The January/February 2007 issue of Teen Strings magazine carries sheet music for a string quartet arrangement of The Cranberries’ “Zombie.” This version was arranged by John Reed, and it appears to be the same arrangement that Strings Magazine published in their February 2006 issue. You can view a sample PDF here. (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

Notorious radio shock jock Howard Stern played the live MTV Unplugged version of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” on his Sirius satellite radio show on Monday. He played the same live version last May on his show. Stern sang along with most of the song until co-host Robin Quivers told him to shut up because she was having a “good time” listening to the song without him. Artie Lange added that it was a “good tune.”

The repeat of the MTV Unplugged performance is no surprise since Stern has repeatedly professed his, er, certain fondness for Dolores O’Riordan’s short- cropped hair.

Thanks to ZG’s venerable founder John for the news.

Rock legend Meat Loaf this week told York University’s student newspaper Excalibur that he likes The Cranberries.

The interviewer asked him what other food-item-named-things he likes, to which he responded a UK singer by the name of Fish and of course the Irish band with the tart but delicious name.

French singer Dominique performed The Cranberries’ “Zombie” last Friday night on the French Idol-like TV show “Star Academy.” Dominique is in the running against other winners for the best weekly performances.

You can watch Dominque’s performance here at the TF1 website, which includes some rather elaborate choreography with, er, flight attendants and a giant airplane prop.

Thanks to Cyril for the news.

UK site Creativedesign has put up a profile of Cally, the graphic designer behind The Cranberries’ first three albums, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, No Need to Argue, and To the Faithful Departed. Cally recently orchestrated a total redesign of the Island offices on Kensington High Street in London. You can read about it here. (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

A fan who recently purchased The Cranberries’ first commercially-produced demo tape has made high-quality photos and MP3s of the tape available online.

While “Water Circle” was The Cranberries’ first demo tape in May 1990 (then called by the dreadful pun The Cranberry Saw Us), it was home-made and its liner art photocopied. Later that year, Xeric Records released just 300 copies of the Saw Us’s first commercially pressed tape, “Nothing Left At All” (discography entry).

Zombieguide Forums member Caputokey was lucky enough to snag the extremely rare piece off of eBay months ago and has since put up MP3s and photos on his own server.

While MP3 rips of the tape have been available for years, most of those came from low-quality bootleg copies that had circulated among fans for the past decade. The quality suffered from high nth-generation tape-to-tape copying in the tape trading community in the mid-90s. (Now there’s a story I can tell my grandkids.)

“Nothing Left At All” is the same version that appeared in CD quality on the “Uncertain” EP. “Pathetic Senses” is different from the “Uncertain” EP and features vocals from Dolores’s (allegedly aggressive) boyfriend Miko Mahoney (also did the vocals at the end of “Dreams”) and producer Pearse Gilmore, whom the band accused of making secret agreements with Island during the band’s last days at Xeric. “Shine Down,” later known as “Take My Soul Away,” is the most elusive of the three. This is by far the best recording of “Shine Down” to ever surface.

You can grab them all from this directory, courtesy of Caputokey. (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

Some short biographies released in conjunction with the proposal of a new radio station for Limerick, Heart FM (read more), include some tidbits about what Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler have been up to lately.

If the radio station is approved, Mike Hogan will become a director for Heart FM. Also, Noel, Mike, and Fergal will give some hands-on input for a show called “Green Heart,” which will showcase demos and upcoming local bands.

The bio also reveals that Mike opened a café on Catherine Street in Limerick called The Sage Café earlier this year. The café opened in mid- April and seats 45-50 people. Mike has become the director of a company called TM Coffee, Ltd. (which runs the cafe), and he continues to to live and work in Limerick.

As for Fergal, his bio reveals that he “has been collaborating with other local musicians and recording at his studio in Ballymorris.”

Heart FM, a new proposed radio station being funded by Mike and Noel Hogan that we first told you about here, gave an oral presentation on Monday to the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The Hogan brothers and Fergal Lawler are among a small group of investors who are competing to win a 10-year broadcasting license in Limerick.

In order to win approval for the station, the Heart FM backers will need to wrestle the city’s radio franchise away from the incumbent broadcaster, Live 95FM.

The Heart FM group told the BCI that if approved, the station would make a profit of €15-€20 million over 10 years. The station would also employ 36 full-time and 33 part-time staff, more than Live 95, and would open a new 5,000-sq ft office in downtown Limerick.

Live 95FM argued that it should be able to keep its existing license because of its strong track record, especially after being bought by UTV in 2002. (Coincidentally, Dolores’s brother P.J. O’Riordan was one of the previous owners of Live 95FM.)

The BCI will decide on January 22, 2007 which group will receive the new license.

You can check out some attractively designed proposal PDF documents at the BCI website. Of special interest to Cranberries fans are sections 3 and 4, which have short up-to-date biographies on Noel, Mike, and Fergal.

Sources: Irish Times, Irish Independent

Maurizio di Bona, a.k.a. theHand, who created a line of official merchandise for The Cranberries in 2003, has just released a new book that includes four pages of Cranberries caricatures.

di Bona, a longtime Cranberries fan, had put several of his Cranberries cartoons online before the band came to him and commissioned him to produce a series of illustrations for their last world tour. His new book, called Scarabocchio Ergo Sum, features works he created for the band and also more recent drawings of Dolores, Noel, Mike, and Fergal. The text is in Italian, but the spot-on caricatures are alone worth the price of admission.

You can order the new book for only $10.65 US from Lulu.com

MTV Latin America has ranked The Cranberries’ “Linger” as one of the 100 “poppiest” songs of all time. The network chose “Linger” at #92 on last night’s “Los 100 + Pop” special. The series began yesterday and will run until November 24.

Thanks to Cristobal for the news!

The redesign of The Cranberries Official Webpage has launched at http://www.cranberries.com (http://www.cranberries.ie has not yet rolled over to the new design). Not much new content, but there is a vastly improved lyrics section.

There are no official forums yet (surprise? They were promised two and a half years ago.), so instead why not join the largest and most active Cranberries forums online?

The Official Community Corporation, the Toronto-based corporation that now  runs http://www.cranberries.com today posted a preview image of the long-promised redesign of the official website.

This will be the second redesign since Official Community Corporation took control of the site in 2004. Previously, it was operated by Timeless Music, The Cranberries’ self-owned management company.

If the preview is accurate, it appears that an official discussion forum is in the works. No other new features appear on the preview layout.

A rare, previously-unseen acoustic performance of The Cranberries’ “Linger” has surfaced on YouTube. The performance was taken from MTV’s “Alternative Nation” show (US) in 1993. (MTV.com used to offer streaming interview clips from this same appearance.)

Thanks to despandy for the tip.

Even if you don’t know his name, you know his art.

Storm Thorgerson has produced some of the most instantly recognizable album covers in rock history: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, Division Bell; Led Zepplin’s Houses of the Holy; Audioslave’s self- titled; The Mars Volta’s Frances the Mute; Umphrey’s McGee’s Safety in Numbers; the list goes on and on. Of course, as you probably know, his portfolio also includes the album covers for The Cranberries’ post-crisis Bury the Hatchet, its 2001 follow-up Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, Beneath the Skin live DVD, and all related singles.

Storm is kicking off a series of exhibitions of his work around the world for Fall 2006 in Long Island, NY; Cleveland, OH; Birmingham, UK; Milan, Italy; San Francisco, CA; and Bath, UK in 2007. Click here for the full itinerary of Storm Thorgerson’s ongoing exhibit dates. You can find out more and browse a number of limited edition prints made specially for this tour at theTaken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson website.

Last week, Storm gave us a rare phone interview to talk about his work with The Cranberries. (We even managed to squeeze in some chatter about Noel Hogan’s current project Mono Band.) Here’s what Storm had to say in the exclusive Zombieguide interview…

ZG: How did you get involved in working with The Cranberries? How did they approach you?

Storm: Through a friend, a business friend, whom I didn’t know very well, but they did, called Jamie. He was working also for Ian Dury and the Blockheads, which is a band I work for, and I think he recommended me. Then I went to have an interview, a chat with Dolores and Noel in Olympic Studios, I think. We got along OK, and so we chatted again later, and then I started to do designs for Bury the Hatchet.

ZG: How did the design process go for Bury the Hatchet? How did you form the ideas that went with that album?

Storm: Now you’ve got me there. That’s a very good question. I’m trying to remember. I think it had something to do with Dolores’s checkered past. I think she told me some tales. She’s had quite a tough life, Dolores. She was telling me about an old boyfriend of hers who was inclined to be a little physical. So I think it was partly related to that. It was probably related to other things that they said, because the way that I work is to submit different possibilities, and so I probably suggested about eight things to them, of which the rough for Bury the Hatchet was one. It was kind of like about paranoia. I think in the way Dolores felt that she had been in her life — and to some extent, the other guys as well — some degrees of unhappiness and undue pressure for which it was now time to shake off, “bury the hatchet” literally. To shake off old grudges, old difficulties. I don’t know if you have this expression in America, “bury the hatchet,” but I presume you do.

ZG: Yeah, we know it.

Storm: Actually, the cover design is a two-piece. So it is a before and after picture. If you like, a diptych. It comes in two parts. We made the cover as also suggested by the band as a trompe l’oeil, a trick of the eye so actually the front sort of repeated on the back so you didn’t know which way around it was. So then you’ve got the two pictures that go together.

ZG: Right. And it has the spine…

Storm: That’s right, we did a fake spine. That was quite clever, don’t you think? But very annoying because you keep trying to open the CD the wrong way. I thought it was a great idea, but it wasn’t my idea. But it was a good one and it was good for me because it meant I could flip the designs, either front or back. In the actual booklet, there’s a picture of a guy being threatened by the all-seeing eye, and on the back when you turn it around, you see he’s turning around, telling the eye to go away.

That’s the kind of nub of it at the time. You know, all these things have other bits and pieces that connect to the making of a cover, which I probably can’t remember now. They kind of coalesce to form a background out of which I make designs and then show them back to the band as roughs and then they choose. So they must have thought this was appropriate somewhere or other. It’s not always clear to me why bands choose the things they do.

ZG: At what point do you actually get a copy of the album and get to listen to it all the way through?

Storm: Pretty early on. When it was in demo form, probably, or early mixes. Because the album cover needs to be done before the record is finished. It takes longer to print an album cover than it does to press a CD. So in eect, the album cover has to be ahead of the CD, the finished item.

ZG: One of the things that Dolores said in the interviews for Bury the Hatchet was that the band did their first three albums, and they all had a picture of the band on the cover…

Storm: The sofa! (laughs) That’s right, they probably fancied a change, I suppose!

ZG: Right, and one of the things that Dolores said about Bury the Hatchet was that she thought of the first three albums as a triad, and that she wanted to form a new era. One of the things I associate with that are your designs, and so I was wondering if that was a conscious thing?

Storm: It may have been a conscious decision of theirs. Obviously it wasn’t a conscious decision of mine. I’m only a gun for hire, aren’t I? I can be hired, commissioned as a freelance designer, and design as I think appropriate for whoever asks, by and large. So I don’t often know what their agenda is, but I agree with you, I think they decided that band photos and sofas was enough. Well, they weren’t going to get them from me, so I presume they must have realized.

ZG: Your work is very distinctive. It’s very easy to, say, look at a new album cover and say right away, “Oh yeah, that’s Storm Thorgerson.”

Storm: You think so?

ZG: Very much so. Every once in awhile you put out a new–

Storm: Are you sure?

ZG: One of the reasons I say that is that you have a lot of symbols that you use in your art and sometimes those repeat from piece to piece. I’ve noticed, for example, I have your book, Eye of the Storm, and I noticed you used the theme of the eye a lot [Bury the Hatchet cover, for example] and I was wondering if there’s a particular reason you like using that symbol.

Storm: I don’t think of myself as doing that, but it’s for other people to make that distinction, I suppose. I don’t think about it, really. I do design as I feel the music or the band to be, or the title, or the combination. I think that every designer, artist, [or] photographer has recurring threads, recurring obsessions that therefore by definition may recur. But it’s not purposeful or conscious. I think I notice things in my work that reoccur, and then I think maybe I don’t. I’m not sure whether I know. I don’t have any particular thing about eyes, more than I do anything about beds or water, all of which you might say feature in my work. But girls feature in my work as well. Mountains feature in my work. Sculptures. Animals, particularly animals. I do a lot more animals more than I do eyes.

ZG: You mention beds — there’s a bed on the other album cover that you did for The Cranberries, which is Wake Up and Smell the Coee. Do you remember the design process for that album?

Storm: They were telling me that they thought the album was a return to simpler, fresher styles. A bit like “wake up, wake up” — the title of the album. So I imagined granules of coee or the “atoms” of coee going up the stairs to the bedroom, waking you up. I like the smell of coee myself. So I imagined them bouncing or riding up the stairs to wake me in my bed in the morning. Coee granules are quite small so it doesn’t really interest me. I like big things. So they turn into cranberries, and then the cranberries turn into large gym balls. You know, the kind of balls you exercise on?

ZG: That’s what I thought they looked like, but I wasn’t sure.

Storm: Well, that’s what they are. They’re supposed to be cranberries, metaphorically. So the granules of coee, or the “atoms” of coee, or the “atoms” of cranberries, or the “cranberry atoms” are coming to wake you up with the music.

ZG: Now you did an interesting thing with that album, and that is that the band released four dierent covers in dierent regions of the world. Was that a result of alternate covers?

Storm: No, apparently the Japanese like to have a dierent cover, I didn’t know why.

ZG: Yeah, they like having bonus things…

Storm: Yeah, something like that. It’s all beyond me. Record company shenanigans, I don’t know what it all means. I just tend to supply what I’m asked to supply, as long as I’m told upfront. I can’t supply all sorts of versions if I don’t know what’s going on. I need to prepare for it.

We actually shot this picture on a grass landscape and a sandy beach. But the sandy beach is much more spectacular because the balls didn’t really bounce well on grass.

ZG: You’re doing several exhibitions around the world of all your art. Why did you choose this point in your career to do something like that?

Storm: Well, no, I started about five years ago. It started about five years ago — somebody asked me to do an exhibition in Japan, so I agreed. The thing that was dierent then was that it was a graphic exhibition. The ones I do now tend to be fine art exhibitions, print exhibitions. I think it’s just what designers do, really. Musicians play gigs. This is my version of a gig. This all happened by chance, because somebody asked me. The first two exhibitions I did were in Japan. They were great! I really enjoyed those. After I did two or three there, I thought, “Hmm, that was interesting. I’ll do some more.” So that’s what we’re doing.

ZG: I guess a favorite topic that people like to ask you about is Pink Floyd. Do you ever get tired of talking about Pink Floyd and say, “I have other art that I’d like to talk about”?

Storm: I thought you were ringing me up about The Cranberries!

ZG: I was, but…

Storm: I don’t get tired, no. I did some very nice pieces with the Floyd, I think.

ZG: I think so.

Storm: I’ve no time to talk to you about that now. That’ll have to be another interview… mostly because we’re trying to wrap up some work here and get out the door… It’s what we call clocking otime here. Let me ask you a question: What’s happening to The Cranberries? Are they not together?

ZG: That’s a good question. Dolores is putting out a solo album next year. Noel has already put out his own solo album last year under the name Mono Band.

Storm: “Mono Band”? What’s it like?

ZG: It’s interesting. For his first album, he actually got several dierent vocalists to do it. One in particular, a British guy by the name of Richard Walters. Anyway, I quite like it, no surprise. It hasn’t been released in CD format outside of Ireland yet. As for the band themselves, God only knows. They said they were going on temporary hiatus for awhile, but there’s really been no news on that front.

Storm: Maybe they’ve broken up then.

ZG: De facto, they are. It’s kind of sad. [Editor’s note: extreme understatement]

Storm: Sad, really.

ZG: Well, Dolores and Noel have both said that they want to reconvene at some point. They say they’re on amicable terms so I guess nothing’s ruled out for the future.

Storm: We’ll keep our fingers crossed. OK Alex, I’m going to adjourn for now.

ZG: OK, I know you’re very busy. Thank you very much, Storm.

Storm: I’m very tired too, I’m afraid. Take care of yourself.

Special thanks to Robin and Nina at Media Bitch (we love that name, BTW) for help in arranging our interview with Storm.

Storm Thorgerson, the graphic designer and photographer behind The Cranberries’ Bury the Hatchet and Wake Up and Smell the Coffee covers (not to mention Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, and a whole lot more) will be putting his iconic artwork on tour this fall in art galleries around the world.

An Art of Pink Floyd exhibit is already ongoing at the Gifted Images Gallery in New York and will last until October 13th. Meanwhile, the largest exhibition ever of Thorgerson’s art (Pink Floyd and otherwise) will open this Thursday, October 5th, in Birmingham, UK. Check the list below for more dates.

You can find out more and browse a number of limited edition prints made specially for this tour at the Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson website.

(more…)

Four years after The Cranberries released their greatest hits compilation, Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002, the album unexpectedly re- entered the Spanish album charts last week.

Despite having no promotion, Stars re-entered at No. 100 for the week of September 4th-10th. Other greatest hits offerings by Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart, Abba, and Texas also re-entered the charts that week.

The chart re-entry suggests that the album continues to have steady sales, especially in Spain, where The Cranberries have always had a strong fan base.

Thanks to supervago for the news.

Cardigans singer Nina Persson mentioned The Cranberries in a forum posttoday about female-fronted bands. Persson said she’s never met Dolores O’Riordan or Gwen Stefani, singers to whom she is sometimes compared. But she added that music marketers put major pressure on female band leaders to break out into solo careers, and that there seems to be a major difference in the way solo females are viewed versus women who lead bands. Here’s what she wrote:

Hello friends,

What you’re discussing here is so familiar! I think the problem is that there are still so few ladies out there. The similarity between us and No Doubt I guess is that we are bands with ladies singing, trying to keep it being a band. When it turns into big business though, companies seem to think that you need to narrow the visual part down to one person.

Women who choose to do solo efforts all the way seem to be considered a different category, I don’t understand why. I’m a fan of No Doubt and (maybe more) Gwen Stefani. And I still think that being in a band is the best schooling you get these days, if you wanna do music.

I have never met Gwen or the Cranberries girl. But I’ve met millions of sweet guys and girls in bands. Check out my MySpace-site for A Camp, that’s one way for me to hook up with people!!

Yours, Nina

Thanks to Scott for the news.

The Canadian company that now runs parks the domainwww.cranberries.com sent out a newsletter today saying that the site will get a facelift this fall.

The newsletter also claims:

You will be the first to know about the changes to Cranberries.com and the latest Cranberries news.

A doubtful claim at best, since the site has not had a single update in nearly nine months.

The Official Community Corporation is also seeking input from fans to ask what fans would like in their Official Communityâ„¢.

Hmm, I dunno, updates? Content? An actual community? It’s been three years since the OCC took over www.cranberries.com, and the site doesn’t even have a simple message board.

If you want to know what Zombieguide would like to see, click here to read staffer Thomas’s open letter to the OCC. Since the OCC was considerate enough to ask fans what they want, make sure to tell them: cranberries@cranberries.com

Awesome Until Proven Guilty reports that CBS has censored repeat airings ofDilana Robichaux’s performance of “Zombie” by removing all references to her tanks, and her bombs, and her bombs, and her guns.

The producers also nixed the line, “They are fighting,” (what’s left, we ask?) no doubt to in an attempt to neuter any imagery that would remind viewers of America’s war in Iraq.

“Zombie” is no stranger to censorship. In March 2003, at the start of America’s invasion of Iraq, the British government placed the song on avoluntary list of banned videos, fearing that they would stir up public sentiment.

MTV Latin America recently had a countdown of their Top 100 Videos of all time to celebrate the network’s 25th anniversary.

The Cranberries’ 1994 chart topper came in number 77 on the “Los 100 Videos Mas MTV” countdown.

Thanks to Angel and aguafiestas for the news.

Two psychiatrists have testified that an Australian soldier in Iraq didn’t intend to commit suicide when he shot himself while singing The Cranberries’ “Dreams” in April.

Philip Mitchell, a psychiatry professor at Australia’s University of NSW, and Alexander McFarlane, professor at the University of Adelaide, both agree that Private Jake Kovco didn’t exhibit any suicidal signs.

However, Professor McFarlane concedes that the title of the song may have triggered a memory of a dream that Kovco had weeks previously. Kovco contemplated shooting himself in that dream, and wrote about it in his diary.

“Given that Private Kovco had the dream some months before and he was in a playful state of mind, it is possible the song triggered a recollection of his dream,” McFarlane said.

“At this moment he may have drawn his 9mm pistol and in a jocular (and immensely tragic) way, re-enacted his dream,” he added.

McFarlane testified that Kovco was in a playful mood when he died, and it was therefore unlikely that he would have intentionally shot himself in front of two friends.

Mitchell further found that the lyrics and beat of The Cranberries’ “Dreams” to be that of “an upbeat love song” and unlikely “to induce suicidal thoughts.”

Sources: Border Mail (more), The West Australian

The Irish Independent reports today that Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler are together putting up 10% of the funds for a new radio company in Limerick.

The new company, called Heart Media, hopes to win a bid for the city’s radio station. The license is currently held by Live 95FM, but according to Irish law, radio licenses go up for renewal every 10 years. Heart Media wants to create a station with a more alternative mix, including at least a third of its content being news and current affairs.

Their investment will give the Cranberry lads a combined 10% sharehold in the company. Other investors include TV show “Killinaskully” star Pat Shortt, radio presenter Will Leahy, and former Live 95FM staff members.

Source: Irish Independent

On Tuesday night, singer Dilana Robichaux let loose a violent rendition of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” on CBS’s “Rock Star: Supernova.” It was a hit with the superstar judges too. You can watch her performance here.

Robichaux is a native of South Africa, but moved to Houston in 2001.

“Hi, Dilana. I wanna,” said Mötley CrÃ1⁄4e drummer Tommy Lee immediately after her performance. (”Sorry, I’m taken,” she said in reply.)

Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, on the other hand, was a little more sensible in his comments. “Every week I look for that one performance thatâ€TMs the one that gives you chills. That youâ€TMre like, oh my God, I canâ€TMt believe that I just saw that on television. That was it,” he said.

The winner of the show will go on a world tour as the frontperson for a new rock band. (The previous incarnation of the show, “Rock Star: INXS,” filled the singer position for that band.)

Source: Dallas Morning News

Australia’s The Age reports that an Australian soldier stationed in Iraq shot and killed himself while singing along to The Cranberries’ “Dreams.” His death is Australia’s first casualty in Iraq.

A military investigation made public this week revealed that Private Jake Kovko was playing around with his pistol on April 21 at the same time that he and fellow soldiers were mimicking Dolores O’Riordan’s high-pitched vocals on “Dreams.” The song was a random selection from one of the soldiers’ iPods.

Kovko was in a cramped barracks with two other witnesses, named Soldiers 17 and 19 in reports, when his gun went off.

“I think he might have done it in a joking fashion,” Soldier 17 said in a written statement. “The song we were singing was in a female, homosexual way.”

Soldier 17 said that his only explanation for the death was a joke gone wrong: “He may have pulled the pistol and put it to his head, almost to say, ‘This is so gay I’d rather be dead.’”

Both witnesses heard Kovco mumble something in a half-joking manner before he pulled the trigger, although neither heard it clearly.

Both soldiers insist that they did not see Kovko pull the trigger, and investigators are still unsure whether it was an intentional suicide.

Australia’s The Age has several articles about the ongoing investigation, which you can read here, here, and here.

Source: The Age

Conservative American magazine National Review has compiled a list of the “top 50 conservative rock songs of all time,” the New York Times reportstoday. Number 41 on that list is The Cranberries’ “Icicle Melts” from No Need to Argue.

The magazine writes,

41. “The Icicle Melts,” by The Cranberries.
A prolife tune sung by Irish warbler Dolores O’Riordan: “I don’t know what’s happening to people today / When a child, he was taken away . . . ‘Cause nine months is too long.”

The article’s author, John J. Miller, made a request for song suggestions late last year on National Review’s website, and since then has received hundreds of suggestions.

“Any claim that rock is fundamentally revolutionary is just kind of silly,” Miller said. “It’s so mainstream that it puts [liberals] in the position of saying that at no time has there ever been a rock song that expressed a sentiment that conservatives can appreciate. And that’s just silly. In fact here are 50 of them.”

Miller said the songs on the list had to fill two criteria: first, it had to be good, and second, the song’s message had to support traditional values.

Despite Dolores’s pro-life stance, abortion was not the subject that inspired “The Icicle Melts.” In fact, it was the kidnapping and killing of Jamie Bulger(corrected) in 1993 that spurred this track, thus the lyric, “I should not have read the paper today / ‘cos a child, child, child, child, he was taken away.”

Having said that, “The Icicle Melts” can certainly be interpreted as a pro-life song, even if that was not the original intent. Dolores has been an outspoken pro-life supporter over the years, having famously told You! magazine:

“I am in no position to judge other women, you know. But I mean, why did she get pregnant? It’s not good for women to go through the procedure [abortion] and have something living sucked out of their bodies. It belittles women. Even though some women say, ‘Oh, I don’t mind to have one,’ every time a woman has an abortion, it just crushes her self–esteem smaller and smaller and smaller.”

Here is the full list of National Review’s Top 50 Conservative Rock Songs:

1. “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” by The Who.
2. “Taxman,” by The Beatles.
3. “Sympathy for the Devil,” by The Rolling Stones.
4. “Sweet Home Alabama,” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
5. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” by The Beach Boys.
6. “Gloria,” by U2.
7. “Revolution,” by The Beatles.
8. “Bodies,” by The Sex Pistols.
9. “Don’t Tread on Me,” by Metallica.
10. “20th Century Man,” by The Kinks.
11. “The Trees,” by Rush.
12. “Neighborhood Bully,” by Bob Dylan.
13. “My City Was Gone,” by The Pretenders.
14. “Right Here, Right Now,” by Jesus Jones.
15. “I Fought the Law,” by The Crickets.
16. “Get Over It,” by The Eagles.
17. “Stay Together for the Kids,” by Blink 182.
18. “Cult of Personality,” by Living Colour.
19. “Kicks,” by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
20. “Rock the Casbah,” by The Clash.
21. “Heroes,” by David Bowie.
22. “Red Barchetta,” by Rush.
23. “Brick,” by Ben Folds Five.
24. “Der Kommissar,” by After the Fire.
25. “The Battle of Evermore,” by Led Zeppelin.
26. “Capitalism,” by Oingo Boingo.
27. “Obvious Song,” by Joe Jackson.
28. “Janie’s Got a Gun,” by Aerosmith.
29. “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Iron Maiden.
30. “You Can’t Be Too Strong,” by Graham Parker.
31. “Small Town,” by John Mellencamp.
32. “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” by The Georgia Satellites.
33. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” by The Rolling Stones.
34. “Godzilla,” by Blue Oyster Cult.
35. “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
36. “Government Cheese,” by The Rainmakers.
37. “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” by The Band.
38. “I Can’t Drive 55,” by Sammy Hagar.
39. “Property Line,” by The Marshall Tucker Band.
40. “Wake Up Little Susie,” by The Everly Brothers.
41. “The Icicle Melts,” by The Cranberries.
42. “Everybody’s a Victim,” by The Proclaimers.
43. “Wonderful,” by Everclear.
44. “Two Sisters,” by The Kinks.
45. “Taxman, Mr. Thief,” by Cheap Trick.
46. “Wind of Change,” by The Scorpions.
47. “One,” by Creed.
48. “Why Don’t You Get a Job,” by The Offspring.
49. “Abortion,” by Kid Rock.
50. “Stand By Your Man,” by Tammy Wynette.

Source: New York Times

America’s favorite shock jock Howard Stern played The Cranberries’ “Zombie” live from MTV Unplugged on his Sirius satellite radio show today.

Stern started the “Zombie” discussion by talking about yesterday’s death of Colombian-American singer Soraya. Show co-host Robin Quivers remarked that Soraya “sounds like that Irish singer from The Cranberries,” which prompted Stern to start playing a clip of “Zombie” from MTV Unplugged. Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons sang along, although he thought the lyrics were “feed your head,” as evidently no one had heard the song in awhile. The segment lasted for about 4 minutes.

Stern had some especially good things to say about the song: “Man, that girl can sing!”

This is not the first time Stern has had flattering (yet raunchy) things to say about Dolores O’Riordan. Years ago, he played “Go Your Own Way” and said, “She’s pretty good… I dig her. I’d like to bang her! I dig this chick’s voice.” A caller then told him to shut up — he was ruining the song. (MP3 #1, MP3 #2of that show)

On the same show, he said, “I hear people carrying on about Barbara Streisand and stuff, and I go, ‘What are they talking about?’ I hear her [Dolores O’Riordan], and go, ‘She’s good!’ I hear this broad singing and go, ‘Man, she could bring me to tears every time practically.’”

Thanks to Kama and Zombieguide founder John for the news.

Source: Exclusive

The Cranberries’ “When You’re Gone” is being used in the recently-released French film ‘Toute la Beauté du Monde’, starring Marc Lavoine and Zoé Félix.

The film has already gone out to theaters, but you can view a trailer of the film here, which has “When You’re Gone” playing throughout.

Thanks to Copycat for the tip.

Source: Exclusive

British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield has picked The Cranberries as one of the bands for her iTunes Celebrity Playlist. Surprisingly, Bedingfield didn’t pick a hit single, but instead opted for the somber title track from “No Need to Argue.”

She wrote:

“No Need To Argue” (Track 12): “I grew up with these guys constantly playing in my house. My sister and I used to try and mimic Dolores’ haunting and emotional vocals…I could never quite get it right but my sister did a pretty good impression. This song has quite a melancholy feel. The organ and choir-like harmonies compliment the subject matter quite nicely.”

It comes as no surprise, since Bedingfield lists The Cranberries as one of her influences in her official biography.

Thanks to Scott for the tip.

Source: Exclusive

British music snobs Q delivered a blow to The Cranberries’ “most difficult” album To the Faithful Departed by including it in their 50 Worst Albums list in their May 2006 issue.

Keep in mind, this is the same magazine that gave Dolores O’Riordan the cover in promotion of that very album and awarded it a modest 3 out of 5 stars.

Here’s the full list:

1. Duran Duran – Thank You
2. Spice Girls – All Their Solo Albums!
3. Various – Urban Renewal: The Songs Of Phil Collins
4. Lou Reed – Metal Machine Music
5. Billy Idol – Cyberpunk
6. Naomi Campbell – Babywoman
7. Kevin Rowland – My Beauty
8. Mick Jagger – Primitive Cool
9. Westlife – Allow Us To Be Frank
10. Tim Machine – Tin Machine Ii
11. Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
12. Tom Jones – Mr Jones
13. Bruce Willis – The Return Of Bruno
14. Terence Trent Diabolical – Neither Fish Nor Flesh
15. Various – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band – OST
16. Spice Girls – Forever
17. Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead – Dylan And The Dead
18. Crazy Frog – Crazy Hits
19. Goldie – Saturnz Return
20. Mariah Cary – Glitter OST
21. The Clash – Cut The Crap
22. Robson & Jerome – Robson & Jerome
23. Alanis Morissette – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
24. Lauryn Hill – MTV Unpugged 2.0
25. The Cranberries – To The Faithful Departed
26. Vanilla Ice – Hard To Swallow
27. Destiny’s Child – Destiny Fulfilled
28. The Rolling Stones – Dirty Work
29. Various – Christmas In The Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album
30. Michael Jackson – Invincible
31. Stevie Wonder – Woman In Red
32. Ace Of Bass – The Sign
33. Billy Ray Cyrus – Some Gave All
34. Fishspooner – #1
35. Puff Daddy – Forever
36. Kula Shaker – Peanuts, Pigs & Astronauts
37. Shania Twain – Come On Over
38. Chris Rea – The Road To Hell Pt2
39. Big Country – Undercover
40. The Others – The Others
41. Paul Simon – Songs From The Capeman OST
42. Babylon Zoo – The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes
43. The Travelling Wilburys – Vol 3
44. Kiss – Music From The Elder
45. William Shatner – The Transformed Man
46. Oasis – Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
47. Ozzy Osbourne – Under Cover
48. Milli Vanilli – All Or Nothing
49. Neil Young And The Shocking Pinks – Everybody’s Rocking
50. Beck – Midnight Vultures

Please direct all hate mail to Q, thank you.

Source: Rocklist.net

Zombieguide has learned that there were plans for Dolores O’Riordan to record two duets for an independent movie called “Catching the Stars” in 2003 — however, the film was scrapped due to budget problems.

The film’s soundtrack was to include two tracks with Dolores duetting with American rock singer Dusty Hughes. The first was to be a new version of The Cranberries’ “This is the Day” with Hughes on several verses, and the second was to be a Hughes-penned song called “Worthwhile” with Dolores on backing vocals.

“Back in 2003, I was contacted by a film producer, producing an independent film called ‘Catching The Stars,'” Hughes told Zombieguide this week. “I had written two songs for a previous movie of his. He sent me a track that I ignorantly thought was brand new called ‘This Is The Day.’ I was asked to sing verse 2 and background vocals on it, and harmony on the bridge. We were also supposed to duet another song together, which I wrote. I waited six months without hearing anything, then the guy wrote me back saying there was licensing problems with ‘This Is The Day,’ Mrs. O’Riordan wouldn’t be available to sing on the other song, etc. Then two months after that, he confessed to me that the film had been grossly over-budgeted, filming was brought to a halt, and it was going to be put on the shelf indefinitely.”

“I was a great bit disappointed,” he admits.

“The producer was already in contact with Dolores and had apparently been for a while. He asked if I would be willing to contribute two songs to this NEW movie — at that time — and I said gladly. He then asked if I would be comfortable singing with Dolores, and, even though I was very nervous about it, just starting out, I wasn’t about to refuse the offer! I never directly contacted her, although there was ‘small talk’ through the go-between. I can imagine her being a very cautious individual, not wanting her contact info leaked out, especially to a relatively unknown singer. I would really like to work on something like this now, where I’ve developed my sound, started finally actually receiving national attention, national air-play, etc.”

“When he first contacted me, I was very honoured, of course, but I confess I didn’t know much at all about the Cranberries. I remembered the Linger, Dreams, and Free To Decide videos, and of course Analyze from the radio, all of which I loved, but didn’t know much else,” he added.

While O’Riordan never recorded the vocals to “Worthwhile,” Hughes did manage to lay down tracks for “This is the Day.”

“I will say that I think it was a bit of injustice to replace her vocals in those parts with mine, especially at that stage of my ‘singing career’ if you will. I had only just started singing that year. I think if I had the chance to do it again now, I could definitely do it a little more justice. But that’s life!” he said.

This collaboration, like Dolores’s recent collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti, would have been long-distance.

“Incidentally, I never actually met Mrs. O’Riordan, but I did complete vocals on the first song. Listening back now, it’s pretty cringesome, but it was fun nonetheless… I think that’s a really great thing, the long-distance studio relationships. You can get so much done, without the huge costs of flying around in jets.”

We’d like to thank Dusty for the info!

Source: Exclusive

According to a message board post on the Internet Movie Database, Dolores O’Riordan was recently spotted in London.

Dolores was reportedly seen on King’s Road in the Chelsea district of London, looking “like she rules the world,” according to one observer.

No word yet on what she might be doing in London. Although her solo record was slated to be released in spring, there has been no news from Dolores since December, which means that yet another delay is almost inevitable.

Update: A source close to Dolores has confirmed to Zombieguide that she was indeed in London approximately three weeks ago.

Source: IMDb

A 7″ record that appeared on eBay weeks ago purporting to be a demo version of “Uncertain” has turned out to be fake.

The listing purported that the 45 rpm, which has “The Cranberries, UNCERTAIN DEMO” machine-printed onto the white label, had four tracks. The vinyl also has a printed catalog number “XERIC PROMO 001.”

We at Zombieguide purchased the vinyl, only to be dismayed that not only was it not The Cranberries, but that it wasn’t even a Xeric Records release. The vinyl is actually a 1989 punk release on Glut Records, catalog number FRIDGE 001. The vinyl carries four songs by Glut artists, none of which even remotely resemble The Cranberries.

A close inspection of the center label shows that the actual label information (“Glut Records”) has been whited out. The actual catalog number, “FRIDGE 001,” is etched into the inner ring of the vinyl.

Noel Hogan told Zombieguide that he does not believe Xeric ever released a 7″ version of “Uncertain.”

“We never released a 7″ version of Uncertain, or a demo. There were demos, but we would not have released them. The EP is the only version of that track, there was the white label and the printed cover version. I have most of everything we ever released, and that is what I have here,” he said.

In 2002, Fergal Lawler sent Zombieguide a copy of a demo version of “Uncertain,” which appears to have been taped from a radio broadcast. We have an MP3 of that demo available to download (see first link in post, “Xeric Records Demos” folder).

The Cranberries’ “Uncertain,” released in 1991 on Limerick label Xeric Records, is only available in three known formats: a CD release (discography), 12″ vinyl (discography), and a 12″ white-label test/promo vinyl (discography). The CD version is the version most sought-after by collectors, usually fetching over $100.

The fake vinyl has since been “lost” in the mail. We returned it for a refund, only to have the seller claim that he never received it.

Why did this vinyl get re-labeled as a non-existant Cranberries rarity? It’s a question we still have yet to answer. The seller claims to know nothing about it, and has an otherwise good eBay feedback rating.

Source: Exclusive

Universal Music Distribution this month pulled the US single release of “When You’re Gone” (discography entry) from its catalogs, making the single now officially out of print.

The 1996 single was still a part of The Cranberries’ active catalog up until earlier this month. The move by Universal simply means that stores will no longer be able to order it as inventory. (In other words, if your local store still has a copy, you might want to pick it up as new copies will slowly evaporate.)

In 2002, Universal similarly removed the original pressings of The Cranberries’ first four albums from its catalogs, instead replacing them with expanded “Complete Sessions” versions with all of the studio B-sides from that era.

Source: Universal Music Distribution

Italian cartoonist theHand (aka Maurizio di Bona) is gearing up to release his first graphic diary, titled Scarabocchio Ergo Sum, which includes several pages of Cranberries and Dolores O’Riordan caricatures in its pages. The book compiles work that theHand has completed over the last three years.

theHand produced a line of official merchandise for The Cranberries in 2003. One piece included in the book, a spooky horror-flick rendition of the now iconic No Need to Argue album cover, was part of that line of merchandise.

The book is being released under a “print on demand” license, so click here to reserve your copy for the first pressing of the book. For more previews from the book, look here. (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

Thanks to theHand for the preview images.

Ireland’s Sunday Business Post reports today that Noel Hogan has put up the financial backing for a new plan to install hundreds of entertainment kiosks around Ireland.

The “Digital Jet” Kiosks will offer multimedia content — digital books, music, and videos — that users will be able to download by connecting their MP3 players, laptops, and mobile phones. The kiosks will be placed in airports, universities, and other high-traffic areas and will allow, for example, someone to download a digital book before they board a flight.

Longtime Cranberries financial manager Alan McEvoy got Noel involved in the venture. “The machine can be updated easily so it will never be dated,” McEvoy said.

The first machines will roll out in mid-February. McEvoy plans to have 300 kiosks installed around Ireland by the end of 2006.

Source: Sunday Business Post

“Zombie” is a chart hit in The Netherlands this week for the second time — but it’s not the original version.

A house music cover version of “Zombie” performed by Maximus vs. Banks feat. Jason entered the Dutch “Megatop 100” singles chart last week at No. 49. It dropped slightly to No. 55 this week. (The original release of “Zombie” hit No. 3 on the same chart.)

The new version was released as a 4-track single on the Double Dance label on November 9. You can buy it here. (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE). (The sound sample does not appear to be working.)

Thanks to Taco for the news.

Source: Planet.nl

Dolores isn’t the only one pursuing business opportunities these days — Ireland’s Sunday Business Post reports that Noel Hogan has opened a designer clothes store in Limerick called “Identikit.”

“It is true that I have a clothes shop in Limerick, I am half owner,” Noel told Zombieguide. “We opened about six or seven months ago. It is casual street wear, jeans, t-shirts, that kind of thing. It’s been doing really well.” Noel opened the venture together with longtime Cranberries business manager Alan McEvoy. Noel patented the name in January of this year.

The Sunday Business Post also notes that despite the fact that The Cranberries have not released any new music in the past three years, “the royalties are still flowing in.”

Update: Monica Peña had a chance to visit the Identikit store in Limerick this week, so she took some photos and writes, “I found Noel’s shop Identikit. I was looking for it but never thought it was gonna be so easy to find, but it’s on the main street. Of course when I saw it I had a very small hope that maybe Noel had gone there at that time to check how sales were going or something, but of course he wasnt there… The clothes are cool, it’s a brand store so it’s a little expensive, for example a jacket for 130 euros but there were also tshirts for 30 euros and they sell footwear and accesories too.”

Source: Sunday Business Post

The Cranberries are among 12 of the most influential artists in Irish music to be selected for the newly-erected Wall of Fame in Dublin.

The wall, which encompasses the Temple Lane wall of the historic Temple Bar Music Centre in Dublin, includes 11 smaller windows (6 x 6 ft) and one large window (20 x 20 ft) to house photographs of Ireland’s most influential musicians. The wall was unveiled on October 20th with a launch party that included notables Dave Fanning, Paul Brady and Philomena Lynott.

The permanent outdoor exhibit is complimented by a small indoor exhibit inside the Temple Bar Music Centre, which includes a synopsis of each artist compiled by Hot Press editor Stewart Clark. The 12 artists were chosen for the following criteria: “The artists featured on the Wall of Fame were judged by several criteria – not record sales alone, but also for their genuine pioneering work in contributing to modern popular music and for showcasing the quality and range of Irish musical talent on the World stage. It is by no means a definitive list of the Irish top 12, but each act has been highly influential in the Irish music scene past and present.”

The exhibiton includes a 6 x 6 ft decal of Dolores O’Riordan, photographed at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London in 1994. Photographer Jill Furmanovsky of Dublin’s Rockarchive Gallery said, “The band had already conquered America but were relatively unknown in the UK. This daytime showcase was for the press and promoters. Dolores looked like a schoolgirl bunking off during her dinner hour.” The translucent decals are backlit at night, which makes the free public exhibit an attraction even during the evening.

The other 11 artists on the wall currently are Paul Brady, The Boomtown Rats, Christy Moore, Philip Lynott, Rory Gallagher, Shane MacGowan, U2, Sinead O’Connor, The Undertones, Van Morrison, and Luke Kelly.

You can find more info at the Wall of Fame’s Official Website.

Source: Wall of Fame

Dolores O’Riordan’s publicist Lindsey Holmes today told Zombieguide that yesterday’s rumor of a Cranberries regroup in the near future is false.

Holmes said, “Dolores did not have dinner with the other members of the Cranberries on Friday night.She had dinner with her husband and some fellow musicians. The rumour is not true that the Cranberries are getting back together.”

The rumor made the top headline on gossip website Showbiz Irelandyesterday.

No word yet on what Dolores’s reference to “four months” may have been, if anything.

If there are any more developments on the rumor, Zombieguide will have them here.

Source: Exclusive

Update: Dolores O’Riordan’s publicist has denied this rumor, read more here

Today’s front page story on gossip website Showbiz Ireland suggests that the Cranberries could be back as soon as within the next few months.

The tabloid managed to squeeze a few words out of Dolores at Shanahan’s Restaurant in Dublin, where they report that she and her husband were eating with the rest of The Cranberries last Friday, November 4.

While details are scant, Dolores told the tabloid that we might hear something from The Cranberries within the next four months.

Showbiz Ireland writes, “Now hopefully Dolores wasn’t just playing games with the waiting media because at the top of their game The Cranberries were one of the biggest bands in the world and it’s about time someone gave U2 and Coldplay a run- for-their-money!”

The website has also posted three brand new photos of Dolores and Don. Dolores’s very long black hair in these shots suggest that the tautbrunette shots posted last month on the Irish Independent may be slightly dated.

We are awaiting comment from Noel Hogan on this news and we will post his response on Zombieguide as soon as we get it.

Source: Showbiz Ireland

The Irish Independent reports today that Dolores O’Riordan (remember her?) has finally received permission to build four mansions in Alicante, Spain after nearly ten years of legal wrestling.

The Independent also published a brand new photo of Dolores today. This is her first public appearance in nearly a year.

Dolores purchased a 20,000 acre tract of coastal land called Tossal del Tender near the village of Benissa, Spain in 1996 after touring the area via helicopter. The land is one of the very few sites in that area of Spain that remains undeveloped. Since then, Dolores has been fighting a battle with the local deveopment board for permission to build on the land.

Originally, Dolores intended to build a hotel on the land, although this plan was rejected by the local development board. In 2001, Dolores set up a development venture named Paradise Hills with the plan of building four large homes. The development board again rejected this plan, after Benissa’s municipal architect pointed out that there would be too many technical problems in developing the land without disturbing the environment. Click here to read Zombieguide’s report from 2002 on that development.

In 2003, the town finally gave O’Riordan a tentative approval for the project. On Tuesday, October 3rd, the board gave O’Riordan final approval to begin building. The board approved under the stipulation that Dolores build an additional 30 homes on the property and sell these to the public. Irish real estate agent Jaime Jaen estimates that the finished complex will be worth a total of €13m (about $16 million US).

This is the latest in a number of investments that Dolores has made in recent years, including the purchase of a run-down mansion in Dublin for improvement and an aborted restaurant venture.

Source: Irish Independent

Universal Music announced today that they will release a 3-disc “Deluxe Sound & Vision” version of “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002” in October that will be made up of a greatest hits CD, a B-sides CD, and a bonus DVD.

The B-sides are all previously available tracks that you can find on 2002’s “Treasure Box” and the DVD will include the same videos 2002’s “Stars: The Best of Videos.” The “Deluxe Sound & Vision” series in the UK has included previous greatest hits installments by artists like Abba, Elton John, The Cure, Roger Waters, Texas, Tears for Fears, and Robert Palmer, just to name a few.

The set will include:

CD One:
1. Dreams
2. Linger
3. Zombie
4. Ode To My Family
5. I Can’t Be With You
6. Ridiculous Thoughts
7. Salvation
8. Free To Decide
9. When You’re Gone
10. Hollywood
11. Promises
12. Animal Instinct
13. Just My Imagination
14. You & Me
15. Analyse
16. Time Is Ticking Out
17. This Is The Day
18. Daffodil Lament
19. New New York
20. Stars

CD Two:
1. Reason
2. Them
3. What You Were
4. Liar
5. Pretty – Pret A Porter Movie Remix
6. How – Radical Mix
7. Away
8. I Don’t Need
9. Close To You
10. So Cold In Ireland
11. Zombie – Camel’s Hump Mix
12. Cordell
13. The Picture I View
14. Ave Maria
15. Go Your Own Way
16. God Be With You
17. Baby Blues
18. Sweetest Thing
19. Woman Without Pride
20. Such A Shame
21. Paparazzi on Mopeds

DVD:
1. Dreams
2. Linger
3. Zombie
4. Ode To My Family
5. I Can’t Be With You
6. Ridiculous Thoughts
7. Salvation
8. Free To Decide
9. When You’re Gone
10. Promises
11. Animal Instinct
12. Just My Imagination
13. You & Me
14. Analyse
15. Time Is Ticking Out
16. This Is The Day
17. Stars

HMV lists the set for release on October 17th in the UK. EIL lists it for release on October 30th. No word yet on a release outside the UK.

Thanks to YSGone for the tip.

Source: HMV, EIL

In a rather surprising move, Universal Music has sent a cease and desist order to Spanish lyrics website Portaldeletras, demanding that the website remove the lyrics for The Cranberries’ “Zombie” — or else pay for the right to reproduce them.

Universal claims that by posting the lyrics to the song (written by O’Riordan), the unauthorized website is infringing upon the copyright of the artist. It appears that “Zombie” is the only song that Universal is requesting be removed.

Portaldeletras has complied by removing both English and a Portuguese translation of the lyrics. However, the website has posted a long letter in its defense, saying, “Today, portaldeletras has never at any time supported piracy, and even furthermore, we have tried to support different music artists. Like how you can see from our website, you have the possibility of buying the artists’ discs, downloading the ringtones, and Real Audio clips and wallpapers and many other things. Everything is 100% legal.”

While the site claims to have no links to piracy — they even offer a link to download songs from iTunes — there are also links to much grayer P2P programs scattered throughout the page.

Thanks to Scott for the news.

Sources: Noticiasdot.com, Portaldeletras

Fergal Lawler and his wife Laurie are proud parents again this month, as Laurie gave birth to their third child in mid-August. There were no reported complications, so it appears both mother and baby are doing fine.

The baby’s name and date of birth have not yet been announced. If anyone has more details, please drop a line!

This is Fergal’s third child, after two sons, Jacob (born March 2, 2000) and Nathan (born September 24, 2002).

Thanks to an anonymous tip!

Source: Exclusive

Last Thursday (August 18th), Le Monde, one of the largest national newspapers in France published an essay on the significance of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” to mark its 10th anniversary as a hit.

Here is the English translation, followed by the original French text:

Zombie
Le Monde / 18 August 2005

Summer Hit 1995

Let’s get back ten years ago. It is the summer and the weather is good. Suddenly, on the radio, a voice vibrates, rumbles, and roars. All at the same time, and upon a single word, haunting: “Zombie, Zombie, Zoooooooooombie…”. The sentence ends with incredible vocal performances, almost yodels, bathed in saturated electric guitars reminiscent of those of Nirvana that emerged with the grunge in 1992. That vocal assault is named Dolores O’Riordan. She is 23, has short hair, piercings lined up on her ear, a strong Irish accent and, from her 1.60 meters, she shouts to the world about the misfortune of her island and of the victims of the Ulster conflict. For a summer hit, it is as far from La Lambada as one can be.

The Irish “Troubles” theme is not new: in 1983, U2 had already sung the endless violence striking the civilians stuck between the IRA’s bombs and the British army. The famous Sunday Bloody Sunday, “non-partisan” hymn, where the drums imitate the sound of a marching drum, was recalling that “bloody Sunday” of 1972 when the British army had opened fire on a Catholic demonstration in Derry. Ten thousand people that had come to protest against the arbitrary imprisonment policy lead by Great Britain were welcome by a sustained fire killing 14.

Ten years later, the Cranberries make their breakthrough on that same topic, among the “political” bands. The 20th of March 1993, they are touring Great Britain when they learn that two bombs planted by the IRA have spread terror in a commercial center in Warrington, in the north of the country. Two children have been killed – one was sitting on a bin that exploded, the other was killed the following day while he was looking for a Mother’s Day card.

The event doesn’t have the same political impact as the Bloody Sunday – which convinced Great Britain to administer Ulster directly from Westminster. However, the emotion is great in the United Kingdom. Dolores O’Riordan follows her glorious predecessor’s lead and writes Zombie: “Another head hangs lowly / Child is slowly taken / Who are we mistaken”. The song describes the inner anguish of a man – a zombie – traumatized by the civil war that lasts since the “Easter Insurrection”, date when the Republic was proclaimed: “It’s the same old theme since 1916 / In your head they’re still fighting”. The Cranberries are not very subtle. In the video, shot in Belfast, children play war in a gloomy city patrolled by armed, threatening soldiers. A divine figure (Dolores O’Riordan painted in gold) shouts her rage from the top of a cross, surrounded by scared cherubs.

Unfortunately, the song is released in 1994, when the IRA just signs a ceasefire and the civil war pauses. The singer is accused of needlessly relaunching the debate. Moreover, the song, which is meant a call for peace, comes in the media with declarations far less politically correct.

“In some cases, I am in favor of the death penalty,” Dolores O’Riordan explains to the Inrockuptibles in 1995. “In Singapore, they cut off theives’ hands and they cut off murderers’ heads. Result: no more crimes.”

She is also blamed for definitive tirades on subjects like abortion or feminism (“As far as I’m concerned, it is a thing for girls who have been ditched thirty times in their lives and decide that all men are filth”). Undoubtedly, the muse of the Cranberries, a timid teenager gone a star in a couple of months, remains marked by her childhood in the island she personifies almost caricaturely. The last of seven children, she sings in the church at the age of 5; she reads Gaelic fluently; she plays the traditional tin whistle skillfully. And, of course, she is Catholic. “At school, we had to confess,” she says. “As I hadn’t done anything bad, I had to make up sins to please the priest who was listening behind the screen. (…) But without that education, I wouldn’t have been so frustrated. And if I hadn’t been so frustrated, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Just like her, the other members of the band, the brothers Mike and Noel Hogan, bassist and guitarist, and the drummer Fergal Lawler originate from the Limerick area ; they have grown up drinking Guinness and doing small jobs. Polemics don’t prevent Zombie from going supernova. The album No Need To Argue sells more that 15 millions copies. For the Cranberries, 1995 is a sumptuous year. Dolores O’Riordan, who got married – in the church and in Doc Martens – joins her voice with Luciano Pavarotti to sing an Ave Maria during a concert for Bosnia children. A song that will belong, nine years later, to Mel Gibson’s Passion of The Christ original soundtrack. Then, Ireland decidedly becomes fashionable.

But, unlike their great predecessors, U2 or Sinead O’Connor, the bands assaulting the global market are often keen to avoid politics and polemic. The boys band Boyzone or the Corrs siblings prefer to remember their homeland’s folklore only, and barely tint their sentimental ballads with harp and tin whistle.

Claire Guillot

And here is the original French version for our francophone readers:

ZOMBIE
Jeudi 18 août 2005 / Le Monde

REVENONS dix ans en arrière. C’est l’été et il fait beau. A la radio, soudain, une voix vibre, gronde, rugit. Le tout à la fois, et sur un même mot, lancinant : ” Zombie, Zombie, Zoooooooombie… » La phrase s’achève sur d’incroyables vocalises, presque des yodles, baignées de guitares électriques saturées qui rappellent Nirvana, surgi avec le grunge en 1992. Cette déferlante vocale s’appelle Dolores O’Riordan. Elle a 23 ans, les cheveux ras, des piercings en rang sur l’oreille, un accent irlandais à couper au couteau et, du haut de son 1,60 m, elle hurle à la face du monde les malheurs de son île et des victimes du conflit nord-irlandais. Pour un tube de l’été, c’est aussi loin que possible de La Lambada.

Le thème des ” troubles » irlandais n’est pas neuf : en 1983, le groupe U2 avait déjà chanté l’interminable violence frappant les civils coincés entre les bombes de l’IRA et l’armée britannique. Le célèbre Sunday, Bloody Sunday, hymne ” non partisan », où la batterie imite le roulement du tambour, évoquait ce ” dimanche sanglant » de 1972 où l’armée britannique avait ouvert le feu sur une manifestation catholique à Derry. Dix mille personnes, venues protester contre la politique d’emprisonnement arbitraire menée par la Grande-Bretagne, avaient été accueillies par un feu nourri faisant 14 victimes.

Dix ans plus tard, les Cranberries font leur entrée, sur ce même thème, dans les rangs des groupes ” à thèse ». Ils sont en tournée en Grande-Bretagne quand ils apprennent, le 20 mars 1993, que deux bombes de l’IRA ont semé la terreur dans un centre commercial à Warrington, au nord du pays. Deux enfants ont été tués – l’un était assis sur une poubelle qui a explosé, l’autre a été fauché, le lendemain, alors qu’il cherchait une carte de voeux pour la Fête des mères.

L’événement n’a pas le retentissement politique du Bloody Sunday – qui convainquit la Grande-Bretagne d’administrer l’Ulster directement depuis Westminster. Néanmoins, l’émoi est grand dans les îles Britanniques. Dolores O’Riordan emboîte le pas à ses glorieux aînés et écrit Zombie : ” Encore une tête qui pend / Un enfant est évacué lentement / Qui sommes-nous, trompés. » La chanson décrit le tourment intérieur d’un homme – un zombie – traumatisé par la guerre civile qui dure depuis l'” insurrection de Pâques », date de la proclamation de la République : ” C’est la même rengaine depuis 1916 ; dans ta tête ils continuent à se battre. »

Les Cranberrries ne font pas dans la dentelle. Dans le clip, tourné à Belfast, des enfants jouent à la guerre dans une ville lugubre, arpentée par des soldats armés et menaçants. Une figure divine (Dolores O’Riordan, peinte en doré) hurle sa rage duhaut d’une croix, entourée d’angelots effrayés.

Manque de chance, la chanson ne sort qu’en 1994, alors que l’IRA vient de signer un cessez-le-feu et que la guerre civile fait une pause. La chanteuse est accusée de relancer gratuitement le débat. D’autant que sa chanson, qui se veut un appel à la paix, s’accompagne dans les médias de déclarations bien moins politiquement correctes. ” Dans certains cas, je suis pour la peine de mort, explique Dolores O’Riordan aux Inrockuptibles en 1995. A Singapour, on coupe les mains des voleurs, on coupe les têtes des meurtriers. Résultat : il n’y a plus de crimes. »

On lui reproche aussi des tirades définitives sur des sujets comme l’avortement ou le féminisme (” Pour moi, c’est quelque chose pour les filles qui se sont fait plaquer trente fois dans leur vie et qui décident que les hommes sont tous des ordures »). Sans doute l’égérie des Cranberries, adolescente timide devenue rockstar en quelques mois, reste-t-elle marquée par son enfance dans son île, qu’elle incarne jusqu’à la caricature. Petite dernière d’une famille de sept enfants, elle chantait à l’église dès l’âge de 5 ans ; elle lit le gaélique dans le texte ; elle maîtrise le tin whistle, la flûte traditionnelle. Et, bien entendu, elle est catholique. ” A l’école il fallait toujours se confesser, raconte-t- elle. Comme je n’avais rien à me reprocher, j’étais obligée d’inventer des péchés pour faire plaisir au prêtre qui m’écoutait derrière la grille. (…) Mais, sans cette éducation, je n’aurais jamais été frustrée. Et si je n’avais pas été frustrée, je ne serais pas ici aujourd’hui. »

Les autres membres du groupe, les frères Mike et Noel Hogan, bassiste et guitariste, et le batteur Fergal Lawlern sont comme elle originaires de la région de Limerick ; ils ont grandi en vivant de Guinness et de petits boulots. Les polémiques n’empêchent pas Zombie de faire le tour du monde : l’album No Need to Argue s’écoule à plus de 15 millions d’exemplaires. Pour les Cranberries, l’année 1995 est fastueuse. Dolores O’Riordan, qui s’est mariée – à l’église et en Doc Martens -, joint sa voix puissante à celle de Luciano Pavarotti pour chanter un Ave Maria lors d’un concert en faveur des enfants de Bosnie. Une chanson qui figurera, neuf ans plus tard, sur la bande originale du film La Passion du Christ, de Mel Gibson. Puis l’Irlande devient décidément à la mode.

Mais, au contraire des grands anciens, U2 ou Sinead O’Connor, les groupes qui se lancent à l’assaut du marché mondial sont soucieux d’éviter politique et polémique. Le boys band Boyzone ou la tribu des Corrs préfèrent ne retenir de leur patrie que son folklore, et se contentent de teinter leurs ballades sentimentales de harpe ou de pipeau.

Claire Guillot

Thanks to Sir Thomas Montagné, Esq., for the scan and laborious translation.

Source: Le Monde (France)

Universal Music Distribution today announced the tracks that will appear on The Cranberries’ 20th Century Masters CD, due to release in the United States on September 27, 2005.

The eleven tracks make this a strictly “greatest hits” release, nearly half the number of tracks that appeared on The Cranberries’ more complete Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002. However, like all installments in the 20th Century Masters,
the CD will be available at a budget price of less than $10.

Universal has released the cover art (medium and HUGE resolution) and a tracklisting (see PDF sell sheet) for 20th Century Masters: The Best of The Cranberries: Millennium Collection.  (LINKS NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

The tracklisting is:

1. Dreams
2. Linger
3. Zombie
4. Ode to My Family
5. I Can’t Be With You
6. Salvation
7. Free to Decide
8. When You’re Gone
9. Animal Instinct
10. Promises
11. Analyse

The Cranberries Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters CD is due to be released on September 27, 2005 in the USA.

Meanwhile, the previously announced The Cranberries 20th Century Masters: DVD Collection will release next week in the USA and is available to order from DeepDiscountDVD.com for $5.99 with free shipping.

Source: Universal Music Distribution (Exclusive)

The unconfirmed word out of London is that Dolores O’Riordan recently held a dinner and reception for music industry types to announce the details of her forthcoming solo album.

One person in the music biz said she got a personalized invitation at the beginning of July to attend the dinner in London, but couldn’t go due to travel obligations.

More than likely, Dolores held the reception to get a pre-release buzz going within the industry, and perhaps look for a record label and/or distributor.

No other details are available at the moment. Dolores’s solo album is due in 2006.

Thanks to Jordan on the Forums for the news.

Source: Exclusive

Original Cranberry Saw Us lead singer Niall Quinn has discovered what he believes to be the first printed reference to “The Cranberries,” the shortened moniker that The Cranberry Saw Us adopted after the addition of a certain member named Dolores O’Riordan.

The article comes from the October 27, 1990

issue of “City Limits,” a section from the Limerick Tribune. The third paragraph in “Getting the Balance Right”

describes the swelling praise for Water Circle, The Cranberry Saw Us’s first demo with Dolores. The article was written by Stuart Clark, who is now Assistant Editor for Hot Press

This is “one of the first newspaper clippings about the Cranberries,” Niall Quinn told Zombieguide today, “and I’d say it actually IS the first time they’re referred to as ‘The Cranberries’ in print as opposed to ‘TCSU’ – a name they’d still have been going by at that point and I’m guessing for another few months. We used just refer to them as The Cranberries for short –like we’d refer to They Do It With Mirrors as The Mirrors.”

The article also describes further sessions at Xeric Studios which were released as Nothing Left At All, the band’s second demo with Dolores in 1990.” The songs that they were going in to Xeric to record would be “Nothing Left At All” and the other tracks from that same cassingle which came out around Christmas (still under the name TCSU),” Niall said.

The band continued to use the name “The Cranberry Saw Us” for months after Niall Quinn’s departure until it was briefly shortened to “The Cranberry’s,” and then “The Cranberries.” (“We discussed them and eventually settled on ‘The Cranberry Saw Us’. I remember favoring it over ‘The Cranberries’ – which I reckoned sounded like a band a girl would be singing with – like ‘The Darling Buds’ or ‘The Sugar Cubes’. Maybe that’s why long after my departure they shortened it back to its source name – because it fitted perfectly a band fronted by a female,” Niall wrote in 2002)

Niall has previously posted more Hitchers and early Cranberries-relatedarticles on the Hitchers website.

Update:
Niall has uncovered an even earlier Cranberries reference from August 1990, two months previous to the prior October 1990 article. The article appeared in the now defunct Limerick Tribune by the now renowned Hot Press editor Stewart Clark.

Niall writes, “The article appeared in The Limerick tribune (long gone) and was again written by Stuart Clark who’s interviewed the band many times and is a nationally renowned journalist and commentator here in Ireland now.

“I remember this gig quite well as some of the older lads in The Hitchers would’ve have got their Leaving Cert (High School final exams) results that day and were pretty pissed drunk by the time it came for The Hitchers to play. So that puts it in and around the 3rd Wednesday in august as that’s when these results are always released.

“Incidently, the ‘Termite Club’ referred to is STILL GOING here in Limerick 15 years later. It’s moved home several times but is still the place the indie kids head for on a Friday or Saturday night.”

Thanks to Niall Quinn for the scan and info.

Source: Exclusive

Zombieguide has learned that Fergal Lawler has begun recording and writing sessions with at least one former member of fellow Limerick band Woodstar.

Fergal has started recording with Kieran Calvert, guitarist for Woodstar, and the project could possibly also rope in Al Sheahan, Woodstar’s keyboardist.

A source close to Mono Band tells Zombieguide, “Fergal remains a very close friend of the Hogan brothers and is constantly seen out socialising with them around Limerick City. Fergal is busy doing his own thing now, writing and recording in his studio at home.”

“As for Fergal, I spoke recently to him, not about anything in particular, but I know he has been writing with Keiran Calvert from Woodstar, Im not sure if Alan (his Sir name escapes me) but any time I meet them out, they are always together, I would only be speculating if I said he was involved. Its not that Fergal is secretive about what he is doing, I don’t think there is much to tell.”

The project is said to be “in its infancy” and still very tentative as of the time of writing. As such, any announcements of a solid project are still down the road.

Attentive fans know that this is not the first collaboration between members of The Cranberries and Woodstar. The professional relationship begain in 2002 when Woodstar opened for The Cranberries’ tour dates in Ireland and continued with vocalist Fin Chambers’s contribution to the Mono Band album this year.

Thanks to monoman for the news.

Source: Exclusive

Universal Music Distribution on Monday announced the release of a new Cranberries DVD and CD in the 20th Century Masters series for August and September, respectively.

Although details are still forthcoming, both releases appear to be “greatest hits” type offerings and there is no word yet of any extra bonuses.

Universal yesterday released cover art (medium and
HUGE resolution) and a tentative tracklisting (see
PDF sell sheet) for The Cranberries 20th Century
Masters: DVD Collection, which is scheduled for
release on August 30, 2005 in the USA. The tentative tracklisting for the DVD is:

1. Linger
2. Zombie
3. Ridiculous Thoughts
4. Salvation
5. Animal Instinct

If these are simply music videos, you’ll be better off picking up the superior Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002 DVD released in 2002.

The Cranberries Millenium Collection: 20th Century Masters CD is due to be released on September 27, 2005 in the USA. No tracklisting or cover art has been announced for the CD, though you can count on more details right here in the coming weeks.

(Note to our friends at The Official Community Corp.: If you would like to “borrow” this news, please kindly credit us.)

Source: Universal Music Distribution (Exclusive)