On Wednesday, Italy saw the release of Evilenko on double DVD, with the second DVD consisting of bonus features and production interviews

The second DVD features an interview with composer Angelo Badalamenti who co-wrote the theme song “Angels Go to Heaven” with Dolores O’Riordan. Badalamenti takes time during the interview to discuss how Dolores got involved with the project. Surprisingly, it was Dolores who contacted him first and not vice versa. Even more, Badalamenti discusses the possibility of several more collaborations with Dolores, time permitting.

The interview appears to have been recorded early on while the “Angels Go to Heaven” collaboration was still in the works and not yet recorded.

“I was telling David (Grieco, director) the other day that I received a call from the girl from The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan. She’s really very interested in getting together with me, with us collaborating on doing another kind of Dolores O’Riordan, not in the style of The Cranberries necessarily, but more of a wider world thing. So it’s just a matter maybe of schedule, of her schedule, my schedule, depending on projects. But I’d be interested in working with her, she’s got a thing [with her voice]… I remember David telling me that he was especially fond of a certain grittiness in her voice that was attractive. Maybe together with my kind of music with her we can create something di erent. When you’re constantly working on films and scores, there’s so little time for that. Every now and then, there’s an opportunity to write a song. We composers, we come in at the last minute and we gotta get the score done. If things are done well in advance, there might be time to write specific songs.”

Click here to Download MP3 of Angelo Badalamenti talking about his collaboration with Dolores O’Riordan (in English) (MP3, 1.7 MB) [LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

The interview also includes footage of Badalamenti recording the synth music for “Angels Go to Heaven,” although Dolores herself is not featured on the DVD.

Many thanks to Tipsy for the audio and news.

Record label Minus Habens emailed Zombieguide today to state that the CD soundtrack for Evilenko will release in Italy on October 5th, just one day before the film’s double DVD release. Assuming that there are no changes in the tracklist, the soundtrack should contain two versions of Dolores O’Riordan’s “Angels Go to Heaven”: a synth mix and a full band mix.

Zombieguide will soon receive the o cial release sheet for the CD’s release and will have more details when it arrives.

Source: Exclusive

Online retailer DVDLand.it is now listing the DVD of Evilenko to release on October 6th in Italy. The movie’s theme song is Angelo Badalamenti and Dolores O’Riordan’s “Angels Go to Heaven.” The 2 DVD set is priced at €17.99, no word yet on what extras are contained on the second DVD. Is it too much to hope for a making-of bit for the soundtrack?

The release status of the Evilenko soundtrack is still unknown. Italian independent label Minus Habens, who picked up the rights to the soundtrack’s distribution, has been quiet about any release, even after emails from Zombieguide. Since this is the case, the release of the DVD will be the first time the full song will be available to the public, as a full version of “Angels Go to Heaven” has yet to surface. Thanks to Berryman for the tip.

Another of Dolores’s side projects is getting released on DVD next month. As we told you earlier, Zucchero moved up the DVD release of his Royal Albert Hall multi-artist extravaganza to an October release. It’s now o cial, according to Universal Music Finland’s website, Zu & Co Live at the Albert Hall (as it is now o cially titled), will release on October 18th for much of Europe. No word yet on extras, but you can be sure to expect lots of behind-the-scenes footage.

Source: DVDLand.it, Un Po’ di Zucchero

In today’s issue of Ireland’s “The Sunday Independent,” Dolores tells a reporter for the paper that she does indeed have “lots of solo projects in the pipeline,” though no specifics are mentioned in the article.

The Sunday Independent reporter relates that Dolores spent her 33rd birthday with an intimate dinner at an unnamed “Limerick five-star country house hotel with a chosen few friends and husband Don.”

Most importantly, Dolores mentioned that she and “her family are ready to move back to Ireland” full-time after spending the past year in Toronto.

Source: The Sunday Independent

Several Australian online CD retailers, including HMV.com.au and Sanity.com.au, are listing Jam & Spoon’s “Tripomatic Fairytales 3003” for an October 4th release in Australia. The CD was originally released in June in Jam & Spoon’s native Germany, but until now has not seen any international releases. As you should well know, the CD includes a collaboration with Dolores O’Riordan on the song “Mirror Lover.”

Zombieguide will keep you updated if other international release dates are announced!

Source: HMV.com.au and Sanity.com.au

After nearly four months on the market, Dolores O’Riordan and Don Burton have found a buyer for their Kilmallock home, Riversfield Stud.

While the details to the sale are still private, the August 22nd issue of London’s Sunday Times reports that the Burtons agreed to an amount that is “close to its asking price of €4.5 million.”

When the couple put their home up for sale in April, it originally had an asking price of €3 million. After the home attracted substantial interest, Dolores and Don decided to briefly take it o the market to readjust the price. Weeks ago, they bumped up the price by 50% to the final price of €4.5 million.

The home contains a long list of lavish features including a swimming pool, gym, tennis court, bar, wine cellar, mini-pizzeria, pool table covered with pink felt, childrens’ bathroom with a mini-jacuzzi, and a stained glass window with the lyrics of “Zombie.”

Source: Sunday Times (London)

In a recent interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Zucchero told the newspaper that he expects the DVD release of his extravagant Royal Albert Hall concert to be released in October. A DVD video of the concert has been planned since it took place in May, where Zucchero performed with a number of artists from “Zu & Co.,” including Mousse T, Dolores O’Riordan, Solomon Burke, Tina Arena, Brian May, Luciano Pavarotti and Eric Clapton. This news moves up the previously-scheduled date of a December release.

In the same interview, the reporter asked Zucchero to describe each of his collaborators with one word and then explain. When asked up sum up Dolores O’Riordan in one word, he replied, “Heart. Her voice goes down to the bottom of your soul.”

Thanks to Boris of Un Po’ di Zucchero for the tip.

Source: Zucchero O cial Site

In a new interview entitled “It’s a Drum Do for Pope, Idols Westlife” from the July 30th issue of Plymouth, UK’s “Evening Herald,” Irish boyband Westlife explain how Dolores O’Riordan rescued their performance of “Little Drummer Boy” at the 9th Vatican Christmas Concert. Nicky Byrne explains in the interview:

“But the single biggest plus for me was being invited over to the Vatican to perform in person for the Pope, even though the experience didn’t go quite as planned.

“We had to perform two songs, live on TV as part of the deal, one of which had to be a carol. We chose Little Drummer Boy, but unfortunately they pitched it in a key that was too high.

“We tried to do it in rehearsal and couldn’t pull it o . The music director didn’t speak English and we had an hour before we were due to perform live for the Pope in a packed arena of 10,000 for a show going out live on TV.

“Fortunately the day was saved when we managed to recruit the lead singer with the Cranberries, who were also there to perform [sic], to help us out.”

Source: Evening Herald

Anyone who was hoping to grab Dolores O’Riordan’s Kilmallock home, Riversfeild Stud, at the bargain price of €3 million has now lost their chance; according to the August 1st issue of London’s The Sunday Times, Dolores and Don have raised the price of their Kilmallock home and stable to €4.5 million.

Several newspapers and tabloids have taken a gander at the home, which includes everything from tennis courts to a stained glass window displaying the lyrics of “Zombie,” since it went up for sale in April. According to the latest Sunday Times article, the new price is a “correction,” and more accurately reflects the true value of the estate. The article states that the home has generated lots of interested parties, but has yet to find a committed buyer. The Burtons are looking to settle into a home closer to Dublin in order to make it easier to travel to Canada.

If you’d like to see more of the former O’Riordan home, there is an “online brochure” available over at MyHome.ie.

Source: The Sunday Times

Thanks to steady high chart positions across continental Europe, Zucchero’s duets CD “Zu & Co” (featuring Dolores O’Riordan on “Pure Love”) has now sold over 1 million copies worldwide. To date, “Zu & Co.” has achieved multi-platinum status in Italy, platinum in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, gold in France and is very nearly gold in the Netherlands and Belgium. The CD still has Top 10 status on the charts in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and Switzerland. There are still no plans to release it here in the USA.

In other Zucchero news, both Zucchero and Dolores were featured briefly in this past week’s edition of CNN International’s “The Music Room” show. The segment was on Italy’s Fesitivalbar in May. The show aired a short interview with Zucchero, then played a clip of Dolores and Zucchero performing “Pure Love” at Festivalbar, then aired a short interview clip with Dolores. Dolores told CNN that after doing the Cranberries for 13 years it’s now fun to work with other people.

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

After 10 and a half months of speculation, The Cranberries’ official Site has finally confirmed the rumor that AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has offered Dolores O’Riordan the lead role of Helen in his long-incubating musical comedy, “Helen of Troy.” Malcolm McDowell (who also stars in EvilEnko) has been long confirmed for to take the role of narrator.

In related news, Brian Johnson has recently been on a trip to Greece to research the the ancient myth at the root of his play. His trip was filmed by a camera crew and will be made into a TV documentary called Goddess Odyssey and will air in the US sometime this fall. This is the second TV documentary produced for Brian Johnson’s “Helen of Troy”; the first, “Highway to Helen,” aired in the UK last November.

Sources: Cranberries Offcial Website, Crabsody In Blue

João Faria, who worked at last month’s Rock in Rio in Lisbon, has sent in some exclusive photos of Dolores’s surprise appearance there on May 28th. João was General Coordinator of the Better World Forum, where Dolores made her appearance in support of Amnesty International and performed with 1 Giant Leap.

João filled us in on more details about the event, and so we’ve updated our previews news story with his additions (corrections are in italics).

The photos are below. The people pictured onstage with Dolores at the roundtable disccusion at the Better World Forum are Michael Havas, Ivo Meirelles, Bill Shipsey and Margarida Pinto Correia. Photos 7, 8, and 9 are from Dolores’s soundcheck with One Giant Leap before the conference.

Thanks João! And if anyone else has more media from Dolores’s appearance at Rock in Rio Lisbon (or any of her other recent appearances), please email it to us to put up!

Source: Exclusive

Zombieguide Forums member cranberry_india took the intiative recently to inquire about the status of the EvilEnko soundtrack, which was supposed to be released in Italy in April, but was delayed.

The response he got was from Phil Mann of Wide Black Sky. Mann spent last fall in Italy working with Angelo Badalamenti on the score for “EvilEnko.”

Mann tells us, “About the Evilenko soundtrack… There’s some good news: it’s going to be released by an Italian record label. I believe that the label is called ‘Minus Habens’ and it should be out later this summer.” He also mentioned that the question was passed onto Badalmenti himself: “Thanks for asking! I’m glad you liked it and I mentioned your post to Angelo, who loves to hear from his audience.”

The EvilEnko soundtrack will contain two versions of Dolores O’Riordan’s “Angels Go to Heaven”: the original “synth mix” from the film version and a “full band mix.” If you can’t stand the wait until the end of summer, you can download preview clips over at the special section at CranberriesItalia.

Of course, thanks to cranberry_india for the news. Zombieguide will have more on Dolores’s solo projects very soon, so keep it tuned here.

Source: Exclusive

Zombieguide exclusively reported last October in our interview with Cranberries sound engineer Mike Plotniko that Dolores O’Riordan recorded a song entitled “Black Widow” which was to be included in the “Music From and Inspired by Spider-Man 2” soundtrack this month. Unfortunately, the song didn’t make the final tracklisting for the American version of the soundtrack.

However, Scifi.com today relayed the news from Variety magazine that Sony plans to make the unprecedented move of releasing 11 different versions of the soundtrack throughout the world, each with a di erent tracklisting. Each tracklisting will be tailored to appeal to each region’s audience; which is good news, considering that Dolores O’Riordan’s o ering would be much more appealing to a, say, mainland European audience, than an American one.

So far, the tracklistings for the international versions of “Music From and Inspired by Spider-Man 2” have not been announced. As of yet, there is no o cial confirmation that “Black Widow” will appear for sure, but Zombieguide will of course keep you informed with the latest.

Update 12:22 AM: We just got a chance to read the full article from Daily Variety and it appears that Dolores O’Riordan will not appear on any versions of the soundtrack. The article lists most of the international “bonus tracks,” all of which are by Sony artists. I suppose we’ll have to wait until a future release to hear “Black Widow.”

Thanks to Icicle Melts for the news tip.

Source: Variety via Scifi.com

The new Jam & Spoon album “Tripomatic Fairtyales 3003”, featuring Dolores O’Riordan on “Mirror Lover,” has been moved back yet again to Monday, June 21st and not June 14th, as previously announced. The album has received many delays since it was first scheduled to release last October. This release date only applies to Germany and surrounding territories, but of course, you can buy it online from your favorite e-tailer (The Cranberries O cial Site should have it available soon).

You can view RealVideo streams of the first two singles below:
[LINKS NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

FullVideoStream – “Set Me Free” (feat. Rea / Reamonn)
FullVideoStream – “Cynical Heart” (feat. Jim Kerr / Simple Minds)

Also, here’s an itinerary of Jam & Spoon’s promotional appearances for the upcoming weeks:
21.6. Bayern 3, Gong München, Fantasy, Radio 7, SWR 3, Chartradio
22.6. SR1, HR3, YOU FM
23.6. Radio NRW, Radio RPR, WDR 1 live (13.00 Uhr LIVE !)
24.6. N-Joy Radio, Radio Hamburg, RSH
25.6. Radio SAW, MDR Jump, Antenne Thüringen
26.6. VIVA, Club Rotation, 22:00 Uhr

The website for Toronto’s Metalworks Studios has updated with a small bit of information regarding Dolores O’Riordan’s recent lengthy recording sessions there. The website lists a “To Be Announced” project from Dolores to be released on a label called Helter. We at ZG couldn’t find any current label simply by the name of “Helter,” though there are several by the name “Helter Skelter,” the largest of which produces Oasis singles in Europe. It is possible that the label is new or else a name-only label, just as “Black Widow” is listed under the “Timeless Music” label. The website also mentions that engineer Chris Crerar acted as 2nd engineer on the recording. (We guess that Matt Vaughan was the head engineer.)

Dolores spent most of the second half of 2003 in Toronto working at Metalworks on soundtrack projects and also on starting her solo album.

Source: Metalworks Studios

We have breaking news today that The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan has recorded and contributed a new song entitled “Angels Go to Heaven” to the upcoming Italian horror movie EvilEnko. The song was written by Dolores and Angelo Badalamenti, composer of the soundtracks for Blue Velvet and Mullholland Drive. The movie, written by breakthrough director David Grieco, will be released in Italy in just a few days on April 16th.

The movie stars Malcom McDowell of A Clockwork Orange fame. Curiously, McDowell is slated to take the role of Zues in Brian Johnson’s play Helen of Troy, to which Dolores is contributing several songs (and possibly take the role of Helen). We’re betting that McDowell introduced her to this project.

A clip of the song “Angels Go to Heaven” can be heard at the end of the trailer for the new movie. Additionally, you can hear a 45-second clip of the new song by visiting EvilEnko.com. Once the page loads, click the right side of the frontal lobe (labelled “lembo di vita”) of the brain that appears. Dolores’s contribution is also noted on the bottom of the movie’s poster, which reads “The song ‘Angels go to Heaven’ (O’Riordan – Badalamenti) is sung by Dolores O’Riordan.”

Huge thanks to Alisha for this news.

If you’ve got any scoops about Dolores O’Riordan’s upcoming solo material,
please send it in to us!

Source: EvilEnko.com

Concert organizers for the European Union’s grand “Beautiful Night” mega- concert on May 1 regretfully announced yesterday that the Dublin half of the event has been cancelled. The event in Dublin would have required closing certain streets for five days, disrupting business. There are suspicions that the event was also cancelled due to the threat of a terrorist attack. The planned simultaneous concert in Belfast (which ironically is not part of the Republic of Ireland) will go on as planned.

Previously announced artists included Dolores O’Riordan, Van Morrison, U2, Alanis Morisette, and Bob Geldof. No word yet on how the cancellation of the Dublin concert will a ect the artist lineup, if at all.

Source: The Observer

Dolores O’Riordan and husband Don Burton made the front cover of nearly every Irish tabloid today as the second day rolls on in a civil lawsuit brought by former childcare provider Joy Fahy, who was a childsitter for the couple’s son Taylor in June 1999. Fahy is alleging that the couple broke a verbal agreement made by Don Burton for a salary of £500 a week plus £40 for expenses. She is seeking compensation of £10,000, a Jeep that she claims was promised to her, and the return of her personal possessions.

The biggest testimony yesterday by the prosecution was that on a June 28, 1999, a drunken Don Burton took 18-month-old Taylor onto a jetski without a lifejacket. Fahy elsewhere claimed that she was more concerned when Taylor was in the care of his parents than in her own hands.

However, Dolores and Don’s defense, led by Mr Bill Shipsey SC, refuted this claim in today’s cross-examination by proving that Fahy was not in Canada on the day of the alleged jetski incident. Fahy responded by saying that it must have been the next day. The defense then pointed out that Don and Dolores were away for 10 hours that subsequent day, according to Fahy’s own diary. Despite being disproven twice, Fahy still claimed the incident happened. According to RTÉ’s legal a airs editor Mary Wilson, “The couple themselves and Dolores O’Riordan’s mother Eileen, who has always, Shipsey said, been the primary caregiver of the child will also give evidence that this incident, as recounted by Joy Fahy, simply never happened.”

A surprise piece of evidence today from the defense shows that Fahy illegitimately received approximately €3,000 in “dole” unemployment payments from Ireland’s Deptment of Social Welfare while she was working in London for actress Elle MacPherson. A shocked Fahy responded by saying, “Oh my God,” and that she had no idea that she was still receiving payments, since they were deposited directly to her bank account. She acknowledges that she is still “in the process of sorting out her a airs” and that she will have to return the illegitimate payments to the government.

Also today, Fahy broke down in court when testifying that she never got a chance to say goodbye to Taylor Burton, to whom she had grown quite attached. “It stays with her that she wasn’t able to turn around in Canada and say goodbye to the little guy,” commented Wilson.

Fahy told RTÉ News that she became a professional childsitter after an accident in 1994 which halted her career in physical fitness. After a subsequent depression, Fahy said the she had a chance to re-evaluate her life. It was at that time that she became a childcare provider. She has had numerous celebrity clients, including U2’s Larry Mullen, Jr.

Fahy had previously worked for the Burtons in 1997, but claims that it was an unpleasant experience. She returned to working for them in 1999 only after Don Burton promised her “the son, the moon, and the stars.”

The case will be continued on Tuesday.

RTÉ has produced several comprehensive reports yesterday and today which include video footage of both Fahy and the Burtons walking to and from the Four Courts in Dublin. Links are here and screencaptures are below:

Reports:
[MOST OF THE LINKS NO LONGER AVAILABLE]
RTÉ: Nanny to sue Cranberries singer (or click here)
Irish Times: Cranberries singer and her husband sued by ex-nanny RTÉ: O’Riordan is sued by former nanny
RTÉ: O’Riordan is sued by former nanny
RTÉ: O’Riordan nanny speaks of distress (or click here)
RTÉ: Nanny accused of falsely receiving €3,000

This morning’s Irish tabloids featured numerous front-page stories regarding the ongoing lawsuit between former childsitter Joy Faye and Dolores O’Riordan-Burton. The tabloid reports contain many of the more saucy details that national outlets like RTE tactfully omitted. Below are some text versions of articles that appeared today. You can check out some great scans over in the Magazines Gallery that include some very nice color photos of Dolores and Don walking to the High Court in Dublin. Thanks to Des for sending in the scans!

The Mirror

March 26, 2004, Friday
Eire Edition; NEWS; Pg. 4,5
DOLORES HUSBAND TOOK MY PASSPORT .. I WAS SO FRIGHTENED I LOCKED MYSELF IN MY ROOM; NANNY TELLS COURT OF DRINK-FUELLED OUTBURSTS
DECLAN FAHY
DENIAL; Dolores O’Riordan and Donald Burton at court yesterday; FLED IN FEAR; Joy Fahy claims breach of contract
CRANBERRIES rock star Dolores O’Riordan’s husband falsely imprisoned their nanny, a court heard yesterday.
Joy Fahy, 34, claimed she locked herself in her bedroom as she fled in fear from the singer’s Canadian partner Donald Burton.
He roared at her in a drink-fuelled rage after she disagreed with the way the couple’s child Taylor was being treated in Canada in 1999, the court was told.
Ms Fahy is suing the couple for false imprisonment and breach of contract.
She wants EUR12,500, a Cherokee Jeep and a deposit for an apartment because she claims they reneged on an agreement they had.
Among the allegations she outlined to the High Court yesterday were: – CRANBERRIES tour manager Burton refused to return her passport
– SHE barricaded herself in her bedroom in fear of Burton who had been drinking
BURTON was persistently drunk in the afternoons and evenings, and – HE took the couple’s child on a jet ski without a lifejacket.
Ms Fahy travelled to Canada in June 1999 with the couple where she claimed they stayed in an isolated building eight miles from the nearest village.
She claimed the row with O’Riordan and Burton started after she was told to live in the house without a car, which had no food, only an out-of-date tin of pasta.
Ms Fahy told O’Riordan she was unhappy with the situation and the way their baby was being treated.
The nanny, who also worked for U2’s Larry Mullen, said: ” O’Riordan went ballistic. She was screaming and crying.
“She said, ‘My mum is against me, everyone is against me. I’ll do what’s right for my child’.”
Soon after Burton, who had been drinking with friends, came upstairs and challenged Ms Fahy.
She claimed: “He began to shout. There was a lot of cursing.
“He had been drinking. His face was red, his eyes were bloodshot, he clenched his fists.
“He said ‘I decide to hire here. I decide who to fire. You don’t get it’.”
“He said, ‘My wife is Bono, not Larry. You are going home. You are f**king fired. Nobody likes you. You have a problem getting on with people’.”
Ms Fahy alleged she was in her room at this stage and Burton told her: “You’ll get your passport when it suits me.”
She then claimed to have locked herself in her bedroom and put her suitcase against the door.
Ms Fahy’s lawyer said: “She became afraid and distressed and Burton continued to be aggressive and abusive.
“She locked herself in a room in the house and several hours later her passport was returned.”
Ms Fahy, who now works as a nanny for another celebrity, said: ” Burton cooked me breakfast and left it outside my door the next morning. I found it more disturbing that he had done that.”
O’Riordan and Burton, who live at Riverfield Stud in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, strongly deny the claims.
Ms Fahy, of Moyleggan in Co Meath, said she had no bad words to say about O’Riordan’s mother Eileen and that her daughter’s behaviour had been exemplary.
The court heard that when she flew home from Canada to Ireland on July 2, 1999, she cried all the way home.
Ms Fahy has also asked the court for an order to have her personal belongings, which she alleges have been kept by the couple, handed back to her.
She claims to have had a verbal agreement with the couple to employ her in 1999 as a full-time childminder.
Ms Fahy said she was to be paid IREUR500 (pounds 630) a week plus pounds 40 a day expenses when she was travelling with them.
She also said she was to get a new Cherokee Jeep and that they would provide her with facilities for her horse at their stud farm along with accommodation.
Ms Fahy claimed she was o ered the job because her work as a nanny to the children of other celebrities had been commended and she started work on June 1, 1999.
But she alleged problems began straight away.
She had to buy her own meals, had no mobile phone and claimed Burton took her passport and tried to get her to drink.
The court heard he became infuriated when she refused and he was constantly drinking in the afternoons and evenings. Mr Bill Shipsey SC, for O’Riordan and Burton, said they disputed the alleged terms of the contract under which Ms Fahy was employed.
They would be contending she had decided to leave her employment and had let the defendants down.
It would be the defence case that Ms Fahy “walked out”.
Ms Fahy’s lawyer Mr Richard Keane SC, said she was a maternity nurse who had been involved in looking after children from an early age.
The court heard she had worked for some famous people in the rock music industry.
Mr Keane said O’Riordan and Burton had asked her to come and work for them at a time she was involved with another high profile family in Dublin and was much in demand by celebrities because of her reputation.
He added she was approached by Burton in June 1997 and her experience of working for him then was very unsatisfactory.
As a result she terminated her employment and returned to Ireland to resume employment with another high profile employer in 1998.
On February 27, 1998, Ms Fahy was contacted by Burton again to look after their baby.
The court heard she thought it was a bit of a joke after what had happened before and refused.
Mr Keane said Burton promised her the “sun, moon and the stars” and o ered her a new BMW. Ms Fahy replied she would like a jeep.
He added Burton had asked her what she was being paid and had said no matter what it was, he would beat it.
On March 12, 1998, Ms Fahy was in New York when she received four phone calls from Burton and she alleged he was drunk.
Mr Keane told the court his client felt very vulnerable when dealing with Burton and he had tried to lure her from her employment.
He claimed that on March 22, 1998, Burton again called Ms Fahy and o ered her a new Jeep, pounds 500, a 50-hour working week and pounds 40 per day while on tour. Burton also o ered to pay the insurance and tax on the vehicle.
He told Ms Fahy O’Riordan was about to embark on a world tour.
Ms Fahy decided the o er was too good to reject but was concerned because of what had occurred previously and decided to get safeguards built in to the deal.
She claimed that if the contract was terminated, she was to receive a pounds 10,000 (EUR13,000) lump sum, a new Jeep and a deposit for the rent of a house or apartment.
The case continues today.

The Irish Times

March 26, 2004
Singer’s husband was aggressive, says ex-nanny By MARY CAROLAN
A woman who worked as a childminder for the Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan-Burton and her husband, Donald Burton, has brought High Court proceedings against the couple.
Ms Joy Fahy, who previously also worked as a childminder for U2 drummer Larry Mullen, is suing the Burtons, who live at Riverfield Stud, Kilmallock, Co Limerick, claiming breach of contract and false imprisonment arising from her employment with the couple as childminder for their son from June 1999.
Ms Fahy said she had worked with the couple previously in 1997 but left because problems arose. She later agreed to return to work for them in June 1999 after being o ered the “sun, moon and stars” by Mr Burton.
However, she claims, problems arose from the start of her employment in June 1999, including problems while the couple were touring Canada and the US. She claims she barricaded herself in a bedroom on one occasion because of Mr Burton’s aggressive behaviour, and further alleges he was perpetually drunk in the afternoons and evenings.
Ms Fahy (34) of Moyleggan, Batterstown, Co Meath, is seeking an order that personal belongings including designer clothing such as Dolce & Gabbana jackets, which she alleges have been retained by the Burtons, be returned to her. She is also looking for payment of IR£ 10,000 (E12,700), which she says was agreed in the event of termination of her verbal contract, and an order requiring the Burtons to provide her with a Cherokee jeep and a deposit for an apartment.
Mr Bill Shipsey SC, for the defendants, said they were vehemently disputing the alleged terms of the contract under which Ms Fahy was employed. They would be contending that Ms Fahy had let the defendants down and “walked out” on them.
Ms Fahy alleges she was to be paid IR£ 500 (E635) weekly plus IR£ 40 (E50) per day in expenses when she was travelling with the Burtons. She also claims she was to be provided with a new Cherokee jeep, facilities for her horse at the couple’s stud and accommodation near their home.
Mr Richard Keane SC, for Ms Fahy, told the High Court there was no criticism of the O’Riordan family, and Ms Fahy had received great support from Ms Eileen O’Riordan, the singer’s mother.
Singer’s husband was aggressive, says ex-nanny: page 4
During a trip to Canada in 1999 with Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan and her husband Don Burton, Mr Burton’s behaviour deteriorated, he seemed to be drinking daily and was quite aggressive, the couple’s former childminder told the High Court in Dublin.
Ms Joy Fahy said they were accompanied to Canada by Dolores’s mother, Ms Eileen O’Riordan, and stayed in a house in a remote area by a lake.
Ms Fahy said Mr Burton drank at all times of the day with friends, played loud music and played with his “toys”. The couple brought their child with them on quad-cycles and jet-skis, which was not safe or normal, she added.
The former childminder has taken a High Court action against the couple alleging breach of contract and false imprisonment.
Mr Burton would say absurd things, Ms Fahy said. On one occasion, when she and he had a row, he kept screeching, “You don’t get it. My wife is Bono. She is not Larry.”
She said the baby’s sleeping arrangements became a big issue and on one occasion Dolores handed her the sleeping child and asked that it be given a warm bath. Ms Fahy said she was unhappy about doing this and the child became upset and wanted to go back to sleep. Dolores was upset and said the child would be up early the next morning.
Ms Fahy said she was worried that this was not a normal thing to do and told Ms Eileen O’Riordan, who said, “Don’t tell me she is doing that again.”
Ms Fahy said she complained about being left on her own with the child in a remote area. She had been told that the Burtons and Eileen O’Riordan would be returning to Ireland.
At one stage Dolores went “ballistic” and started to screech that “Mother is against me. Everybody is against me.” She said she knew what was best for her baby and took it from the pram and ran towards the lake. Mr Burton, who had been downstairs drinking with friends, came up and got aggressive, she said. He said, “You are going home. You’re f***ing fired and you know jack-shit about horses.”
He told her he hired and fired and they (Dolores and he) decided whether she could go or stay. He added that she (Ms Fahy) had a problem getting on with people and from the start had “this haughty attitude”. She said he told her she was fired, and would get her passport when he felt she should.
Ms Fahy said she locked herself in her bedroom by putting a suitcase to the door. Eileen O’Riordan came and asked how she was, and said not to come downstairs because Mr Burton was very angry. Later, when he had calmed down, he came to her room and threw her passport across the room.
When Ms Fahy came back to Ireland with Eileen O’Riordan, she learned she was not to be allowed into the house at Kilmallock. It took three weeks to get her belongings in refuse sacks.
Earlier, she said she worked with the couple first in 1997.
When in Canada with them, the first few days were okay but there was never any structure to the day and she did not know when she was o or on. It was strange and they were in an isolated house which was not well equipped for a new baby. She was in a very dark and small bedroom.
During a trip to New York, Mr Burton told her she could go home to Ireland as she was not needed. She was upset. All her belongings were in Canada and she had only gone to New York on vacation. She had no money and no mobile phone. She had sold her car and given up her apartment. She arrived back in Ireland with nothing, and stayed with friends. She had not been paid and had no money. Eventually a friend brought home her belongings from Canada.
After about a month, money was lodged to her bank account in Ireland. She was later approached by the family of Anne Acheson (wife of U2 star Larry Mullen) and started work with them in 1998. That was a fantastic job and the family and children were fantastic.
In February 1999, she got a call from Mr Burton asking her to work for him again. Ms Fahy said she did not entertain the idea. He later o ered her perks, such as a lump sum of £ 10,000 on termination and assured her she would have a deposit on an apartment. Her remuneration was to be £ 500 net and she would work general nanny’s hours, 50 hours a week.
It was an oral contract even though it was her intention to have it in writing. She never got a written contract despite asking about it. The hearing continues.

Irish Independent

Pop star’s lifestyle laid bare in court as nanny sues Helen Bruce
26 March 2004
THE extraordinary lifestyle of a pop star’s family was revealed in the High Court yesterday when Dolores O’Riordan’s former nanny began a case for false imprisonment and breach of contract against the Cranberries’ singer and her husband Donald Burton.
Joy Fahy is also seeking the return of personal belongings from Dolores and Donald Burton which she claims they are holding. She wants the equivalent of IR£10,000 a Cherokee Jeep and a deposit for an apartment, all of which she says she is owed.
Dolores and her husband were in the court to hear tales of lavish lifestyles, neglected horses, rejected jeeps and ejected designer clothing.
Ms Fahy (34), from Batterstown, Co Meath, said problems arose from the start, when she joined the Burtons on a verbal contract.
The nanny, who previously worked for Larry Mullen from U2, said Mr Burton had promised her the “sun, moon and the stars”, and had pledged to beat any salary she was already on. She was asked to begin work by flying out to the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles in May 1999, during a tour by the Cranberries. She then moved with the couple’s 18-month-old child, referred to in court as Baby T, to Trump Towers in New York.
Disputes over hotel bills followed, as well as over her salary, the second hand jeep givento Ms Fahy, her days o , the short notice given to her of travel plans and the care of her horse.
The childminder was not given a mobile phone, and said Mr Burton frequently tried to get her to drink alcohol with him.
The final row occurred in Canada, when Ms Fahy alleged Mr Burton flew into a rage and was aggressive and abusive. He withheld her passport, and she barricaded herself into her bedroom, leaning a suitcase against the door, until it was returned. During the row,Mr Burton yelled: “You don’t get it, do you. My wife is Bono, she’s not Larry, she’s Bono.”
Ms Fahy claimed that when she returned to Ireland, she was unable to collect her belongings. Some were returned in black bin bags, she said, and many were damaged or destroyed.
Helen Bruce

As you might have guessed, announcements of Dolores O’Riordan solo performances have been popping up since her first solo appearance at Sanremo last weekend. Today, the o cial Zucchero newsletter confirms that she will appear at a Zucchero album launch charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall on May 6th. Also, the newsletter confirmed that Zucchero’s duets album, tentatively titled “Made of Stars,” will be out on May 14th. Last year, Dolores recorded a duet of Zucchero’s song “Puro Amore” which will appear on the album.

From the Zucchero newsletter: “Zucchero has announced details of a unique one-night concert event at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday 6th May 2004. The Royal Albert Hall show will celebrate the release of Zucchero’s new album with many guest stars, Italian and international, which again shows that Zucchero’s music has no boundaries. This unique concert is a benefit in aid of the United Nations UNHCR Refugee Fund. It is therefore appropriate that it will reunite Zucchero with many guests that feature on the new album that will be realeased on May 14th. Artists so far confirmed to appear include, Solomon Burke, Ronan Keating, Cheb Mami, Brian May, Mousse T, Luciano Pavarotti , Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries, Paul Young and more will be added to this very special evening.

“ZUCCHERO says: During all these years I had the luck and the joy to meet and to collaborate with many great artists, with whom I shared stages and recording studios. I’ve always kept jealously these “pearls” in the drawer as I wanted to wait for the right time to get them out. Now, like the good wine, time is ripe to better taste this album, with an unique show together with my friends at the Royal Albert Hall on May 6th, 2004. With a lot of esteem, artistic and human respect. Your Italian cousin “with the hat”. Thanks – Lots of love Zucchero”

Tickets are available from BookingsDirect.com.

Source: Zucchero.it

Virgilio Musica has published a near-complete transcript of Dolores O’Riordan’s press conference at the Sanremo Festival last Friday.

Several Italian press outlets have noted some of Dolores’s contradictions during the press conference — at one point, she says there will not be another Cranberries album, yet at the end of the conference muses that the band may regroup in the future.

Here is the transcript. Thanks to forevercran for help with the translation.

You played “Ave Maria” some years ago at Pavarotti and Friends, didn’t you?
Dolores O’Riordan: I still remember that evening, because there I met Lady Diana, one of the best people I’ve ever met. I was the only female artist at that concert so it was logical that we got together…
What do you think about The Passion [of the Christ]? Who asked you to collaborate on it?
Dolores O’Riordan: [It was] during the production of the movie, and I said yes immediately and willingly. I like the subject very much, it’s a real true film even though the risk of talking about religion is very high.
Did you see the movie?
Dolores O’Riordan: No, becouse in Toronto, where I now live, tickets sold out in a very short time. I wasn’t even sure that my “Ave Maria” was on the soundtrack but than I recived a call from a person in the record industry that said the song is on it.
How do you judge yourself as a musician?
Dolores O’Riordan:I always follow my spiritual evolution, but musically I haven’t changed a lot. I play with the piano to get some inspiration and then I decide to join in with the other instruments.
Do you write always in Limerick, sorrounded by the country?
Dolores O’Riordan: No, now I live in Canada, as I have just said… but the relationship with the country hasn’t changed. I couldn’t live in the city. I like to walk on the nature and to see some wolves or bears. One time a deer came to me to say hallo… it was a great experience!
Are you working on something?
Dolores O’Riordan: Yes I think I will relase a solo album in 2005. Or maybe 2006 at the latest. It’s because of my children. I want to spend all my time with them. One is 7 years old, I can’t leave him alone as I travel around the world, not even for a few weeks.
Sorry, and the new Cranberries album?
Dolores O’Riordan: What new album? I don’t think we’ll be putting out another disc as The Cranberries. We were together 13 years and now our position in the music industry doesn’t make sense… even if our relationship is still good.
You are explaining a decision that will distress thousand and thousands of fans all over the world, did you think enough about that?
Dolores O’Riordan: Come on! It wasn’t a fatal attraction; It was just a group… the problem was that it wasn’t exciting anymore, it was just a routine. To be honest the lads wasn’t very happy when I told them the decision of leaving the band to go overseas. But than they pondered and now they are happy this way.
What a pity. Now just U2 remain to represent Ireland in the music world.
Dolores O’Riordan: The Cranberries have never been U2 and I wanted to get away, not to be tied to a group for my whole life and have a lot of regrets until the day I die.
Are you afraid about the industry exploitation at this point? A live album after the band split up, a B-sides CD, the usual routine?
Dolores O’Riordan: I don’t think so, just because it’s not a definitive break up. It isn’t out of the question that sooner or later we’ll be back together. I mean, life is a journey and sooner or later we all meet back on the same road, no?

Source: Virgilio Musica

Days ago, the o cial website for Christian artist David Hodges noted that the planned multi-artist “Music Inspired by The Passion of the Christ” had been cancelled. Thankfully, that notice has been changed, but only to to say “the status of the album is still unknown.” The sentence after it (“However even if the CD is finally scrapped, the song will still be included on the Trading Yesterday CD!”) still leaves much uncertainty as to the album’s status.

Earlier tonight, Little Rock, AR-based TV station KATV broadcasted a new interview with David Hodges and fellow former Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody. Hodges and Moody worked together on the song “Only Human, Only God,” which is the song slated for the Passion’s multi-artist soundtrack. When asked about their involvement with “The Passion of the Christ,” Ben Moody told the station, “They were toying with the idea of doing a Songs Inspired By and they said if you want to write something, please do, because we’d love to have you be a part [of the production]. As a skeptic, I was very curious as to what Mel Gibson’s intentions were… I was wanting to know where he came from. But he came out and talked to us for about an hour and I really felt that he was genuine in what he was doing.” Neither Hodges nor Moody gave any indication to the soundtrack’s status. (Big thanks to Brad for the heads-up on this piece.)

In more surprising related news, MTV revealed last week that Creed singer Scott Stapp has written not one but four songs for “The Passion of the Christ’s” multi-artist soundtrack. However, as of last week, Stapp was still in negotiations with his label to hand over the rights of at least one track to Gibson. This news might suggest that the album is still forthcoming, but will only appear later than we anticipated — but that is only our speculation.

We’ll have more on the “Music Inspired by The Passion of the Christ” album as it happens.

Partial Sources: David Hodges O cial Site, MTV.com

The official site for David Hodges, Christian artist and Evanescence co- founder, reveals some disturbing news. Hodges, like Dolores O’Riordan, had written a song specifically for the upcoming film “Passion of The Christ” only to now have that soundtrack scrapped without warning.

Avril Lavinge, David Hodges and David Moody, another Evanescence co- founder, travelled to LA to meet with Mel Gibson and discuss plans to write material for the movie. Beyonce Knowles was also rumored to be contributing to the soundtrack.

Weeks ago, Billboard reported that a multi-artist soundtrack of music inspired by “The Passion of the Christ” was being finalized. However, given the lack of updates on that subject and this fresh update from David Hodges’s page makes for a gloomy outlook.

In related news, you may recall that Lisa Gerrad was originally lined up to write the score to “The Passion of the Christ.” In fact, she had completed the entire score. In a shocking revelation, Mel Gibson dumped Gerrad’s entire completed score in favor of John Debney, according to Pitchfork Media.

With the movie less than 2 weeks away for American theaters, there is still no news regarding Dolores O’Riordan’s musical contribution. Zombieguide will have more updates on this topic as they occur.

Source: David Hodges Official Website

It appears that The Irish Daily Star’s recent quote from Dolores was gleaned from a new interview that appears in the Irish weekly magazine “Women’s Way.”

The January 18th issue of the News of the World newspaper has also republished several bits from the interview; The News of the World’s article can be read below.

If any of our Irish visitors can get a copy of the new “Woman’s Way,” please email us! (And if you can buy me a copy of the new interview, let me know!)

MUSIC CHICK FINDS A ROCK

BYLINE: Nick Bramhill
LIFE on the Rock ‘n’ Roll road isn’t all its crack-ed up to be, according to former Cranberries star Dolores O’Riordan.
She believes it can lead to loneliness, heartbreak and drugs.
And now Dolores has shocked fans by ditching her rebellious rock-chick image for family life.
The Limerick-born singer told Woman’s Way magazine: “The hardest thing before I married was going home, because there was nothing to go home to.
“I realised all the money in the world wasn’t going to buy me love and I got to a point when I needed real love – and real people.”
That’s when she married Canadian Don Burton and started a family. Now she says all she wants to do is watch her two children grow up.
Split
But the former church organist said she NEVER got into drugs in her 13-year career.
“Drugs have touched me insofar as I’ve seen how much damage they can do.
“Pressure is always there and people need an escape from it, but drugs are too dangerous.”
Dolores has temporarily split from The Cranberries to concentrate on solo projects at her second home in Toronto, Canada.
But she insists she’s just as hooked on the music business, as she was when The Cranberries first burst on to the scene in 1990.
“We were together for 13 years and we felt it was time for a much needed break,” she explained.
“But when I’m 40, I want to be up on stage just like Tina Turner – me in my stilletos.”

Source: News of the World

In a short new interview published in yesterday’s (January 22nd) issue of the Irish Daily Star, Dolores confirms that she intends to continue her career long into the future.

She tells The Irish Star, “My personal ambition is to see my two kids grow up healthy and intelligent, happy and proud of me. And maybe one day standing in the audience at a gig shouting up at me to rock my socks o . When I’m 40 I want to be up on stage like Tina Turner — me in my stilettos!”

In the brief article, Dolores relates at how much of an influencer her mother has been in her life, and how much of a lifesaver The Cranberries’ 1996 break was.

The article also carries a new photo of Dolores taken at the Leonard Sexton exhibition this past November, although we don’t yet know if it’s the same one that The Star published on November 27th.

We will try our best to get a scan of the article and photo available. Huge thanks to Kiao for sending us the transcription. The full article is below:

I’LL BE A ROCKIN 40-YEAR-OLD MUM!

“Dolores to grow old on stage”
Cranberries star Dolores O’Riordan says her ambition is to be back on stage by the age of 40.
The mother of two who is living in Toronto with husband Don Burton says she wants to see her children to grow up proud of her — and to see her perform.
“My personal ambition is to see my two kids grow up healthy and intelligent, happy and proud of me. And maybe one day standing in the audience at a gig shouting up at me to rock my socks o .”
“When I’m 40 I want to be up on stage like Tina Turner — me in my stilettos!”
The star says The Cranberries have temporarily split up as she wants to be a full time mum.
“It was getting predictable and lacking in challenge — it’s time to experiment,” said Dolores.
She says that has her mum Eileen to thank for keeping her feet firmly on the ground.
“She taught me from childhood that there was no one in the world quite like me, and that whatever i wanted to do with my life, I absolutely could.”
O’Riordan says she reckons she wouldn’t have survived had she not taken a break in the mid 1990’s.
“Basically what I wanted was a career break, but a lot of people around me didn’t want to hear that.”

Source: Irish Daily Star

As we noted previously, Italian blues man Zucchero is holding a special “fan summit” of sorts this coming Saturday, inviting his O cial Fanclub to meet him in Polesella, Italy to ask questions and, it has now been confirmed, to get a sneak peek at his upcoming duets album.

Lucky Zucchero fans who attend the meeting will likely be the first to hear the completed version of Dolores O’Riordan’s duet of Zucchero’s “Puro Amore.”

As a precaution against leaks of the recordings, fans are prohibited from taking audio or video recorders to the conference. So although we may not be able to hear it online, we are very likely to have Zucchero fans’ impressions of the duet on Saturday, in addition to more expected news about the duets album.

So be sure to check back on Saturday, as we will have news from the fan conference as it happens.

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

According to the latest issue of Italian music magazine Sorrisi e Canzoni, Zucchero’s duets album is on schedule for a release in April or May (Given the recent slew of delays, we’ll bet on the latter).

Zucchero told an Italian newspaper weeks ago that the tentative title of the album is “Made of Stars.” However, Zucchero has been known to change album titles multiple times before their release, we might expect the same for this one.

Though there still isn’t a whole lot of info about the duets album, Zucchero is holding an o cial fanclub meeting in Polesella, Italy, on January 17th, where he will answer fans’ questions, so we can no doubt expect much more information on that date.

For more on the progress of Zucchero’s duets album, be sure to check out Un Po’ di Zucchero.

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

Polydor Island Germany has confirmed that the forthcoming Jam & Spoon album “Tripomatic Fairytales 3003” has been delayed until April 5th. Dolores O’Riordan’s collaboration with the group entitiled “Mirror Lover” is the fourth track on the album.

Jam El Mar (alias Rolf Ellmer), one half of the duo Jam & Spoon, explained the delay in an interview last month with Midgeure-interviews.net. “You were mentioning January 5, 2004 as release date of the album… this will be pushed a bit further into the year. It really depends on how the single fares in the charts, whether it gets to the position we would like it to see it in, so it might well be February or March. So don’t be angry with us if the record isn’t in the shops on January 5, 2004 because that’s simply to do with marketing techniques, that we haven’t reached quite enough people in order to sell the album successfully. So then it will be moved a little further.”

In the same interview Jam revealed that he and partner Mark Spoon had to make a special trip to Toronto to record Dolores’s vocals: “That was recorded in Toronto simply because Dolores is married to a Canadian and she also has a family, I think she has three or four kids, and she didn’t really want to pop over to Germany but was interested in the project, so she said, can you come over? And that was no problem at all, I think I flew over on a Saturday, we recorded on the Sunday and that Sunday evening I was back on the plane to Frankfurt.”

Even more interesting, Jam reveals that the duo are considering a tour which would consist of all of the singers on the album. However, he admits that this might only be a pipe dream, but that they are investigating to see if it could be done. “It could be that we will do something in the summer, it’s a bit di cult logistically getting all the di erent singers together in one place,” he admits, “We would have to – if you wanted to do this properly – get all the singers together and do this in a few cities or so… of course, it isn’t that easy to put together with all these superstars. But who knows, maybe we’ll find a way. It would be an interesting thing to do having a di erent singer for each number on stage. But it could also be di cult.. so we are discussing it, and are also partly working on the idea but really do not know that exactly whether it can be put into practice or not. But if and when it happens you will most probably hear of it!”

You can read the whole interview in English here or in German here.

Zombieguide will have more on the upcoming release of “Tripomatic
Fairytales 3003″ as we know it.

Sources: Midgeure-interviews.net, Polydor Island Germany

The exclusive “Ritz London Magazine” has finally published their long- promised interview with Dolores O’Riordan in their Winter/Spring 2004 issue. This is the first interview with Dolores published since The Cranberries announced their “temporary hiatus” in September of this year. The article covers 5 pages in “Ritz”, making it the most comprehensive interview that Dolores has done in 2003.

The interview was done this past July with Hot Press editor Stuart Clark. Hotpress.com published excerpts from the same interview over the summer, although none of the quotes from that article are repeated in the “Ritz” printed article.

Hot Press editor Stuart Clark asks Dolores about a number of topics, including singing for Pope John Paul II in 2001 and 2002, touring with the Rolling Stones in 2003, her childhood experiences with the Catholic church, and, most intriguing, The Cranberries’ ”taking time out to pursue solo projects.”

Dolores also talks about living in Toronto, where she has been living for the past several months to record her debut solo album, and she says, where she will continue to live this winter. “Having two rugrats — well, three, including Don [Dolores’s stepson] who’s a big kid – it’s still a magical time of year. We’re going to be in Toronto, which means a lot of running around in the snow and hot whickies afterwards. There are bears in the woods near us, but they’ll be hibernating. God, I can’t wait!” she says in the interview, evoking images of a Canadian Winter Wonderland.

Zombieguide has an extra copy of Ritz available for auction on eBay. We’re also throwing in one of our extra copies of the new book From the Cradle to the Stage by Alan Swan.

This is the last interview that we know Dolores to have given, but honestly and unfortunately, it could be the last one we see for awhile. Cherish it while you can.

In the meantime, Zombieguide will keep you informed of any new Cranberries interviews, sightings, or rumors from “a friend of mine who is a friend of the janitor of the building where a friend of Noel’s cousin works part-time.”

Source: Exclusive

Yesterday, Zombieguide relayed that Hot Press has reported on a confirmed Dolores and Brian Johnson collaboration and also renewed its claim of a forthcoming Dolores O’Riordan solo album.

Dolores’s quotes in the article certainly seem to justify that claim — the lads “are cool with it” — despite previous denials from the Official Site that any solo projects were in the works.

“Iíve started working with this English programmer called Matt Vaughan,” she tells Hot Press. “When I joined the Cranberries I used to write everything on piano Ė I didnít play guitar properly at all. So, 14 years on, Iíve come up with these piano-driven songs that Iím recording using Pro-Tools and all that other computer-y stuff.

“Itís completely different to the Cranberries Ė very experimental and out there. A couple of tracks have a David Lynch movie soundtrack feel, but theyíre fully developed songs. Iím going to Toronto for an extended holiday, so Mattís going to fly out for a week and do some mixes with me in the Metalworks studio.”

Dolores reveals that she’s recorded several rough versions at home in her own kitchen, and that some will consist of more than just piano and vocals. “Iím going to put real guitar on some of them, and redo the vocals which at the moment are rough ones that I did in the kitchen in my little gate lodge. The staff in the farm here thought I was bonkers roaring away on my own!”

Unfortunately, Hot Press doesn’t give any real specifics about her collaboration with Brian Johnson on “Helen of Troy.” Dolores does comment that she’s taken a liking to him — “Itís always fun working with other artists, especially when theyíre operating in a totally different area to you. Heís such a darling, not in the least bit arrogant or full of himself. I ran into him last month when we were both supporting the Rolling Stones. Don (Burton, Doloresís husband) had to tell me who he was Ďcause I didnít recognize him!” Don beware!

After all this, we shouldn’t forget a certain little something that is still a big part of Dolores’s life — The Cranberries. She hasn’t forgotten either, as she relates to Hot Press once again, they’re still the biggest part of her musical career. “Very much so,” she resumes. “Theyíve heard a couple of the piano songs Iím doing and are cool with it. Everybody needs a bit of space because weíre at that different place in life. Weíre not a bunch of kids just starting.”

Additionally, she reveals that the band has finished a four-track demo of new songs for their next release. Earlier, the Official Site noted that this demo would be used to secure a new distribution contract for their next album. “As well as opening for the Stones and playing Killarney last week with Counting Crows, weíve recorded four demo songs for the next Cranberries album. Weíve got another three really beautiful ones in the pipeline, so itís shaping up well.”

Things are shaping up well, indeed. Hot Press states that the Dolores O’Riordan solo album is due to be released sometime in 2004.

Thanks again to Jessica van Kessel for fetching us the info! Zombieguide will have more developments as they happen!

Sources: Hot Press

If you’re like us freaks here at Zombieguide, you’re pulling your hair out trying to figure out where exactly on TV, etc, you can watch the IX Concerto di Vaticano in Natale, where Dolores performed four songs for Pope John Paul II. Unfortunately, it seems that North American viewers (along with much of the rest of the world) has been largely excluded from its broadcast, despite, according to the BBC, that it will be broadcasted to over 200 million people.

All of the media outlets that we know of to be carrying the concert are based in Europe. Here are the ones that will be airing the concert, all on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day:

Television:
Tara Digital (UK)
TVE La 2 (Spain)
Gran Vía (Spain)
Canale5 (Italy)
KTO (France) (Thanks to Dan)

Radio:
RTL 102.5 (Italy)

If you know of any television, satellite, or radio station that will be broadcasting the Christmas Concert at the Vatican (especially in North America!), please email us.

Partial Source: Cranberries of Prat

The Associated Press has begun circulating more incredible photos from Dolores O’Riordan’s performance for Pope John Paul II last Saturday. One of the pictures, seen below, is a powerful one of Dolores’s hand reaching out to the Pope’s, taken from the press conference last Friday (December 14th). Also seen are another performance photo, as well as a shot of the 67-piece orchestra that played on the Pope Paul VI Hall.

Source: AP

The Italian news agency Ansa has posted two photos from Dolores’s performance for Pope John Paul II on Saturday evening.

Also, we have some more details from Friday’s press conference. Apparently, Dolores got the chance to meet the Pope for the engagement prior to the press conference, and that she was “deeply moved” to have met him.

Thanks to Francesca for the info.

Source: Ansa

The Cranberries Official Website has updated with some brief news of Dolores’s performance at the Vatican.

Dolores in fact performed four songs for Pope John Paul II, two in addition to the two she was scheduled to play. They were, namely:

1. Analyse
2. Panis Angelicus
3. Little Drummer Boy
4. Silent Night

The four songs were played with a 67-piece orchestra that accompanied all of the artists performing, which included Terence Trent D’Arby, Westlife and Russell Watson among many others. It is uncertain if all four songs will be broadcasted during the Chirstmas Eve worldwide broadcast.

The Cranberries Official Website has also updated with a few more European tour dates for next spring, spanning Germany, Norway, France, and other countries.

Source: The Cranberries Official Website

As planned, The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan performed solo last night for Pope John Paul II last night in the Vatican as part of the annual Vatican Christmas concert, which is now in its 19th installment. The show is part of a charity to build new churches around Rome. The concert was filmed, and, according to the BBC, will be broadcasted to well over 200 million people around the world. Dolores was slated to play two songs, “Analyse” and “Panis Angelicus”.

Irish popstars Westlife were added to the billing at the last minute, and met the Pope in a private audience with him. A press conference was held on Friday, which Dolores attended in a lovely violet dress. She told the press that she was honored to have been invited to the prestigious performance. You can click here to watch a video of the press conference, but Dolores does not make an appearance in the video.

“They asked for Dolores personally, they wanted her to appear on her own. The invitation was accepted,” said Dolores’s husband, Don Burton, prior to the press conference.

In addition to the broadcast on the Italian channel Canal 5, the show will also be on the Italian radio station RTL 102.5, and on TV on Tara Digital in the UK (Christmas Day). The concert will also be on several other channels throughout the globe.

We should have much more news about the concert soon, so check back, and be sure to check your local listings for the broadcast around December 24th.

Sources: BBC, KW Musica, Irish Examiner

The official page has been updated with this information:

Jan 29th 2001:
We would like to announce the birth of Molly Leigh Burton, born Saturday, January 27th. Mother Dolores and baby are doing fine.

Wohoo! Congratulations to Dolores and husband Don!!

Source: Official Cranberries International Homepage