by Quebecoise fan Danny Kronstrom. Kronstrom, who has operated the Tape Trader since 1996, began leasing the domain in early 2000, with the lease expiring this May.

The Official Cranberries Website currently functions under two domain names, both the original www.cranberries.ie (in operation since January 1998) and www.cranberries.com, which was signed over from Island last year, who had held the address since the mid-1990’s. The band’s website is owned and operated completely independently of their record company.

After negotiating for two weeks over an unspecified sum, Kronstrom declined the offer and renewed his lease for the next two years.

Source: Cranberries Tape Trader

Yesterday, CNN Headline News aired an hourly “On the Road” segment featuring The Cranberries and highlighting the band’s upcoming North American tour. The “surprise” interview came as a bit of a shock to some (including yours truly), as Headline News is most likely the most-watched news channel in the United States. For those that missed it, we have the entire segment transcribed here:

Anchor: …A check of local news is next for many of you, and for others, music hits the road — The Cranberries want you to wake up and smell the coffee before time ticks out!

 

(A video clip of “Time is Ticking Out” plays and then switches to the song being played live during the band’s press tour last August. Fade out to commercial)

 

Anchor: The Cranberries have been on the music scene for more than a decade. The band just launched a new tour that it’s hoping will keep fans wrapped around its finger. They talked with JoAnn Sioux on this Music on the Road.

 

(Music on the Road intro. “Time is Ticking Out” video clip)

 

Dolores: We all grew up together and we met each other as teenagers and then we became celebrities together and then we became parents kind of at the same time. So, it was kind of nice, we’ve all gone through similar things at the same time.

 

Anchor: More than eleven years after they first formed in Ireland, The Cranberries are still hard at work, making music together.

 

(A video clip of “Time is Ticking Out” plays and then switches to the song being played live during the band’s press tour last August. )

 

Anchor: The band is on a world tour in support of “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee,” The Cranberries’ first new album in two years. And its a title that seems to reflect their state of mind.

 

(“Analyse” video clip)

 

Dolores: It’s kind of like I have an awakening that occurred right now in my life. Its kind of like I’ve just woken up and smelled the coffee.

 

Fergal: I think all of us have just become more relaxed and and we’re kind of trying mostly just to enjoy it and have fun as much as we can.

 

Anchor: Their guitar-driven pop sound and the distinctive vocals of Dolores O’Riordan helped The Cranberries break on the music scene in the early 1990s.

 

(“Free to Decide” live)

 

Anchor: After scoring a string hit singles early on and selling millions of albums, the band denied rumors a few years back of O’Riordan possibly leaving to pursue a solo career. These days, the Cranberries are happily together, doing what they love.

 

Dolores: As long as the fans are happy and people like our music and what not, as long as there’s a crowd to play to and it’s kind of worth our while going out there doing what we do…

 

Anchor: The Cranberries will swing through Montreal on May 10th before heading to Philadelphia, Boston, and New York.

 

(End of “Zombie” live)

 

Anchor: JoAnn Sioux, CNN Entertainment News, Los Angeles

Source: Exclusive

Earlier this month (on the 9th to be exact), The Cranberries were one of several artists to play at the Le Printemps de Bourges festival in Bourges, France. A good bit of the concert was broadcasted live on France Inter radio and Zombieguide has been able to capture a few songs from the concert and put them up for your downloading pleasure!

· This is the Day (Live at Le Printemps de Bourges) (MP3, 6.4 mb) (Link no longer available)
· The Concept (Live at Le Printemps de Bourges) (MP3, 4.6 mb) (Link no longer available)
· Chocolate Brown (Live at Le Printemps de Bourges) (MP3, 4.7 mb) (Link no longer available)

Webmasters: You may post these files on your site, but you must include a link to Zombieguide.com on the same page. The files must be unmodified and be hosted on your own server. Or, alternately, you may link directly to this page but not to the files themselves. Thanks for your cooperation!

Source: Exclusive

Tour shirts being sold on The Cranberries’ current European leg of the “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” World Tour reveal a long-awaited tour date for the band’s hometown of Limerick, Ireland. Planning for a ten-year anniversary gig in Limerick has been in the works for several months, as the band has not played on their home turf since late 1993.

The shirts list August 3rd, 2002 as the date for the event. The date has yet to be listed by the constantly-updated itinerary found on the band’s official website, but the odds of printing T-shirts with “unconfirmed” tour dates are next to nothing. Organizers expect the large-scale concert to take place at the newly-constructed Limerick Racecourse in Patrickswell. No word yet on what other events will coincide with the ten-year anniversary festivities, but the sheer thought of it makes us giddy! Stay tuned to Zombieguide for the latest updates on this event.

Thanks to Susan Bakker for the news.

Source: Exclusive

El Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City has begun promotion for their upcoming concerts, including The Cranberries’ gig on June 25th. The image below comes as a multi-artist poster that the venue has been using to promote the show around Mexico City.

Thanks to Arturo García of Salsa de Arándanos for the scan.

Source: Exclusive

Today, Zombieguide has obtained yet more scans of the new Barcelona 2002 bootleg  which we reported on Sunday. The scans below are of the CDs themselves, each having two great new photos of Dolores.

Thanks to Momo for the scans!

Source: Exclusive

El Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City has begun promotion for their upcoming concerts, including The Cranberries’ gig on June 25th. The image below comes as a part of a multi-artist poster that the venue has been using to promote the show around Mexico City.

Thanks to Arturo García of Salsa de Arándanos for the scan.

Source: Exclusive

The newest edition of the Mexican Universal radio sampler “Play” includes not one, but two Cranberries tracks (the last edition included “Time is Ticking Out”). Both the new single “This Is The Day” and the “Time Is Ticking Out” Marius de Vries Remix appear on the new CD, of which you can see full scans below.

Thanks to Arturo García of Salsa de Arándanos for the scans.

Source: Exclusive

Another new commercial bootleg from the European leg of the “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” tour has hit the streets of Europe, this one simply titled, “Barcelona 2002”. The show is the same as “Wake Up Barcelona”, but the recording is complete and none of the songs are cut — “Wake Up Barcelona” had an incomplete version of “This Is The Day” and was missing “Salvation.” The extra space on the second disc is filled with a large selection of “bonus tracks” (although not the full show) from Le Printemps de Bourges on April 9th, 2002, probably taken from the radio broadcast on France Inter. The full tracklisting is:

Disc 1:
1. Intro
2. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
3. Zombie
4. Analyse
5. Time Is Ticking Out
6. Animal Instinct
7. You And Me
8. Ode To My Family
9. Just My Imagination
10. Loud And Clear
11. Desperate Andy
12. Pretty
13. When You’re Gone
14. I Can’t Be With You
15. Waltzing Back
16. Free To Decide
17. Salvation
18. Ridiculous Thoughts

Disc 2:
1. Promises
2. Linger
3. I Really Hope
4. This Is The Day
5. Dreams

Bonus Tracks:
6. Analyse
7. Animal Instinct
8. Joe
9. Ode to my Family
10. Just My Imagination
11. Loud And Clear
12. Desperate Andy
13. Daffodil Lament
14. I Can’t Be With You
15. When You’re Gone
16. Free To Decide
17. I Really Hope
18. Salvation
19. Ridiculous Thoughts
20. This Is The Day
21. Time Is Ticking Out
22. The Concept
23. Chocolate Brown

Thanks to Momo for the scans and info!

Source: Exclusive

Today’s issue of the Dutch publication “OOR” contains a review of March 29th’s Amsterdam gig at the Heineken Music Hall. The article was written by Jessica van Kessel, not only a studying-to-be journalist, but also a longtime fan of The Cranberries — and a regular Zombieguide contributor too!
We’ll have an English translation of the review available hopefully tomorrow.

Thanks to “The Vine” Jessica van Kessel for sending us her review.

Source: Exclusive

As a result of all their recent promo work in Europe, several European television and satellite channels will be airing specials about the band this weekend!

Channel AB1 will be airing Cranberries Total Record On Saturday, April 20 at 11.00 and 23.30 (all times local).

The RFM TV channel will broadcast Cranberries Portrait, a 30-minute special, on Saturday, April 20 at 12.30.

Lastly, MTV France will show clips from the band’s recent performance in Bourges, France, including an exclusive interview on MTV Crew. It will air on Monday, April 22 at 13.00 and/or 18.00.

Much thanks to Jesus Castillo for the news.

Source: Exclusive

The April issue of the Spanish edition of “Rolling Stone” has published an article about March’s Movistar Activa Tour in the Iberian Peninsula, which was fronted by The Cranberries. The article includes a nice-size photo and interviews with fans, so click and check it out below.

Source: Cranberries of Prat

MCA Records has begun distributing “This Is The Day” promos to media outlets in France, with each promo including a promo sheet to convey all of the promotion which will be done for the single in France. The promotion includes 30-second promos on radio stations NRJ and M6, along with other radio and TV targets for the single and video.

Source: Cranberries of Prat

The wrath of “Treasure Box” has been unleashed upon Europe and we have some of the first images taken from inside the somewhat mysterious box.

As promised, all of the liner notes and CD cases feature new art in some form or another, and in some cases, completely new images. One of the most intriguing images is one titled the “Bruce Fairbairn Songchart,” a visual record kept by the late producer of “To the Faithful Departed.” The chart confirms the long-held suspicions that “False” was originally recorded for “To the Faithful Departed,” but later scrapped. Empty blanks on the chart, a puzzling graph of rainbows, skulls, check marks, and other symbols, seems to show that the recording was either never finished or that the results were unsatisfactory. There are also old rumors that a studio version of “Yesterday’s Gone” was created in the studio during the album’s recording, but this chart shows no evidence of the title.

The full listing for the chart is:

I.J.S.J.L
Rebels
Joe
Forever Yallow Skies
Free To Decide
Salvation
Hollywood
Electric Blue
I’m Still Remembering
Will You Remember?
When You’re Gone
Cordell
Warchild
Bosnia
False
The Picture I View

Interlude (Presumably “Intermission”)

All of the books feature the full lyrics in plain type — no more deciphering Dolores’s handwriting on the “No Need to Argue” notes. Each new booklet also contains notes from the Art Director, Cally, ranging on subjects from the Uncertain EP, the famous “couch,” and the abstract “To the Faithful Departed” photo session.

The only apparent difference (thus far) between the full “Treasure Box” and the individual releases is that the individual releases will carry is a barcode, which is absent from the individual albums themselves, but is carried on the outer box.

Huge thanks to Daniel Steward for the images and info.

Source: Exclusive

MCA Records has begun distributing “This Is The Day” promos to media outlets in the band’s native Ireland, and the releases contain a sticker to announce details on the single’s Irish release. According to the information, “TITD” will release in Ireland on April 26th, a date which mirrors the possible UK release.

A new commercial bootleg has been released in Europe, titled “French Dreams” on Coffeeshop Records. The CD includes the band’s performance in Lille, France on March 18, 2002. The venue, the Zenith Arena, was packed with a sold-out crowd of over 7000 fans. Here’s the full tracklisting, along with some scans of the cover and back cover.

Tracklisting:
1. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
2. Zombie
3. Analyse
4. Loud And Clear
5. Animal Instinct
6. I Really Hope
7. Just My Imagination
8. Desperate Andy
9. Go Your Own Way
10. When You’re Gone
11. Free To Decide
12. Salvation
13. Ridiculous Thoughts
14. This Is The Day
15. Delilah
16. Ode To My Family
17. The Concept
18. Promises
19. Dreams

“Time Is Ticking Out” is one of several tracks included on a new Universal radio compilation in Mexico titled “Play.” Other bands on the disc include Garbage and Blink 182. Check out the tracklisting and scans below.
Thanks to Arturo García of Salsa de Arándanos for the scans.

Source: Exclusive

Four months ago, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting The Cranberries drummer Fergal Lawler outside of the Baltimore Arena. After lamenting that he had nothing on the tour bus to give me, he promised to “post something off” to me… something which arrived in my mailbox last week.

In the white envelope arrived two CD-Rs filled with the kind of elusive rarities that would make any dedicated Cranberries fan soil their panties. Along with the CDs came a typed tracklist from Fergal and a handwritten note from one of the band’s representatives. The list has a few errors, but they’re sorted out below…

But of course you didn’t click here to read about all that. Zombieguide is happy to present some exclusive full downloads of some of the rarest Cranberries demo recordings from 1990 to 1991, recorded on their first indie label, Xeric. To read more about Xeric Records, the Watercircle demo, and the Uncertain EP, read up on Zombieguide’s Ultimate Bio.

These tracks are still available for download from Essentially Cranberries (Links no longer available) (They were removed from Zombieguide due to high bandwidth consumption).

“Watercircle” Demo by The Cranberry Saw Us, 1990
1. Sunday (MP3, 7.2 mb)
2. Linger (MP3, 7.4 mb)
3. Chrome Paint (MP3, 5.3 mb)
4. A Fast One (MP3, 5.1 mb)

Click here to visit the Media Vault to download these archived tracks! (Link no longer available)

Watercircle, released in early 1990, is believed to be the band’s firt demo together with Dolores. The tracks “Chrome Paint” (aka “Crown Paint”) and “A Fast One” were among the band’s earliest tracks and never reappeared on any other recording, but were staples of the band’s early live set.

Xeric Records Demos 1990-1991
1. Uncertain (MP3, 4.9 mb)
2. Reason (MP3, 2.7 mb)
3. Put Me Down (MP3, 4.0 mb)
4. Dreams (MP3, 6.4 mb)

Of all the tracks on the discs, these must be the rarest. I never even knew of the existence of an “Uncertain” demo — keep in mind all of these tracks are very different from the album versions. An interesting thing to note is that the Uncertain demo, which already has some static in it, ends with a woman’s voice saying, “Uncertain by The Cranberries…” before it cuts out, suggesting it was taken from a radio broadcast. The version of “Reason” found here is identical to that prevously found on the Dave Fanning Sessions, but this version is nearly twice as long, as the Dave Fanning Sessions version seems to have been cut prematurely. It’s possible that the version of “Dreams” here is from one of the band’s early demo tapes, but it sounds nothing like the short clip aired on MTV’s Rockumentary. Nevertheless, the early cut of “Dreams” retains every bit of the subtle etheral beauty that would make anyone fall in love with it all over again.

Uncertain EP, 1991
1. Uncertain (MP3, 4.5 mb)
2. Nothing Left At All (MP3, 5.6 mb)
3. Pathetic Senses (5.3 mb)
4. Them (5.5 mb)

Despite the notation on Fergal’s paper, these are all the EP versions from “Uncertain,” so nothing too terribly special.

Dave Fanning Sessions, 2FM, 1990
1. Linger (MP3, 7.4 mb) (Same as “Watercircle”)
2. Wanted (MP3, 3.2 mb)
3. Put Me Down (MP3, 4.5 mb)

One of The Cranberries’ earliest media spotlights was on 2FM’s Dave Fanning Sessions, where up-and-coming artists record in the 2FM studios for radio broadcast. The version of “Linger” here is the same recording found on “Watercircle” — probably aired on the radio mixed in with the sessions. “Wanted” is the same version that has always been associated with the Dave Fanning Sessions. The most interesting here is “Put Me Down” which is not the same version commonly associated with the session. The version that was prevously available is listed above under the Xeric demos.

The rest of the tracks (seen below) are all described correctly, although the John Peel Session took place in January 1992 (not 1991). The live tracks all seem to be taken from different gigs, all from the 1993-1994 era, all soundboard quality.

John Peel Session 1992
1. Waltzing Back (MP3, 5.1 mb)
2. I Will Always (MP3, 3.8 mb)

Live Tracks
1. I Still Do (MP3, 4.9 mb)
2. Daffodil Lament (MP3, 7.1 mb)
3. Not Sorry (MP3, 5.4 mb)
4. Waltzing Back (MP3, 5.5 mb)
5. Dreams (MP3, 6.6 mb)
6. Ridiculous Thoughts (MP3 6.7 mb)

Well, so there you have it… some of the most rare Cranberries recordings known to exist, right here for you on Zombieguide.

And Fergal, if you’re reading this, major thanks!!!
And I hope to meet you again on the upcoming US tour.

Webmasters: You may post these files on your site, but you must include a link to Zombieguide.com on the same page. The files must be unmodified and be hosted on your own server. Or, alternately, you may link directly to this page but not to the files themselves.

Source: Exclusive

Earlier today, Universal Music sent their new release books to retailers in the US, outlining major releases for May 14th. The promotional material includes a four full-page color spread on the US release of the “Treasure Box” boxed set. Zombieguide has obtained some high-resolution scans of the promo booklet, seen below.

The booklets reveal one final purpose for Treasure Box: to replace the Island Records versions of the first four albums which will soon be out of print. The individual new re-releases will replace the older, now deleted, versions of the albums on store shelves. Although many fans mourn the fact that their favorite albums are being pulled from store shelves, it’s all for the best — being replaced with beefed-up versions with all the album tracks and B- sides on one disc.

Also below is seen some of the new artwork, particularly that of “To the Faithful Departed,” which portrays some faint handwriting in one picture beside what seems to show rings for a ring-toss game, keeping in the “carnival” theme of the boxed set.

Source: Exclusive

Although many regions in Europe today received the two-track version of “This Is The Day,” distribution in the UK, as usual, is lagging a bit behind. However, several online retailers, such as 101 CD, have begun taking preorders for the single. The listing that appears on 101 CD is not listed as an import, and could therefore possibly refer to the UK release. The listing points to an April 29th release date, which does not coincide with any other previously announced date for the single.

UK fans remain hopeful, although recent releases have been somewhat lacking; the region never received the “Time is Ticking Out” single, which received a more “selective” release in a few regions earlier this year.

Thanks to Daniel Steward for the tip.

Source: 101 CD

Earlier today, MCA Records released a press release for the upcoming North American release of “Treasure Box.” Most of the information is stale news, but it does in fact contain a few new tidbits, such as the fact that each new re-release contains newly-designed 12-page booklets.

LINGER WITH THE CRANBERRIES ON TREASURE BOX – THE COMPLETE SESSIONS 1991-1999

 

The Cranberries, the biggest-selling Irish rock artists outside of U2, have always plowed their own path. Now, before the group has ever issued a “best of” collection in the U.S., The Cranberries are the subject of a box set that includes every released recording laid down during the sessions for their first four studio albums.

 

The four-CD set, Treasure Box – The Complete Sessions 1991-1999 (Island/UME), is being released May 14, 2002, just as the band kicks off its U.S. tour in support of its fifth studio album, 2001’s Wake Up And Smell The Coffee. Treasure Box contains 74 tracks–all of the selections from the first four albums plus 21 bonus b-sides, remixes, and tracks from non- Cranberries albums. In essence, Treasure Box offers expanded versions of each of the group’s albums, with individual jewel boxes including 12-page booklets. Each track has also been digitally remastered and each album features redesigned artwork.

 

CD 1 – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?/The Complete Sessions 1991-1993: In 1993, the Limerick band (singer Dolores O’Riordan, brothers Noel and Mike Hogan (guitar and bass, respectively) and drummer Fergal Lawler) went Top 10 and gold with “Linger,” and Top 10 and quintuple platinum with the album. The bonuses are “Reason,” “Them,” “What You Were,” “Liar,” “Pretty” (Pret A Porter Movie Remix) and “How” (Radical Mix).

 

CD 2 – No Need To Argue/The Complete Sessions 1994-1995: The second album debuted at #6 in 1994 and spawned the #1 Modern Rock hit “Zombie” and #11 “Ode To My Family,” and reached seven times platinum. The bonuses are “Away,” “I Don’t Need,” the Carpenters’ cover “(They Long To Be) Close To You,” “So Cold In Ireland” and “Zombie” (Camel’s Hump Mix).

 

CD 3 – To The Faithful Departed/The Complete Sessions 1996-1997: Moving from former Smiths producer Stephen Street for their first two albums to Aerosmith producer Bruce Fairbairn, The Cranberries rocked harder. The 1996 album debuted at #6 and is currently double platinum. The bonuses are “Cordell,” “The Picture I View,” “Ave Maria” (from a Luciano Pavarotti benefit album), “Go Your Own Way” (from a Fleetwood Mac tribute album) and “God Be With You.”

 

CD 4 – Bury The Hatchet/The Complete Sessions 1998-1999: The band returned to the more mellow sound of its beginnings via a new producer, Benedict Fenner, and the 1999 album debuted Top 15 and is now gold. The bonus tracks are “Baby Blues,” “The Sweetest Thing,” “Woman Without Pride,” “Such A Shame” and “Paparazzi On Mopeds.”

Source: MCA Records

The Cranberries were featured in the January/February 2002 issue of the Greek magazine “Mad Voice.” The band got a four-page article in the magazine, and Zombieguide has some scans of the article below…

Source: Exclusive

MCA Records has released a new promo disc for “Time is Ticking Out” to Brazil. The disc includes new art and a different track listing from the previous promo releases.
The tracklisting is:

1. Time is Ticking Out (Album version)
2. Time is Ticking Out (Remix edit version)
3. Analyse (Acoustic version)

Hmmm…. an “Analyse” acoustic version? It sounds interesting, to say the least, noting that this is the first release by MCA to include a mix of “Analyse” with that title. It is currently unknown if it is a studio “acoustic version” or if it is a live acoustic version that has been added onto the disc. Perhaps MCA will put the new version onto an upcoming single… seems that we’ll have to wait and see.