A concert planned as a “Tenth Anniversary” event next summer in The Cranberries’ hometown of Limerick, Ireland may not even occur at all, according to a spokesperson for the band.

“I’m really sorry but nothing has happened with that gig,” the representative said this weekend. “We have not confirmed anything or we’re not sure if it’s going ahead even.”

The event was originally scheduled to be held in August of this year. The local Limerick Leader even reported this past March that plans for a summer event were nearly finalized to take place at the newly-built Limerick Racecourse. However, the event was later postponed to summer of 2003 by the band to adjust for the “Stars” promotional tour. The band hasn’t played in their hometown since their performance at the The Theatre Royal in December 1993.

We’ll have more on this subject (if there is any more) as it unfolds.

Source: Cranberries Tape Trader

Universal Records in the UK has released a new 1-track promo for “Stars.” Unlike some of the previous promo releases in Europe, this new disc includes brand new custom “Stars” artwork in the same vein as the previous album and single art. The disc art, too, is different, rather than continuing the green “star” design which has been seen on both the album and single releases.

In a letter posted today on the Cranberries Official Website, drummer Fergal Lawler strongly hints at the possibilty of a North American tour for “early next year.”

“I managed to locate a nice winter hat for myself,” he writes, “complete with ear-flaps! It doesn’t really get that cold at home in Ireland, but I hope to get to use it in the colder climates abroad early next year!”

Now that they’ve nearly exhausted the European continent, there aren’t many “colder climates” left in the Nothern Hemisphere during the months early in the year, save for Russia, which is unlikely; after all, it will be summer during those months in the Southern Hemisphere (Sorry, Australia and South America). Not to mention the word “abroad” (i.e. across the ocean) sounds very promising!

Fergal wrote in his last letter that “We were planning our new schedule yesterday for 2003 and we are going to be touring until the beginning of April and then we will be doing some shows with some other artists in June and July to wrap up a great 2 years on the road.” The band has yet to reveal any specifics of these plans, but it sounds like we may know more about them now than we did previously.

Source: Cranberries Official Website

As if their limited edition metallic CD wallets weren’t enough, Universal Taiwan has shipped yet another piece of promotional “Stars” swag to retailers. In an attempt to help boost sales, those who purchase “Stars” at select Taiwanese retailers will receive a limited promo-only “Stars” mousepad as a bonus. (Bear in mind that this comes in addition to the extra mini-book that comes standard with the Taiwanese version of “Stars.”)

For those that already have the album, the promo mousepad is available separately through Asian import specialty site SolCD.com for $9.99 US

Source: SolCD.com

It seems that some fairly substantial changes have been made in the special features to be included in next month’s DVD release of “Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002.”

It seems that the full Vicar Street concert from November 2000, which was listed in several pieces of pre-release promotion (American sales sheet,French sales sheet) has been removed from the upcoming release. However, it hasn’t been removed entirely — the DVD will now contain only “Shattered” from Vicar Street (arguably the best song from that performance anyway).

In its place, the production crew has inserted a few new extra features into the DVD, which were not reported on the earlier sales sheet. The current list of extra features is listed below, with newly-announced additions highlighted in bold:

Alternate Videos:
1. Dreams(Director: Nico Soultanakis)
2. Ridiculous Thoughts (Director’s Cut: Samuel Bayer)
3. When You’re Gone (Director’s Cut: Jake Scott)
4. Just My Imagination(Performance Only)
5. Analyse (Director’s Cut – Original version)

Live Tracks:
1. Daffodil Lament 1994 Astoria
2. No Need to Argue 1995 MTV Unplugged
3. Empty 1994 Astoria
4. Sunday 1996 Tour
5. Shattered 2000 Vicar Street

– Documentary: LOVE LIFE & ROCK N’ ROLL (1999) *

DVD-Rom Functions:
– Interactive slideshow
– Calender
– Wallpapers

* Note: Also previously titled “Love & Rock ‘n’ Roll”

As you can see, an alternate version of “Just My Imagination” (just the band’s performance footage), the unforgettable MTV Unplugged version of “No Need to Argue,” and “Shattered” from Vicar Street are all new additions to the DVD.

It’s unknown if the late changes are due to video problems found in late production, but it is a strong possibility.

Sources: Cranberries of Prat

The Cranberries have now sold over one million copies of their greatest hits compilation “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002,” only a little over a month after its worldwide release in September.

The band members were awarded with plaques backstage at the Olympia in Paris last Wednesday to congratulate the disc’s success. Each member was awarded an individual small plaque while the group was collectively given an almost comically humongous wall plaque, which included all of the band’s albums to date. Dolores even popped open a bottle of vino to celebrate!

For reference, “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee,” which was released a year ago today in the United States, sold 1.4 million copies worldwide in the timespan between October and December of last year, almost double the amount of time. Those were the last official worldwide sales figures of “Wake Up” that we have received, and those numbers have likely risen since then, in no small part due to the Wake Up and Smell the Coffee World Tour 2002.

Its likely that the strong majority of “Stars” sales have come from Europe, since promotion elsewhere is virtually nonexistant. With all of this in consideration, the album seems to be doing rather well.

Check out photos from the private event backstage at the Olympia below. Huge thanks to Lou for the scoop and the photos.

Source: Exclusive

As a result of the band’s extensive promo work in Europe for the recent release of “Stars,” several interviews have sprung up all over the place. But as a result of them being in Europe, few of them are in English.

Below you can check out several new write-ups from the October issues of “Telepiù” (Italian, 3 pages), “40 Magazine” (Spanish, 1 page), and “Top Music” (Spanish, 2 pages).

In addition to the above print material, French channel MCM has posted some extensive streaming video interviews of the band, recorded on October 18th. On the down side, the video is dubbed over in French, but on the upside, the dub is not overbearing (you can still understand most of the dialogue), and the quality is fantastic on a fast connection.

Thanks once again to Lorenzo for the “Telepiù” scans.

Sources: Cranstar, Official Cranberries Fanclub (Spain), MCM

On October 16th, The Cranberries played “New New York” live for the first time ever to a massive audience at Paris’s Olympia.

“We played ‘New New York’ for the first time ever. It felt good but we need to play it a few more times to get really confident,” Fergal wrote on the latest update on the official page.

And we now have a clip of one of these performances available thanks to an ameteur audience video recording by Hyperboy. Click below to download the clip:

Live in Berlin Video Clips 10-19-2002 (Windows Media, 6.7mb)

Be sure to visit the Cranberries section of the Hyperboy site for more still shots of the concert. (Special thanks for permission to link directly to the video.) Be sure to download the video soon, as it will be taken offline within the next few weeks.

Other new “surprises” to the “Stars” tour setlist include “Hollywood”,”Empty”, “Put Me Down”, and “Dying in the Sun”. Even more surprising is that the classic show-ender “Dreams” is now the first song of the show, whereas “Zombie” is now the last! (Which, as you may recall, is a complete reversal of the order from the “Wake Up” tour.) “Dreams” has ended nearly every Cranberries concert in the past eight years unitl now.

Source: Hyperboy

Earlier this month, Universal in Europe released a 2-track version of “Stars” alongside the 4-track maxi CD. The 2-track version contains the following tracks:

1. Stars
2. Dreaming My Dreams

The CD art differs slightly from the 4-track version, while the cover and back are nearly identical.

You know, we really didn’t expect the mystery of “The Story” to be solved so quickly — much less by these means!

Lou, an avid Cranberries fan and freelance writer working in France had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Dolores O’Riordan yesterday via phone in Paris for an upcoming print interview. She writes:

“Yesterday, I interviewed Dolores for a French magazine. And I asked her about “The Story” … Do you wanna know? It’s a song called “The Same Old Story” that has only been played twice and never been recorded. Also, I’ve got some pictures of the Golden Record they have received, but I’ll upload them tonight, and they’ll be on www.mademoisellenothomb.com/olympia.htmaround midnight… I’ve also got pics of Dolores.

“It’s for a French magazine, but as I’m in freelance for the moment, I can’t say the name. The interview was by phone around 12 o’clock, and lasted 20 minutes. I did the interview, and then I spoke a little with her, asking her if she remembered me… She did, wow! (I told her about Monaco.)

“So, trust me, my information is true! You can’t imagine how happy I was when Dolores remembered the name of the song… She didn’t even have it in mind, she took five minutes to remember the name!”

So there you have it! It looks like the book is closed on yet another mystery song title. New information on “The Same Old Story” will be added to theComplete Songlist.

Source: Exclusive

A message on the Cranberries’ official mailing list brings word that next month’s release of “Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002” has been delayed by one week, due to an error found on the master disc. The message explains:

The “Stars – Best of Videos 1992-2002” DVD will be delayed by at least a week due to a production error caught in the final approval phase, just prior to manufacturing. One “Live performance” video had an error, so it is being replaced with a new master of the same song. Everything else remains the same. Sorry for the inconvenience, but the wait will be worth it.

The new release dates will be posted on the website as soon as Universal give out the date(s). The delay is expected to be one week later.

The final running time is over 2 hrs, so be prepared for a true retrospective. There is something new for everyone. Plenty of memories captured. Enjoy!

According to Universal, the DVD is now on track for a release on November 26th in the US.

In other news, the band’s management has confirmed that the original version of the “Zombie” video will appear on the “Stars” DVD, not the edited version that appears on the UK bonus disc for “Stars.” You may now breathe a sigh of relief.

We’ll have more on the new DVD as we know it right here!

Source: Official Site Mailing List

Universal Music France has issued some industry-only trade ads for the upcoming release of “Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002,” which will release there in France on November 12th (same day as the US release). The ad contains what is likely the final art for the release (same as the mock-up art, only with some text added). The sheet also lists some French magazines where the new DVD will be promoted, so French fans should take note of the titles and keep an eye open for ads very soon.

Many thanks to Uriel for the scan!

Source: Exclusive

Last night on MTV Italy aired the special “A Night with The Cranberries” whose special guest was Dolores O’Riordan. She touched on deep subjects like her childhood and on superficial ones too, like her hair and “Don” tattoo.

Matteo (aka MelKain) sent us these nice shots below, which are subtitled in English for your reading convenience.

Source: Exclusive

The newest edition edition of the Italian magazine “Rock Star” has a 3-page interview with The Cranberries’ own Dolores O’Riordan, yet another fruit of the band’s recent Euro promo tour.

Perhaps the most universally interesting thing in the article is Dolores’ hand- written timeline on the band’s emotional outlook during the span of their career. It seems that their happiest times prior to “Bury the Hatchet” came around 1993, the time when “Linger” propelled them into the spotlight in the United States. Afterwards, however, the line plummets to immeasurable depths around the “To the Faithful Departed” era. Then, Dolores boxes off the peroid shortly after the breakdown, perhaps to symbolized a closed and finalized past before the line reaches the aptly-titled “Bury the Hatchet.” “We’ve finished an ‘era’ of our story, now we want go forward,” she says elsewhere in the article, “… In 1997, the group went into standby.” From there, it shows that their current state of mind with “Stars” is the best they’ve experienced yet.

Thanks to Luca Vignola for sending us the exclusive scans. You can visit Luca’s website, The Concept of Cranberries, here (link no longer available!!)

The CD single for “Stars” was released in several territories today, including Italy. Our diligent contributor Lorenzo has sent us a scan of the cover and inner art from the 4-track maxi single, which you can see below. As reported previously, the single contains only album tracks from the band’s career in addition to the new single — Stars, Dreaming My Dreams, Sunday, Hollywood, to be exact.

Once again, thanks to Lorenzo for the lovely scans.

Source: Exclusive!

Universal Music Distribution has sent out it’s New Release Books for the first part of November to retails and included in its pages is a one-page sales sheet for the upcoming “Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002′′ DVD, which is due out in America on November 12th. Zombieguide has obtained an exclusive scan of the page, which you can see below.

The sheet gives a full list of the DVD’s tracks and bonus features, and there are both surprises and a few slight disappointments to be had. You can read the entire listing on the scan, but here’s just a quick look at some of the bonuses:
»  Full Vicar Street Performance (Nov. 11, 2000)

»  “Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll” Documentary (1999)

»  “Stars” Video encoded in Dolby 5.1

»  3 additional live performances of “Daffodil Lament,” “Sunday,” and “Empty”

»  Alternate videos (see below)

»  DVD-Rom Features

Among the “alternate videos” is the long-lost and highly elusive original video for “Ridiculous Thoughts,” the second version of “Dreams,” an alternate version of “When You’re Gone,” and the original unedited version of “Analyse”.

The videos for “Uncertain” and the original version of “Dreams” are absent from the new DVD

On the down side, the band’s two oldest and most elusive videos, “Uncertain” and the first cut of “Dreams,” seem to be missing from the new release. While a full version of the original version of “Dreams” is available thanks to the Internet, only a few seconds of the “Uncertain” video are known to be available to the public (There were three videos recorded for “Dreams”; the second and third are included on the DVD.). A streaming version of the original “Dreams” video can be viewed in the Zombieguide Media Vault. It seems that we won’t be seeing the full version of “Uncertain” anytime soon.

Also, it should be noted that the “cover art” included on the sheet says “Not actual cover,” which means that the art has yet to be finalized (The mock- up art shown is taken from the front of the UK “Stars” promo).

Well, there you have it, exclusively here first!!

Source: Exclusive!

It’s been nearly eight years since the classic video for “Zombie” was filmed, with shots in Los Angeles, Dublin, and Belfest, directed by Samuel Bayer. But with the UK release of “Stars,” which includes the music video for “Zombie” as a bonus, something appears to be immediately amiss from the memoriable clip.

As many fans should know, the basis for the song is on the political strife that has burdened Northern Ireland for much of the 20th century as much of the religious-based conflict waged over rule of the northen counties. A car bomb that killed a child in 1993 was Dolores’ immediate inspiration to write the song “Zombie.”

The UK version of “Stars” includes what appears to be a censored, edited version of the video. Footage from the original video — like that of children pretending to be soldiers with bayonettes and guns — has been removed completely, replaced by alternate black and white footage of the band or the gold crucifix footage. Likewise, footage of the outdoor murals of IRA propaganda and other outdoor scenes filmed in Belfast have all been removed in this new cut of the video.

Scenes removed from the new version of “Zombie”

As a result, all outdoor sequences have been removed from the new cut of the video. Only the black and white footage of the band and the color “gold crucifix” footage remains, all of which has been reworked to span the full length of the video.

Phil C, a fan from Northern Ireland, who sends us this news, theorizes that “they have censored the video in respect of the current political climate in Northern Ireland. People have moved on and don’t want to dwell on images of the past. Northern Ireland is a very different place today compared to when the video was recorded.”

The timing of this seems suspicious, as the “Stars” DVD, which will include all the band’s music videos to date, will be released in November. The question at hand is, will this new cut be put onto the DVD in place of the original video?

Should The Cranberries edit a classic video eight years after it was filmed, just to adapt to current political conditions? This is sure to raise some interesting opinions among fans, so be sure to sound off at the Zombieguide Forums.

In addition, Phil has sent us some screen captures of the enhanced UK “Zombie” video, which includes a very cool (Thorgerson-designed?) backdrop to the interface. Hopefully, we’ll have some captures from the “new edit” of the Zombie video within the coming days.

Source: Exclusive!

The October 2002 issue of the Italian “Tribe Generation” includes a 2-page interview with the entirety of The Cranberries. Like the recent Tutto interview, this one was taken in Monte Carlo over the summer.

There isn’t much here for the English-speaker except a big picture to gawk at, but if someone could send us a translation, it would be very helpful.

Thanks to Lorenzo for the scans.

Source: Exclusive

A previously-recorded interivew with Dolores aired today on Spanish radio station M80. Dolores hit on several interesting topics, including her much- publicized marriage to tour manager Don Burton in 1994 and the decisions involved in releasing the new Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris 2 DVD re- release. Below is a summary, as written by our contributor Jesus Castillo.

»  Dolores recognizes that the second album is clearly “bigger” than EEIDISWCW.

»  Dolores says that she did not realize she was getting married the day of her wedding. Her head was elsewhere and she thought she was in one of her concerts because there were many people from the press as well as many many photographers.

»  They were free to produce the BTS DVD. She finds it an amazing experience because with the extra material people can see the human side of the people behind music (they made a lot of interviews, documentaries,etc). And they worked at a very slow pace in the production as they were given no deadlines from the record company.

»  They decided to record a DVD because they felt they had to do something to somehow erase the image of their last released concert in 1994, which, in their opinion, was not so good.

»  Dolores hates those groups who start their career by playing cover versions. In the beginning, she was asked to do so and she refused (She recalls one time when she was asked to cover “Born In The USA.”). She literally says she hates that way of making music and she does not respect the bands which do not create their own music because they are not “real musicians”. She herself risked her career because “doing your own music was not something profitable or wanted by the music business,” but at the end she has been very successful following her own principles.

»  She was so persecuted by the press that she had no honeymoon. She only escaped with her husband for a couple of days to go camping at the beach. Despite her new marital status, she felt quite depressed because of the excessive work demanded from the company. She assures she had no time to get to know her husband at the beginning.

Source: Exclusive

The newest issue of the Spanish magainze Primera Linea is reporting that The Cranberries are planning to release a “box of rarities” around Chirstmastime this year. The publication gives no further details on the release, and we can only hope that they are not being confused with “Treasure Box,” which was released in May with all the band’s “official” album tracks and B-sides up until “Wake Up.”

To give some validity to the report, the article also includes mention of the”Stars” DVD and the new version of “Stars” which will include live acoustic tracks. Both releases are due by Christmas.

Misunderstanding or fact? A boxed set with new unreleased material would be a great improvement over the “Treasure Box” (which was designed more for “newer” fans). We’ll await more details on this news, and we should know soon enough whether or not it is true.

Thanks to Franberries for the info.

Source: Primera Linea

Yesterday, the new video for “Stars” made yet another impressive debut on the charts, coming in at a #2 debut on Canadian channel MuchMoreMusic’s fan-voted countdown, Top10.com.

However, it has fallen from that position since yesterday, so it’s very important, that you as a Cranberries fan continue to vote for the new song (even if you don’t get the network)!

As a token of thanks for the 30 seconds of your time, we’ve made 24 exclusive high-quality video captures of the video, especially for those that have yet to see it. So drool all you want over the nice caps below, and remember to keep voting!

Images no longer available!!

The brand new video for “Stars” has entered the charts at French Canadain mega-channel MusiquePlus at an impressive #1 debut! This will no doubt boost sales after a serious lack of promotion in North America, and the lack of promotion alone adds to the surprise of this news.

Continue voting daily on MusiquePlus and be sure to step into theZombieguide Forums for all the latest chart news, sharing links for voting from around the word, and a whole lot more, all continuously updated by our dedicated hyperactive Cranberries fan community!

Thanks to Insider27 and several others for the news!

Source: MusiquePlus

The Cranberries’ frontwoman appears on the cover of the September 14th issue of Irish Independent supplement “Weekend,” with a 3-page interview in its pages. Best of all, there are five new photos of O’Riordan; we’ve got the exclusive scans! As with other recent interviews, this one was done right in her own home, with pictures of Dolores sitting at the piano and in front of her bar.

“It’s a total cliche,” she tells interviewer John Daly, “but, you know, the kids really do change everything. I’d probably still be out there gigging in strange cities for a few extra meaningless zeros on a paycheque if it wasn’t for them. They gave me a whole new focus, they affect everything I do from the way I write to the way I perform. I’ve come a long way from having CNN as my only buddy haven’t I?”

And when asked if she would allow Taylor or Molly to get into the music business? “…If it’s what they really want to do. And you know what, I’ll be their manager because I’ve learned all the tricks, honey, all the tricks. With good ‘ol Mammy looking out for them, they can’t fail.” If that’s not a good offer, I don’t know what is! Molly and Taylor should definitely consider…

Of course you can read an puruse everything in its entirety below, only on Zombieguide.

Source: Exclusive!

It’s been a long, long time since we can recall that The Cranberries have had a proper interview in an American-based national magazine — the only thing that comes to mind is the 2-page feature that appeared in the May 1999 issue of “Us Weekly.” But this fall, Dolores gets a page in a magazine where she certainly belongs: “Women Who Rock.”

As promised in the summer issue, Mrs. O’Riordan Burton is one of a series of “cozy chats” with guitar-strummers like Aimee Mann, Marianne Faithfull, and Dolly Parton (“That’s ‘Famous Titles,’ Mr. Connery”).

Most interesting is the fact that the interview was taken right in Dolores’ home, and the interviewer even describes her cooking a “proper Irish breakfast,” for young Molly, now a year and a half old. We could tell you more, but we’ll let you read it on your own below.

The Fall 2002 issue of “Women Who Rock” is available at major bookstores everywhere (We purchased our copy at Borders, so that’s a good place to start looking). Go buy it; any US magazine that puts The Crans’ name in print nowadays deserves your cash and it’s the best way to encourage them to continue in the future.

Source: Exclusive

Cranberries Videography has posted nearly two dozen screencaptures from the brand new video for “Stars,” which is currently airing exclusively on MTV Italy. The shots are somewhat low quality, but they’re better than what MTV Italy has to offer in their 30-second streaming video.

This should keep us tied on until someone has a chance to encode a high- quality version of the video, or better yet — until we can see the video in full DVD quality when the “Stars: Best of the Cranberries 1992-2002” DVD is released this November. And from the looks of these captures, the wait will be well worth it.

Images:

Source: Cranberries Videography

On the newest international edition of “Now That’s What I Call Music 8,” (a proverbial “who’s who” of pop music), one may be surprised to discover The Cranberries mixed into the tracklisting. On the 2-CD international version, which differs greatly from the 1-CD version to be released in North America in November, “Analyse” is found on the second disc stuck between American Hi-Fi and Starsailor. The disc is given worldwide distribution by EMI International.

Meanwhile, the US version of Now 8 is crammed to the brim with dispensible bubblegum pop slurry throughout.

Tracklist is:

DISC 1
1. Girlfriend by *NSync
2. Hero by Enrique Iglesias
3. If You Come Back by Blue
4. Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears
5. In Your Eyes by Kylie Minogue
6. Always on Time by Ja Rule
7. …on the Radio (Remember the Days) by Nelly Furtado
8. In Too Deep by Sum 41
9. The Rock Show by Blink 182
10. Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm
11. Rock da House by Gorillaz
12. We’re All Made of Stars by Moby
13. Brothers and Sisters by Coldplay
14. Because I Got High by Afroman
15. More Than a Woman by Aaliyah
16. Take Me Home by Sophie Ellis Bextor
17. Out of Reach by Gabrielle
18. Drowning by Backstreet Boys

DISC 2
1. Somethin’ Stupid by Nicole Kidman
2. Walk On by U2
3. I Want Love by Elton John
4. The World’s Greatest by R. Kelly
5. Home and Dry by Pet Shop Boys
6. Shoulda Woulda Coulda by Beverley Knight
7. Stillness of Heart by Lenny Kravitz
8. Another Perfect Day by American Hi-Fi
9. Analyse by The Cranberries
10. Good Souls by Starsailor
11. Be Like That by 3 Doors Down
12. (I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be) Free/One by Lighthouse Family
13. Dance for Me by Mary J. Blige
14. Move It Like This by Baha Men
15. It’s OK by Atomic Kitten
16. Have You Ever by S Club 7

Source: Exclusive

European ticket dealers have begun selling tickets for an upcoming gig in Brussels, Belgium which has yet to be listed by the official site. The band will be playing at the Forest National on November 30th in Brussels. Tickets cost 30 Euros.

Look for the official site to announce the date when the site is updated again, probably on Monday. Thanks to Stéphane for the info.

Source: Exclusive

Although Mexico was the first region in the world to be broadcasting the single for “Stars,” we haven’t seen any artwork from the promo of that region until now. Although it carries the same tracks as its European counterpart, the south-of-the-border release has a tiled display of “WUASTC” era photos rather than a retrospective scrapbook.

Tracks are:

1. Stars
2. Linger
3. Zombie
4. Just My Imagination

And, of course, you can see front and back scans of the custom cardboard sleeve below.

“Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002” was released in the United States today and we’ve got the complete set of high-resolution scans from every facet of the new CD.

As if the two new songs weren’t enough to grab your money, we must say, after seeing the artwork in its complete form, we’re rather in awe. The collages that line the booklet are literally jam-packed with things to gawk at from the band’s private collection. Arguably the most interesting of these is the last two pages, which are filled with the members’ own personal photographs. The subjects range from Dolores with Taylor, Dolores in the kitchen, and even a rare second “first band photo,” which seems to have been taken at the same time as this one (long held as the first photo of the band as a unit).

One could spend literally hours looking over all the sublime details of the photographs-of-photographs, so if you haven’t gotten started yet, you can begin below. Expect to stay awhile!

Source: Exclusive

Universal Music today confirmed to Zombieguide that the upcoming “Stars: The Best of the Cranberries” DVD will make it way to store shelves on November 12th in America (not the fifth as reported yesterday). No word yet on an international release date.

In related news, mega-media retailer Barnes and Noble is now listing on both their in-house computers and on their website that the “Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris 2” DVD has been delayed until October 1st in the US. The release was scheduled for a simultaneous release with the “Stars” album on Tuesday. However, Barnes and Noble seems to the be only store to report the change thus far, so it must at this point be considered as unconfirmed information.

Lastly, we got word today that the “Stars” music video began airing today in some parts of the world. Viewers describe it as a very naturalistic video, reminicent of Björk’s “Joga.” We should be seeing some media from it very soon.

Partial Source: Barnes and Noble

Yesterday, at around 7:00 in the evening, The Cranberries arrived at the Virgin Megastore in Paris, France to sign autographs for fans. Many began lining up as early as that morning, and by the time the band arrived, there were over 500 fans en queue to get a brief chance to meet the band. Due to time constraints, each person was allowed only one item and there was very little time to converse with any of the members.

Thanks to Marcel for sending us the photos!

(photos no longer available!)

Norbert of Zombieguide Europe was able to get his hands on the newly- released “Beneath the Skin Version 2” and brings us this handfull of screencaptures and info on the new version. Norbert notes that the long- promised menu changes are “very easy.” They include some classic Cranberries sounds and some never-before seen photos (like the one below).

To cut straight to the chase, here’s what you’ll find on the new version:

DVD Features:
· Live in Paris, December 9th, 1999 concert
· 26-minute “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” documentary (released as a promo-only “Electronic Press Pack” previously) (see images below)
· New menu configuration (see image below)
· Live videos (same as found on original release)
Hollywood (Detroit 1996)
How (1993)
Yesterday’s Gone (MTV Unplugged 1995)
Saving Grace (Hamburg 1999)
· Music Videos
Animal Instinct
Promises
Just My Imagination
Analyse
Time Is Ticking Out
· Audio Setup
· Track Selection

DVD-ROM Functions:
· Wallpaper
· Karaoke-style lyrics alongside concert
· Interactive slide show
· Link to official website
· “Salvation” MP3

You can expect more captures from the new DVD soon on Zombieguide Europe. We’ll have a review of the North American version soon after its release next week.

Images:

Source: Exclusive

Ever since the band’s announcement in late June that they would be parting from Universal after their sixth album, the same question appeared on the minds of all fans: Where will The Cranberries go to release their music? In an interview taken by MTV this weekend in Bologna, Italy, Noel tells that they are “still in negotiations” and have no concrete, definite plans as of yet. Here’s an excerpt:

Host: It’s over with Universal, right? And what are you going to choose? Major [label]? Indie? Or is it going to be yourselves and start a new label?

Dolores: Noel can be diplomatic and answer that one. Go on, Noel.

Noel: We’re kind of in negotiations at the moment, so we’re not too sure yet. We’ve still got one more album with Universal, so it depends on what happens between now and then.

The entire interview can be found here on MTV.it’s MTV Day interview page. On the same site, you’ll also find that MTV Italy has posted yet anothergallery of photos, this time with 20 pictures dedicated to The Crans.

Thanks to several readers for the tip.

Source: MTV.it

Saturday was MTV Italy’s “MTV Day” celebration where The Cranberries headlined a concert in Bologna, which was broadcasted live on MTV Italy. The setlist for the show was:

1. Analyse
2. Animal Instinct
3. Linger
4. Daffodil Lament
5. Stars
6. Salvation
7. Zombie
8. Dreams

Afterwards, all four members participated in a videochat on MTV.it and Zombieguide was present at the chat to record it. Since MTV has yet to post the transcript, we have the chat for you below in image format. You’ll have to excuse the fact that we were a minute or so late (the chat applet was not accepting our username), however we did get one of our own questions answered by the band about the upcoming video compilation DVD, which they say is now due in late November.

Also below are some images from both the concert and the webcam during the chat.

Thanks to Mattia for the info.

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Partial Image Source: MTV.it

Today’s issue of the Irish (non-trashy) tabloid The Sunday World carries a brief but surprisingly enjoyable piece on one of Dolores’ biggest career fears — having to kiss on camera. “I’m dreadin’ that one man,” she told the paper — assuming of course, that she’ll one day have to do it, especially if she follows her whimsy to do an acting project.

The band poses for a shot on the set of “Stars” in Wicklow, Ireland

Even more of a treat, the paper carries a very recent photo of the band, assumed to be taken on the set of the “Stars” video which was shot two weeks ago in the mountanous scenery of Wicklow, Ireland, an area outside Dublin.

Huge thanks to Phil for the scan!

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Online Asian import specialty site SOLcd has posted a series of scans from the upcoming Taiwanese version of “Stars.” As with previous releases in that country, the release is receiving its own unique packaging and inserts not found in other versions.

The Taiwanese version includes an extra “bonus” 14-page booklet which includes lyrics, photos, and also a listing of the band’s other releases available.

In other news, Zombieguide has been able to get more images of the front and back of the special CD wallet that was available to some regions as a pre-order bonus. Those images are also below.

images:

Source: SOLcd

Sanctuary Records, publisher for the US September 24th release of “Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris: Version 2,” has finally added the release to their website. The listing is virtually devoid of any new info except for the cover.

As you’ll notice, the cover is nearly identical to the original release except for two minute changes. The first is that a “2” has been tacked on to the end of the already lengthy title. Secondly, the useless red dot that was found at the bottom-center of the first cover has performed the same disappearing act as Steve DiMarchi’s backup singing.

Thanks to Icicle Melts for the tip. We’ll have more on the newly re-issued “BTS” as soon as we can.

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Source: Sanctuary Records

Our diligent contributor Lorenzo has managed to get his hands on a copy of the final version of “Stars” early — the album isn’t scheduled to release until Monday in most regions of the world (except North America), but some stores have already begun selling it early.

Below are the first scans from the limited editon 2-CD set, which includes the second “Official Live Bootleg” disc.

Huge thanks to Lorenzo for contributing the images.

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Source: Exclusive!

You will well remember when the Mexican press ran a a series of articles on the band’s future back in late June. As it ends up, most of the more shocking pieces (like the article titled “Cranberries Plan to Separate”) were officiallydismissed as gross mistranslations. However, apparently one stunning fact was reported correctly: the band is currently preparing for a more experimental sixth album.

Earlier today in a press conference held in Madrid, Dolores gave her thoughts on the band’s newly-developing material. After the current “Best Of” tour, The Cranberries will return to the studio “to work hard on a new sound. After five albums, I think we have achieved our own particular sound. Now it is time to find a new one,” Dolores told the press. But don’t worry — the change may not be as drastic as it seems. She hinted that the new material may bear some likeness to “Stars” and “New New York.”

But the time to go back to the studio is heavily dependent on the current “Best Of” tour and also the success of “Stars: The Best of the Cranberries 1992-2002.” Dolores noted that if the greatest hits compilation is received well, they will tour throughout 2003. However, once the world tour is over, the band will immediately head to the studio for their sixth offering (and presumably the last on the Universal label).

Also during the press conference, she denied the previous Spanish-based reports that she would be singing in Spanish on the new album (a language that she doesn’t speak anyway). However she did comment that if she were to sing in another language other than English, she would choose Romance languges like Spanish, French, or Italian rather than Germanic languages like German or Dutch.

Thanks to Dummy from the forums for the news — we’ll have more from the Madrid interviews and press conference as soon as it’s available!

In a newsletter sent out by CranberriesItalia, the band’s official Italian website, the site announces that the CD single version of the song will be released in Italy on October 4th. Dates for other regions will probably fall in early October as well.

There’s no information on what bonus material the single will contain, but you’ll find it here as soon as we know.

We’ll have much more on “Stars” as its release date draws ever near!

Source: Cranberries Team Newsletter, CranPortal

CranberriesItalia, the band’s official Italian website, notes that the video for Stars, directed last month by Jake Nava in the Dublin suburb of Wicklow, officially begins broadcasting on September 16th, which coincides with the international release of the album.

The site also notes that yesterday was the official date for “Stars” to begin radio airplay. Ladies and gentlemen, you may now begin flooding your favorite radio stations with requests to hear the new track.

We’ll have much more on “Stars” as its release date draws ever near!

Source: CranberriesItalia

German radio station SWR3 has posted a new bit of info about a possible second limited edition of “Stars” for later this year. A limited edition version of “Stars” is already scheduled to release on launch day this month with an extra 5-track CD called “Official Live Bootleg” with tracks taken from Stockholm 2002.

The note is tacked on to the end of an announcement that the band was scheduled to perform on the station earlier today. No word yet on the performance, or even if it has been aired yet. Anyway, here’s what the site has to say:

“Before Christmas there’s even going to be a limited edition [of “Stars”], on which the radio recordings are going to be additionally contained on a bonus CD.”

Will it be a Euro-only release? We can’t say anything for sure right now, as this is all the information we have, but we’ll be on the lookout for more.

Thanks to our own resident German-speaking Norbert for the tip.

Source: SWR3

The Cranberries make their appearence in a few American magazines this month (!!) and we’ve got the scans to prove it.

Yesterday, we told you that there was an article in the September issue of “Mix,” and so we dutifully tracked down a copy of the industry-oriented magazine and made some scans of the quarter-page article. The text is the same as the online article, but the print version includes a highly-saturated live photo from the July 2nd show in San Franciso. The inset photo shows Front of House Engineer Joe O’Herlihy leaning over his beloved mixing board.

There’s an even bigger surprise to be had in the upcoming Fall issue of “Women Who Rock”; Dolores will evidently be getting some hefty coverage in the autumn issue! The Summer edition includes a tasty preview picture in their “Coming Attractions” section (seen below) of Dolores holding up some canned cranberries.

No word yet on when exactly the Fall issue of “Women Who Rock” will be released, but we’ll be eagerly awaiting it and we’ll have scans as soon as we get it in our hands.

Of course, this makes us very guilty of Cranberries Sin and Confession #25: “You buy a whole magazine or newspaper for that little review or picture of them.”

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Source: Exclusive!

At 11 o’clock local time this morning, The Cranberries stepped into the studios at 2FM in Ireland to perform an hour-long all-acoustic performance. Luckily, it wasn’t an “all-hits” performance, as the intense numbers “Dying in the Sun” and “Chocolate Brown” were slipped into the mix. As even more of a treat, listeners heard the first-ever acoustic performance of “Stars,” the band’s newest single from the upcoming album of the same name. The full setlist was:

1. Dying in the Sun
2. Ode to My Family
3. Linger
4. Free to Decide
5. Chocolate Brown
6. Stars
7. Zombie
8. Animal Instinct

Shortly after performing “Stars,” Dolores talked for the first time about what inspired her to write the song. “I was actually walking in Kilmallock at my home … you know what I’m saying about kids, how they put a challenge back in your life, well then we [myself and Don] have these mindless tiffs about nothing, when you have kids right, because you’re always so busy, like, ‘Hi,’ when you’re passing in the corridor, ‘How are you?’. So it was one of those tiffs, like, and I went out of the house all hot and puffy and mad and stuff. And I took my daughter in the pram to the studio — we have a studio near the house where the band rehearses — so I was walking over to the studio and I was in a temper,” she admitted. “And then I thought, maybe it’s me, and then I was thinking about my book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus or something that I read. I thought, maybe it’s me and maybe I need to chill, right? So I wrote it kinda thinking that maybe I’m not so perfect, maybe … I should give a little bit, maybe it’s not me.”

She continued, “And I was thinking as well, that’s the problem, people are married for years and years and years and you get to know each other on different levels when you become parents and all that stuff, right? But the thing is to remember who you fell in love with and not to try to change the person. That’s what they say in books, right? And that’s one of the most important keys to success in marriage, I think, if you can do it. Anyway, I wrote the song there with those thoughts in mind… and then at the end I say, does anyone love the way they are though? Is anyone perfect? I mean, do you look in the mirror and say, ‘God, I’m so perfect’? You don’t really, you know.”

“Remember who you’re talking about now, he probably does!” Fergal quipped at Don.

We’d end it here, but today was no ordinary day for the band — after all, Dolores turns 31 years old today (and it also commemorates the 10th anniversary of the NNTA song “Twenty One”). Off the air, 2FM presented her with a birthday cake which she dug into (literally!) and show host Gerry Ryan was even lucky enough to win a kiss from the birthday girl. Happy birthday, Dolores!!!

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Photo Source: 2FM

We showed you previously that the UK version of “Stars” was released with a full-on retrospective photo gallery and now we’re pleased to present full scans of the promo.

The inside design, which hasn’t been seen til now, depicts enough rare Cranberries memoribilia to send even the most completionist of Cranberry fanboys into a fit of drooling. Rare and recognizable pieces range from a poster for The Cranberry Saw Us’ first gig in November 1989 to brand new European tour passes. Keep in mind that promo art such as this usually ends up being reused on commercial releases, and so it’s more than likely that we will be seeing these designs again.

Thanks to Sander for the scans!

Images:

Source: Exclusive!

Barnes and Noble’s online site has begun listing a VHS re-release of “Beneath the Skin” (with the appendage “Version 2”) due out simultaneously with the DVD re-release on September 24th in the US. It was previously thought that only the DVD would be reissued due to presentation flaws of the original release.

The original VHS release contained three extra music videos for “Promises,” “Animal Instinct,” and “Just My Imagination.” It is currently unknown what extras, if any, will be included on the new VHS Version 2.

We’ll have more information on the new Version 2 releases as their sale dates draw near.

Source: Barnes and Noble

We told you earlier today that Dolores was in the newest issue of Tutto, but we had no idea she was on the cover. But now we know, and we’re happier because of it!

Dolores tells Tutto that during the band’s most distressing times, she was depressed, confused, tired, and she often went overboard on alcohol. She was also trying desperately to get out of a taxing relationship with longtime boyfriend Miko Mahoney, when her husband Don met her and helped her through. And since no Cranberries interview is complete without at least a mention of the band’s recent “arrivals,” Dolores hopes that Molly, now almost two, won’t get into the commercial likes of Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, but instead finds interest in more heart-felt female singers like Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, Sinead O’Connor, or Skin. While on the topic, Dolores elates that it’s even better to be a mum than be a singer! Rounding out the interview, she also reminds us once again that she would like to land a film role sometime in the future.

The live and backstage photos were taken from earlier this year at the jacket-required Monte Carlo venue. Oh, and as if you needed any more reason to buy this issue, it comes with a free 4-track Bjork live and remix CD, in preparation for her Greatest Hits due out in October.

Perhaps if someone could mail us a full translation, we’d be more than happy to post it.

Huge thanks to Lorenzo and Klarebel for the fantastic scans!

Source: Exclusive!

The Italian magazine “Tutto” has a new lengthy interview with Dolores this month which seems to focus on the band’s “dark” period during “To the Faithful Departed.” The article includes several brand new photos of the leading lady including the one you see below of Dolores swimming. Wow. I don’t think we’ve seen this since The Vine.

We’ll have more images and info from “Tutto” in the coming days.

Huge thanks to Klarebel for the fantastic scan!

Source: Exclusive!