A month after The Cranberries have started recording their new album for which Dolores had already recorded vocals, it seems the band is currently putting the finishing touches and it should now be a matter of days before they’re done with this new record.

The recordings started on April 16th at Kore Studios, in London, where the band worked until May 4th.
Studio pics during this session interestingly show the use of a bass clarinet.

After a week break, the band came back one last time at Kore Studios on May 14th to add strings, and then moved on the following day to Stephen Street’s Bunker studio in the 13 studios complex in West London.

There, they were joined for a couple of days by Johanna Wiseley (Cranitch) who fans are familiar with as she’s been working with the band as backing singer/keyboard player on tour since 2012.

Johanna posted a photo on Instagram yesterday, stating that she had finished putting the backing vocals down, and confirmed on the occasion that this album should unsurprisingly be the “final” album.

Although listening to this record will be very difficult for most of us, fans, we’re feeling very thankful to the band and their crew who are devoting themselves to giving life to Dolores’ last tracks, as they feel this is “what [She] would have wanted“.

All pictures below were posted on The Cranberries Instagram account and were taken at Kore Studios in London between April 18th and May 4th:

(click for larger view)

Strings on May 14th at Kore Studios:

All photos below were posted on The Cranberries Instagram account as well and were taken at The Bunker in London on May 15th & 16th:

It’s now Sunday, May 20th in UK and Ireland, The Cranberries just posted on Instagram:
“One year ago today. Last song (Dreams) last show.”

London, Palladium, 20 May 2017

“Dreams” front row video by Leigh Smith:

Early years rarities, episode #2 from Alan’s collection!
Following the upload of his audio recording from 1991 concert at Limerick’s Parkway last February, here’s a second gem surfacing almost 25 years after it was recorded. Again, Alan recorded this one himself on his walkman back in 1993 at Two Mile Inn, Limerick.

Alan purposely chose not to stand at the front for this recording, as opposed to The Parkway, in order to try and get a better sound; he thus stood close to the FOH mixing desk. It remains an audience recording so the quality is pretty similar to the 1991 recording. The recording features the complete show, only a few seconds before the encore are missing as Alan had to flip the cassette, but there’s no song missing.

Tracklist:
01. Like You Used To
02. Pretty
03. Sunday
04. The Icicle Melts
05. Away
06. Linger
07. Reason
08. How
09. I Don’t Need
10. Put Me Down
11. I Will Always
12. Not Sorry
13. Waltzing Back
14. Dreams
15. Wanted
16. Zombie
17. Still Cant…
________________
18. Liar
19. False

Alan’s mastertape

What’s particularly striking on this recording is the never heard before early version of “Zombie”. Obviously this was one of the first time (maybe the very first time?) the song was played live in concert.
Dolores introduces the track simply mentioning it is “another new song, it’s called Zombie”.
The song does sound very similar to that we know, still it features some interesting differences:
“Zombie” is actually played quite fast, kinda like a 33rpm at the 45rpm speed.
Dolores sings alternative lyrics in the 2nd verse of the song “another mothers broken heart has hardly spoken”. Also, the line “with their tanks, and their guns, and their bombs” happens to be “with your tanks, and your guns, and your bombs” at that time.
One may note that Dolores doesn’t exactly sing as she does on the album version and the words “in your head” and the ultimate “Zombie” are for instance sung very softly compared to what we’re used to.

It’s funny to note that what will turn out to become The Cranberries biggest hit was barely applauded that night. Yet, the crowd, which as you can hear was very talkative on that night, does pause to pay attention during 3 to 4 particular songs, and “Zombie” is of them; definitely a good sign 😉

Thank you Alan, everyone can now listen to the earliest live version known to this day of the masterpiece “Zombie”. (The previous earliest version of the song was the Paris radio show “The Black Sessions” recorded on 3 May 1993).

The rest of the set also includes songs which were rarely played live after 1993 like “Away”, “I don’t Need”, “Reason” or “I will always”.
Most of the other classic songs played on that night sound very close to the album versions we’re all familiar with (as opposed to The Parkway show where songs rather sound very fresh and almost like demos than the final versions), which is not too surprising as The Cranberries first album was just a few weeks old at the time.
All in all, a great boot to listen to, enjoy it!!!

As the May Bank Holiday weekend is getting closer, Todayfm published an audio interview of Noel Hogan last Monday, ahead of the talk he his to give with Stephen Street at VINYL festival in Dublin this Saturday.
Quite a moving interview, as this is the first time we hear one of the boys since Dolores’ passing.

Noel indeed chats to Muireann O’Connell, pleasantly coming back on the early days memories.

Asked about the 25th anniversary edition of “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?”, Noel says the album should now be released around mid September!

As for The Cranberries new album due for release in 2019, Noel says there are still 3 weeks of recording coming in London, where the band has been for 2 weeks already.
He explains the album will be a combination of some tracks he had started writing with Dolores last summer, with some others she had already written herself before.
The lads are thus turning these demos on laptop into proper Cranberries song as they feel these tracks can make a “strong enough album” and that this is “what Dolores would have wanted“.

Again, our team is sending them all our support as this must obviously not be easy.

It’s great to know they are surrounded by the “original team” from the early days to do this all together.

We love you guys!