In their latest newsletter sent out today, Island/Mercury Germany included another new Andy Earl photograph of the band taken to promote “Stars.” The picture is an alternate version of the image used for the cover of the album.

This is only the third promo photo of the band that we’ve seen for “Stars,” so we can expect more to come.

Source: Island/Mercury Germany Newsletter

Okay, yes, we are a little late in reporting this, but it’s definitely worth the read if you have yet not seen it yet. Earlier this month, Universal Music Spain delivered an interesting set of data to ChocolateBrown.com — a complete list of The Cranberries’ albums sales country-by-country. It’s an excellent approximation, but it seems the data is slightly out of date; the totals only add up to little over 28 million of the band’s 35 million albums to date. That could very well mean that these figures are pre-“Bury the Hatchet.” It’s somewhat mind-boggling to think that nearly one-third of all of the album sales to date have come from the United States (10 million+) and it’s by far the largest figure you’ll see below. Second place is France at 3.2 million and third is the UK with 2.4 million. Updated figures may come in the future, so we’ll let you know.

Update: According to the RIAA’s website, US album sales are currently in the range of about 15 to 16 million (not 10, as stated below). Once again, keep in mind that these numbers below are only approximations. Thanks to Michelle for the correction on that.

Source: ChocolateBrown.com

The July/August issue of the French music mag “Only Rock” carries a review of The Cranberries’ performance in Bourges on April 9th. The article, below, also carries a photo of Dolores with her now somewhat famous (or infamous!) mask near the start of the show.

Source: The Cranberries Tape Trader

Island Records has sent out new 2-track promos for “Stars” to German media outlets. Tracks are:
1. New New York 2. Stars
As seems to be common with many recent promo releases, the sleeve is devoid of anything resembling “art” except for the Island Records Group logo. Look for a single release of “Stars” sometime next month in Europe.
Thanks to Xan for the tip!

There’s no need for alot of words here — only that we now have some small but sufficient images of the back cover and CD art found on the UK promo CD for “Stars”. Keep in mind that promo art such as this usually turns up later on commercial releases, so we’ll have to see what the single and album bring.

At 8:30 this morning Irish time (3:30 EST) Dolores and Don arrived to talk on 2FM’s “Full Irish Breakfast Show.” For those that missed it or couldn’t convince themselves to stay up at such an unruly hour, we’ve got the best of it transcribed here.

“Is that your third cigarette, I thought you were quitting out there?” Dolores scolded her husband. “He’s like, ‘I’ll quit if you quit,’ and then I quit and then he doesn’t quit and then I have one… Well, you know I quit for two and a half days, but it’s really hard when you’re husband’s sitting beside you being a chimney!”

Talking about the just-completed video for “Stars,” Dolores went on, “We were shooting a video for the last two days just on the outskirts of Dublin — Wicklow area — it was kinda cool actually. We’ve got some beautiful countryside here. I swear, it’s so like Dingle, about the same amount of sheep, you know? …And I must apologize to Arthur for bringing in sheep poop on my shoes but it couldn’t be helped ‘cos I was in my hotel room and I tried to clean them in the sink but then I thought, the poor women are gonna come in to clean up my hotel room and there’s gonna be sheep poop in the sink!”

Apparently director Jake Nava had some grand plans for “Stars” as the video features at least one, if not several, helicopter-filmed aerial shots. “The last shot last night it was like — you do your lip synching and stuff like that, we did some weird stuff — we did one shot in the middle of the mountains and there was this chopper that came over the hill and there was this cameraman hanging out the side of the chopper and I’m thinking, He’s mad,” Dolores recollects.

“Yeah, but he’s doing it just for you,” reminds one of the show’s hosts.

“But he does that and he’s used to it or whatever, but there was nothing around except a drum kit. It was a very Monty Python-looking kind of event really. But I’m sure it’ll look really nice when it’s edited and all that stuff,” she adds.

Anyone who’s taken a peek at the band’s fall touring schedule might have noticed the one-month void between mid-September and mid-October. As with most things, there’s a reason for this and Dolores was all too happy to explain. “Taylor is four and a half and he’s starting school next week so I’m taking a big career break to take him to school… I’m going to take four weeks off actually.”

And lest we forget…”The sixth [of September]… is my birthday so if anyone out there wants to send me a present or a note or a birthday card, bring ’em on!”

Source: Exclusive

UK online retailers Amazon.co.uk and 101cd have both listed new details on the upcoming limited 2CD edition of “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002.” According to both sites, the five live bonus tracks, which were already mentioned as being from a 2002 concert, were taken from the band’s performance in Stockholm, Sweden on February 19, 2002, only the second date on the “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” World Tour.

In addition to the bonus tracks, both sites also cite a bonus video track of “Zombie” as another extra to be found on the disc. It is unknown if the video will simply be the 1994 music video or if it is a live video. Our best guess is that it’s the original music video — Hmmm… A “Best Of” DVD preview, anyone? Furthermore, it is unknown if the bonus video track is a UK-only bonus. But since the 2CD Limited Edition will be distributed worldwide, it’s possible that the video track will be included on all releases.

That’s the latest on “Stars” for now, Zombieguide will have more for you as it develops. Special thanks to Daniel Steward for the 411!

Sources: Amazon.co.uk, 101cd

UK online retailers Amazon.co.uk and 101cd have both listed new details on the upcoming limited 2CD edition of “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002.” According to both sites, the five live bonus tracks, which were already mentioned as being from a 2002 concert, were taken from the band’s performance in Stockholm, Sweden on February 19, 2002, only the second date on the “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” World Tour.

In addition to the bonus tracks, both sites also cite a bonus video track of “Zombie” as another extra to be found on the disc. It is unknown if the video will simply be the 1994 music video or if it is a live video. Our best guess is that it’s the original music video — Hmmm… A “Best Of” DVD preview, anyone? Furthermore, it is unknown if the bonus video track is a UK-only bonus. But since the 2CD Limited Edition will be distributed worldwide, it’s possible that the video track will be included on all releases.

That’s the latest on “Stars” for now, Zombieguide will have more for you as it develops. Special thanks to Daniel Steward for the 411!

Source: Amazon.co.uk and 101cd

We heard earlier this week that “Stars” had made its way onto Mexican radio stations, and so it’s no surprise that studio clips should be popping up soon — and it’s even less of a surprise that you should find them first here, exclusively on Zombieguide.

“Stars” Studio Version Preview Clip 1 (MP3, 1.4 mb) (Link no longer available)
“Stars” Studio Version Preview Clip 2 (MP3, 1.6 mb) (Link no longer available)

The brand spanking-new clips come courtesy of the This Is the Day Cran Club, after the song was aired on Mexican radio station Orbita 105.7 earlier today.
Congratulations to Orbita for being the absolute coolest radio station in Mexico for playing the song before anyone else!

Note: These are short preview clips, not the full song. Please don’t be so silly as to ask us to send you the full song. Remember that “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002” comes out internationally on September 16th and in North America on September 24th, so be sure to save up your nickels and dimes and buy the album when it comes out in stores.

In related news, the This Is the Day Cran Club is scheduled to have its next meeting on Saturday, August 31st at the National Auditorium in Mexico City at 13:00 (Mexico time). The meeting will include “Stars” played in full-lengh, so if you live around Mexico City, you won’t want to miss that.

Check back to Zombieguide very soon, as Sigma from This Is The Day Cran Club and webmaster of ZG Mexico should be able to get us the full scans from the new promo CD of “Stars,” courtesy of Orbita 105.7!

Source: Exclusive

It has been finalized just a few hours ago that The Cranberries will be playing in Zagreb, Croatia on October 31st, as reported by several Croatian news outlets. The concert will mark the first time in the band’s carrer to play in the southeastern European country.

Look for an official confirmation sometime very soon.
Thanks to Daniel for the news.

Source: Exclusive

The name “Cranberries” is popping up in several parts of the world at the moment, all for different reasons, so here’s a quick look at some of the things going on around the globe.

Mexican fans are among the very first to hear “Stars” played on the radio. Cranmty on the forums (from the Monterrey region) reports that the song’s tempo is slightly slower than that of the live versions posted on the Internet. The new track should be getting airplay in other places on the map very shortly.

French online ticket vendor TicketNet has begun selling seats for an upcoming show at the Rhenus in Strasbourg, France, scheduled for November 28th. Tickets cost 35.82 Euro.
Thanks to Stéphane for that bit.

MTV Italy has listed The Cranberries as part of their MTV Day 2002 celebration to take place on September 14th. The word is that the channel will be airing a live concert from the band in Bologna which will be free to concert goers (!).
Thanks to Lorenzo and Paolo for the tip on that one.

The official site has yet to confirm the French gig or the MTV Italy appearance, so be aware that none of this is permenant as of yet.

Sources: TicketNet, MTV Italy

As per usual, MTV in the US is in it’s month-long graduated hype-fest to help promote their annual Video Music Awards, which take place on August 29th this year. As part of the festivities, the network has put together a new version of it’s “Best of the Red Carpet” special, and this year’s show included a quick shot of Dolores from the 1996 VMAs.

The extremely brief shot shows Dolores taking off her jacket on the red carpet, shortly before the band’s on-stage performace of “Salvation” that year. Zombieguide has made some captures of the short segment, seen below. (Captures no longer available)

Those who pre-order “Stars” through Asian import specialty site SOLcd.com will not only receive the special Limited Edition 2CD set, but also another special gift — a “Stars” CD holder. The metallic CD wallet has a capacity to hold 12 CDs and includes the new CD’s tracklisting on the back.

The pre-order price for the set is $26.99. Pre-orders will be accepted through August 30th. It’s unknown at this point if the CD wallet is a Taiwan- only goodie, so we’ll let you know if we see it springing up elsewhere.

Source: SOLcd.com

As if you haven’t been gorged with enough Cranberries news today, Universal Canada has dropped the ball on even more.

The page confirms that the limited edition 5-track bonus disc will be available in limited quantities on launch day in Canada, and if the past is any indication, it will most probably be available in the United States as well. The site also pegs the UK release at September 17th, one day after the international date.

Next on the list is the song “Stars” itself. The song should be available to all radio stations soon and the music video for “Stars” will be on air by the end of August — which suggests that it has already been quietly recorded.

Lastly mentioned is the promised music video compilation DVD, currently dubbed as the “Best of” DVD. Universal says that that release should be available in October or November (although we’ll be betting on November).

Keep it here for more, if I have the strength to type it!

Source: Universal Canada

The long-awaited re-release of The Cranberries’ “Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris” DVD may be out much sooner than anyone expected.

French online retailer Fnac has posted a listing for Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris New Version (Region 2) for release in France on September 16th, the same date as “Stars” (Interestingly, “Treasure Box” is also being released in France that day).

The original DVD was released in January 2001, but had widespread loading problems and a downright horrible menu system. After numerous complaints, the band’s management finally decided to recall the the disc late last year, and it has been absent from store shelves ever since. Now, within the past few months, technicians have been creating brand new user- friendly menus for the re-release, but until nos, no definitive release date has been given.

Although, Fnac’s description is brief, we do now know one new feature of the re-release. In addition to the Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 modes found in the original release, the new DVD will include Dolby DTS as a third encoding option — for those who have enough subwoofers and satellite speakers to even notice a difference. No other new features have been spilled yet, but we’re certainly aching for more.

At this point, it appears that a September re-release is very possible. Stay tuned for more.

Source: Fnac

The Hong Kong publication “Sing Pao Daily” published two articles over the past week about The Cranberries’ visit and concerts in East Asia. The articles many times mention Faye Wong’s Cantonese cover of “Dreams,” whose title roughly translates as “Dream Person” or “One I Dream Of.” Apparently the mid-90s Chinese cover version is still very popular in Asia. I hope Dolores and Noel are getting a fat royalties check!

ZG reader Micky Liou was kind enough to translate the articles for us from Chinese to English.

In related news, an article about this past week’s Singapore show and a short interview with Dolores can be found (in English!) at The Electric New Paper.

16-aug-2002 The frontwoman of The Cranberries keeps a beautiful voice with steam

 

[“Sing Pao”‘s staff] You have listened a lot to “One I Dream” from Faye Wong, but do you know that it’s just a rendition of the Irish quartet The Cranberries’ song “Dreams” by which they made a name for themselves? The famous band whose frontwoman is Dolores O’Riordan performed last night with the American band “No Doubt” and declared a few future intentions.

 

The Cranberries once made a concert performance at the Red Vault in Hong Kong in 1996, and it was the second time that the band had come to HK. At yesterday’s (Aug 15th) press conference the three guys appeared wearing slack suits while Dolores attended in something like “pyjamas,” which seems chic enough. She said smiling that they eventually had a chance to tour aroud HK now, while they’d had no time during the last stay. When talking about their partner on the stage — “No Doubt”, Dolores praised the American band, saying that the lryics of their symbol song “Don’t Speak” were enlightening. And as for Faye Wong, who adaptated their song, the four expressed that still they had no chance to meet her, however, they had listened to her music.

 

The Cranberries, being distinguished for the remarkable voice, are on their 10th Anniversary. Dolores described the relations between the members in the band like this: “We’re like newlyweds, being together at the beginning has been very exciting, but as time passes there’s also been argument. After a round of bitterness, compassion would as such arrive… we understand each other very much now.” Then how has Dolores’ voice always been beautiful for 10 years? Dolores answered that each time before going on the stage she’d inhale some warm vapor in order to keep her voice in better condition.

 

Greatest Hits next month

 

The band is going to release a “greatest hits” disc entitled “Stars – The Bset Of 1992-2002,” which includes the new song “Star” that has never been published, and “Daffodil Lament” voted by fans on The Cranberries’ homepage (www.cranberries.ie). The band will perfom in Korea and Indonesia after they leave Hong Kong, then get back to Europe to promote their handpicked itinerary.

 

Covered by Frederick
Translation: Micky Liou (Jiaozuo, Henan)

The Cranberries will visit H.K. again next year

 

The performance from The Cranberries in the second half of the concert wasn’t outshadowed compared with the first one [No Doubt]. Vocalist Dolores O’Riordan presented on the stage wearing a twinkling orchestic suit in a sort of way during the beginning part, shaking her head at times while playing her guitar. As the requests of those ebullient fans rushed out, the band encored three more songs after they’d performed “Zombie” and fifteen other ones including their new work “Stars”, and ended with “Dreams”, the original version of Faye Wong’s “One I Dream”. Dolores expressed her delight to have the chance to tour around the harbor, and indicated that they’re quite able to hold a concert here in Hong Kong early the following year.

 

Reporter: Frederick
Translation:Yakun Liou (Micky)

Source:  Exclusive, thanks Micky!

Universal Music has finally begun to distribute “Stars” promo CDs in the UK. The promo single include four tracks and the CD is housed in a cardboard gatefold sleeve. The cover includes a slew of photos of the band over the past 12 years, including one (lower left-hand corner) which dates back to 1991.

Tracks are:

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

Looks like promotion for “Stars” is finally starting to get into swing, so check back for more soon!
Thanks to Xan21 for the tip.

This past Thursday, Universal put out a press release to highlight the upcoming release of “Stars.” As with most press releases, there’s no real new information, but it does give a good summary of what’s on tap for the near future.

Stars – The Best of The Cranberries
1992-2002, GROUP’S FIRST “BEST OF” ALBUM
INCLUDES SINGLES, RARITIES AND TWO NEW TRACKS

 

In their 10th anniversary year, after more than 35 million albums sold worldwide, the Cranberries celebrate a truly stellar career with their first “Best of” album, Stars – The Best Of The Cranberries – 1992-2002 (Island/UME), released September 24, 2002.

 

The 20-song Stars – The Best Of The Cranberries – 1992-2002 features all of the previous singles from the biggest-selling Irish rock artists outside of U2, including “Dreams,” “Linger,” “Zombie” and “Ode to My Family.” Offering something new as well, several songs are presented in alternative versions, two tracks (“Hollywood” and “You And Me”) were released as singles only in certain countries, and a bonus track was added on by online fans voting for their favorite non-single (“Daffodil Lament”). Rounding out the set are two new studio recordings (“Stars” and “New New York”) produced by Stephen Street.

 

In 1993, the Limerick band (singer Dolores O’Riordan, brothers Noel and Mike Hogan (guitar and bass, respectively) and drummer Fergal Lawler) went Top 10 and gold with “Linger,” and Top 10 and quintuple platinum with Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (from which Stars also includes “Dreams”). No Need To Argue debuted at #6 in 1994 and spawned the #1 Modern Rock hit “Zombie,” #11 “Ode To My Family,” “Ridiculous Thoughts” and “I Can’t Be With You,” and reached seven times platinum. To The Faithful Departed, with “Hollywood,” “Salvation,” “Free To Decide” and “When You’re Gone,” debuted in 1996 at #6 and is currently double platinum. 1999’s Bury The Hatchet, with “Promises,” “Animal Instinct,” “You And Me” and “Just My Imagination,” debuted Top 15 and is now gold. From Wake Up And Smell The Coffee are “Analyse,” “Time Is Ticking Out” and “This Is The Day.”

 

While on their current world tour, the Cranberries will be taping a documentary program in Hong Kong on August 16 for a 10th anniversary ‘Special’ to be broadcast on television this fall. As a special treat, long-time fans were asked to submit online their longest-held question about the group. The Cranberries will answer the most submitted question on the program.

 

The Cranberries are currently touring Asia and Europe.

Source: Universal

As is common with most major releases, music retailers have now received the sales sheet for next month’s release of “Stars” from Universal’s distribution house. The sales sheet provides a brief overview of the release and also notes major upcoming promotion, much of which still looks to be “TBA.”

The description confirms the suspicion that single edits have been used on a few tracks while new edits have been cut for others. This was of course needed to fit all 20 tracks onto one CD.

The write-up also promises a “major press and radio blitz” to promote the new disc, although hard details are scant. A promotion with Cafe Music Network, however, has been cemented and details can be read on the sheet.

We’ll be catching up with more news from the past week, so stay glued to your monitor!

Source: Exclusive

This past Thursday, August 15th, The Cranberries attended a brief press conference in Hong Kong to help kick off promotion for the upcoming “greatest hits” disc entitled “Stars.” Each band member received a plaque to commemorate all of their albums to date, while the stage was set in the theme for the artwork for “Stars.”

Dolores told the Hong Kong concert audience on the night of the 15th that the band will return to Asia in 2003, most likely in a tour to support “Stars.”

Some photos from the event were published in the HK magazine “Sing Pao Daily.”
Special thanks to Cherrie Candies for scanning the images and sending them to us!

We’ll be catching up with more news from the past week, so stay glued to your monitor!

Source: Exclusive

On September 16th, Universal Music in the UK will release a limited edition of The Cranberries’ greatest hits disc entitled “Stars.” The set will include a second bonus disc which will include five live bonus tracks:

1. Zombie (Live)
2. Ode To My Family (Live)
3. Animal Instinct (Live)
4. Salvation (Live)
5. Daffodil Lament (Live)

In related news, the tracklist of “Stars” has changed slightly, with “New New York” now preceding “Stars” (which, in turn, has become the last track).
The final (we hope) tracklisting is:

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 (Bonus track – #1 non-single voted by the fans)
19. New New York (previously unreleased)
20. Stars (previously unreleased)

More on “Stars” in the days ahead…

Source: CD-Wow

During The Cranberries’ North American tour in May, Canadian music channel MuchMusic got a chance to catch up with Mike, Noel, and Fergal backstage in Montreal. The interview, recorded for the show Infoplus, got a chance to squeeze out some information about the band’s current and future releases.

Fergal told the camera, “We were thinking about doing an album of unreleased material, but then a suggestion was made by a friend of ours — it’s called a Treasure Box — and it’s got the first four albums. Normally when we record, we record eighteen or twenty songs and we use thirteen or fourteen on an album. So sometimes the leftover tracks are used as B-sides, sometimes they’re not used at all. So what we did was make a complete boxset of everything we’ve ever done.”

When asked whether the band prefers to release studio or live material, Fergal replied, “In the studio definitely, we wouldn’t do a full live album. But one or two tracks occassionally sound really good live, so if they’re mixed right, they sound really great live. If it turns out well, we’re happy and we use them.”

“There’s a ‘greatest hits’ coming out…” Mike told Infoplus. “There’ll be two new tracks on that. And maybe a sixth album next year, somewhere in the spring or summertime, hopefully.”

Source: Exclusive

First there was the Japanese version with three bonus tracks. Then some Canadians got the “Preserved” sampler CD with their album purchase. After that came the Spanish bonus live CD. Once we over our jealousy for that, the deluxe Taiwanese boxed “coaster” set decided to show up. Much later, Universal put out the near yawn-inducing Chinese special edition. But now Taiwan has taken back the green cake of envy with a brand new version of “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee.”

EMI Taiwan, a division of Universal Music, has released quite possibly the most deluxe version of “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” yet, in support of the band’s tour of Asia this month. The 2CD set, in jewel cases housed inside a custom slipcase, includes the international version of the album and a bonus AVCD that carries a whopping six bonus tracks and three music videos. The AVCD, a common format in piracy-heavy eastern Asia, is region-free and playable on many models of DVD players (though be cautioned as with VCDs, it will not play on a PlayStation 2). The audio is playable on most standard CD players.

Here’s the full tracklist for the set:

1. Never Grow Old
2. Analyse
3. Time Is Ticking Out
4. Dying Inside
5. This Is The Day
6. The Concept
7. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
8. Pretty Eyes
9. I Really Hope
10. Every Morning
11. Do You Know
12. Carry On
13. Chocolate Brown
14. Salvation (live in Paris)
15. In The Ghetto

Bonus AVCD:
1. This Is The Day (Video)
2. Time Is Ticking Out (Video)
3. Analyse (Video)
4. Many Days
5. Capetown
6. Shattered (Live at Vicar Street)
7. Loud & Clear (Live at Vicar Street)
8. Analyse (Oceanic Long Version)
9. Time Is Ticking Out (Marius de Vries Remix Edit)

Taking a look at the tracklist, we can see that the bonus CD contains all of the bonus goodies found on the “Analyse” and “TITO” singles and then some. This marks the first official “hard” release of “Many Days” — the song was previously only available as a free download on the official page. In fact, the only notable absence is the impeccable B-side “Such a Waste” from the “TITD” single.

“Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” Asian Tour Edition is available from popular importer SOLcd.com for the paltry price of $18.99

Source: SOLcd.com

The August issue of the Italian “Tribe Generation” carries a new 4-page interview with The Cranberries’ own Dolores O’Riordan. Dolores gave the interview via telephone while in Mexico City late in June. There’s no new eye candy to be had, however, as the photos are a mix of those from Dolores’ Hot Press cover feature (in 2000) and a full-page “Wake Up” promo photo that we’ve seen plenty of times before (not pictured).

Dolores chit-chats mostly about the upcoming ‘greatest hits,’ but also mentions Irish director Jim Sheridan again, who wanted to cast Dolores as a “femme fatale” character in a film. It sounds like Dolores hasn’t lost the urge to do an acting role or two! Unfortunately, the entire interview is in Italian, which means that even the best web translator can’t save us in our dire need now. If someone would like to type up an English translation, send it over and we’d be more than happy to post it.

Thanks to Lorenzo for the scans.

Source: Exclusive

Aired earlier today, CNN International’s “The Music Room” dedicated a third of its entire half-hour show to The Cranberries’ current tour, and topics ranged from the band’s history, soundchecks, pre-show rituals, and yes, even Dolores’ personal toilet!

“We’re old rockers, old, old rockers!” Dolores admits with a grin. “It’s like going around a second time, you know? When you get to that point where you have a ‘greatest hits,’ I think you realize that you are a little bit older, you aren’t the new kids on the block anymore. I think we’re gonna call it the ‘Stars,’ because it’s a joyful moment and it’s a good thing because stars are so amazing and up there…”

“I wear these going on all the time because for a second, the audience thinks you’ve lost the plot and gone really bonkers,” she says as she holds up her now-famous white mask. “I wear it for one or two songs, but then I take it off. Oooh, I’m only playing!”

Upon inspecting Dolores’ make-up case, she gives CNN an extremely rare look at a photo of her two children, Taylor and Molly. “Thats a rather old picture of my two little babies, actually. That’s a picture of my little girl [Molly] right after she was born.”

The camera follows Dolores as she walks into another room, vacated by Mike, Noel, and Fergal. Dolores points to Fergal, who’s playing a kart racer on PlayStation 2 against backup guitarist Steve DiMarchi. “This is a wardrobe case I had made up for my children and my boys stole it! That’s basically what the boys do, they play these games all the time before they go on stage.”

“Over here is my.. POTTY!!” she yells triumphantly as she throws open some dense curtains and drops her foot on a polka-dotted fur-covered toilet with a thud. “See, that’s a rock star’s potty! I have this recurring nightmare about this thing [pointing to the curtains] falling down and leaving me there in front out thousands of people staring!”

“You never really know if you’re going to make it [your whole life], but if we do make it, it would be nice if we could do it safely… It would be nice if we could still be making music and still go on as The Cranberries, but either way, it’s a very unpredictable life. It’s very unpredictable.”

The segment also aired some nice soundcheck clips prior to the Atlanta show, which we’ve encoded here for your download:

“I Really Hope” at Soundcheck, Atlanta, GA, June 12th, 2002 (MP3, 600k) (Link no longer available)
“Stars” at Soundcheck, Atlanta, GA, June 12th, 2002 (MP3, 700k) (Link no longer available)

Source: Exclusive

CNN International aired the cover art for “Stars” on The Cranberries segment on “The Music Room” earlier this morning. As promised, the cover portrays the band standing in the Nevada desert, an image taken by veteran Andy Earl. Zombieguide has snagged the first image of the art, and with any luck, will hopefully have a better version available soon.

Look for more media from the “Music Room” special in the coming hours.

Source: Exclusive

Universal Music Distribution today confirmed to Zombieguide that “Stars : The Best of the Cranberries 1992-2002” will be released on September 24th in the United States. As per usual, the American date follows little after a week of a the international date, which is slated at September 16th.

Now that UMD has begun listing the album, we should have new art and promotional materials available in the coming days and weeks, so check back soon!

Source: Exclusive

Zombieguide reported back in June that Dolores had recorded a new interview for CNN shortly before the rescheduled Atlanta gig. That interview will be airing this weekend on CNN International’s “The Music Room.”

CNN International (which caters mostly to Asia and Europe) has been running commercials for the show all week, which promises to focus on The Cranberries’ US tour which ended last month. The segment is almost certain to include footage from the June 12th Atlanta concert.

The Music Room airs on CNNI at 4:30 PM EST this Sunday and will repeat throughout the week (be sure to check your local listings first). Zombieguide will have exclusive screen captures and info when it airs. Also, Björk will appear on The Music Room on August 30th, so be sure not to miss that either!

Source: CNN International

MCA Records, in conjunction with the German-based Motor, has released an alternate “This Is The Day” promo. The new one-track promo is simplistic to a fault, with no slipcase art to speak of, but with the album version of “This Is The Day” in tow, it accomplishes its designated task.

The-Cranberries.com has posted an excellent-quality version of “Stars” performed live on Vienne, France, on Sunday night (July 28th). It is the third live version of “Stars” to be found on the web and is by far the best quality thus far. With such a crystal-clear version now available, the tentative lyrics for “Stars” might just be getting another update.

“Stars” Live in Vienna, July 28th, 2002 (3.4 mb, zipped) (Link no longer available)

Source: The-Cranberries.com

Our visitor Lionel Vasquez has transcribed a tentative set of the lyrics for “Stars” from a high-quality first-generation version of the song and after comparing them with the two MP3s floating about, they look to be dead-on. We’re still uncertain about the two lines denoted with a (?), so if anybody has suggestions for them, be sure to send them over to us.

Stars

The Stars are bright tonight
And I am walking nowhere

I guess I will be alright
Desire gets you nowhere

And you are always right
I thought you are so perfect

Take you as you were
Have you as you were
Take you as you were

I’ll have* you just the way are
I’ll have you just the way are
I’ll take you just the way are
Does anybody love the way you are
Aaa Aaa Aaa

The Stars are bright tonight
A distance is between us
And I will be OK
The worst I’ve ever seen us

And still I have my weaknesses
Still I have my strength
And still I have my ugliness

But I, I, I
I’ll have you just the way are
I’ll have you just the way are
I’ll take you just the way are
Does anybody love the way you are

Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa Aaaaa

I’ll have you just the way are
I’ll have you just the way are
I’ll take you just the way are
Does anybody love the way you are

Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa Aaaa

Star, Star

* = could be “I love…”

Thanks to Lionel Vasquez for sending them to us.
Also thanks to Raffaella and all the others who have sent in corrections.

A second live recording of “Stars” has surfaced, this one originating from the Crans’ performance in Los Angeles on July 5th. The new track has been played at every Cranberries concert since the make-up Atlanta show on June 12th.

On the whole, the quality is poor, even compared with the previous MP3 recording. However, this is one large advantage to the new taping: Dolores’ (lovely) voice is much more clear. The other instruments, however, are almost entirely washed out. So without further adieu, click below to download:

“Stars” Live in Los Angeles, July 5th, 2002 (2.8 mb) (Link no longer available)

Special thanks to Lionel Vasquez for allowing us to post the file.

Source: Argenberries

The Cranberries Official Site has updated with a note that says, “As you know, ‘Daffodil Lament’ was the OVERWHELMING winner, and we also mentioned that the band wanted to add the winning song onto the forthcoming ‘STARS- Best of The Cranberries 1992 – 2002’ as a bonus track! Well in fact, we can confirm that you (the fans) choice HAS been added! The artwork on the album will reflect the fact that the song was chosen by the fans!”

At this point, we’re not sure if we will be seeing some daffodil-themed art somewhere inside the album or if the designs will simply represent the “fans” in some way. As previously mentioned, Storm Thorgerson will handle the art for “Stars,” as he has for virtually all of the band’s releases since 1999. Other art will include photos of the band taken at the Boulder Dam area in Nevada.

Also, the latest update lists the 10 winners of the “greatest hits” competition, who all won signed copies of the “Beneath the Skin” VHS. Congratulations to all!

Source: The Cranberries Official Site

Yesterday’s report of a concert in Aquila, Italy (originating from an article in Il Centro) has been denied by The Cranberries’ official Italian site, Cranberries Italia. “An official denial arrived quickly from both the record company and the [band’s] management,” reads a notice posted late yesterday. The site also warns readers to be extremely cautious if they “find other announcements of this type,” as this is the second falsely-advertised Cranberries concert in Italy this summer.

Thanks to Aiencran for notifying us!

Source: Cranberries Italia

An article newly published in Il Centro states that The Cranberries have been hired as a last-minute “substitute” to replace the singer Jovanotti on August 23rd in Aquila, Italy. The multi-artist week-long concert series, organized by l’Istituzione Perdonanza, hopes to raise awareness on several worldwide social and human rights issues.

“It’s characteristic,” comments the director of l’Istituzione Perdonanza, Kind Michele, “that they have made the difference in the quality of the names available [for this concert]. Our hope is that the presence of the artists engages you in social topics of our own brotherhood…”

The article states that the agreement has been finalized, but as always, we await official confirmation!

Source: CranPortal

Cadena 40, one of the most popular radio stations in Spain, has just added the title track from “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” to it’s regular playlist. Spanish radio stations are among the first in the world to add new singles to their playlists, which may suggest that “Wake Up” is on its way to single- dom. However, it’s only speculation at this point and we won’t know for sure unless we see promo singles begin to surface or we get an official confirmation from some source.

With the exclusion of “Wake Up” from the setlist of “Stars: The Best of…,” it was assumed that there would be no more singles from the current album. However, what we do know is that a “Radio Edit” has been available for quite some time and it would be nearly effortless to put it onto a promo CD in a half-hearted promotion attempt.

Thanks to Uncer for the news. Zombieguide will have more as it develops!

Source: Exclusive

Finally, The Cranberries Official Site confirmed today that “Stars: The Best of the Cranberries 1992-2002” is on track for a mid-September release. Specifically, the compilation will be on store shelves in Spain on September 16th. Still no official word on the date for the US release, but we can probably expect it within a week’s timespan of that date.

Additionally, the site verifies our report from yesterday that the Spanish tour dates have been moved to October 23rd and 25th in order to better promote the new CD.

Source: The Cranberries Official Site

The Cranberries Official Site updated today with a notice saying that “Before a licensing permit for this show [Jakarta] was granted, the Indonesian government decided to hold their parliamentary convention from August the 1st to August 16th. As is common during this period, NO activities with mass gatherings are allowed in Jakarta, and that includes music concerts!” The site says that the band will return to Jakarta at a later date.

In related news, there are some strong rumors going around that the gigs scheduled for Malaga and A Coruña, Spain next week have been likewise rescheduled for October. The information has appeared in several Spanish publications including La Opinion de Malaga. Another magazine, Indyrock, additionally reports that the dates have been moved to October 24th and 25th in order to better promote “Stars: The Best of…,” due out in September. The papers report that Universal Music has confirmed the cancellations, and a representative for El Coliseu cited the “expressed wishes of the band.” No further reason (if any) has been given.

As of yet, the Cranberries Official Site has not made any changes to the Spanish tour schedule and still has links to ticket vendors. We at Zombieguide await official confirmation of the news, and will watch the story for the next few days.

Sources: The Cranberries Official Site, La Opinion de Malaga

The Straits Times has posted an article regarding the slew of upcoming concerts in Asia, which includes, of course, several Cranberries gigs. Here’s a Cran-related snippet from the article:

MORE WILLING TO TRAVEL

INDUSTRY players credit a relaxation of post-911 travel phobia for the return of Western artistes.

Promoters are also willing to take the risk because Singaporeans are travelling less during the slump and spending more on concerts, they say.

Says Sistic’s Mr Ta: ‘They still need entertainment to relieve stress, and being discerning spenders, Singaporeans tend to save up to afford tickets to concerts by popular artistes or those they perceive as good.’

Promoters Adrian Hobbs of M2 (Diana Krall), and Michael Hosking, managing director of Midas Entertainment, say the tour plans of artistes also account for the increasing arrivals over the next six months.

Mr Hosking, whose company is bringing in Blue, notes that The Cranberries are headlining a festival in Jakarta for US$500,000 (S$880,000). ‘Since the group is already flying all the way to Asia, the thinking is that they might as well perform here,’ he says.

Source: The Straits Times

A representative for Universal Music Spain has confirmed the tracklisting and order of the upcoming Cranberries disc, “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002,” due out this fall. As we can see, the titles of the two new tracks have been finalized as “Stars” and “New New York”. Interestingly enough, the disc ends with the fan-picked “Daffodil Lament” rather than concluding with the new bonus tracks. There are 20 total, rather than the previously- reported 16 (which seems to make much more sense anyway).
Here’s the lineup:

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. Stars
19. New New York
20. Daffodil Lament

Source: Chocolate Brown

The Cranberries Official Website has updated today with a brand new look on its opening page: a teaser for the band’s upcoming greatest hits disc, which is now officially titled “Stars: The Best of The Cranberries 1992-2002”. The intro now scrolls amusingly in Star Wars-esque text, well befitting of the song title, and set to the opening of “I Still Do.” As for a date, it reads only: “Coming Soon.” So whether it is September (like the official Italian site reports) or Christmas (as the main official site last reported), we’ll know soon.

Source: The Cranberries Official Website

Several major Spanish newspapers reported this morning that The Cranberries have scheduled to play at the island of Majorca, Spain this September.

It is reported that the Council of Majorca are in the final stages of securing an agreement with the band for them to play as part of the Diada de Mallorca celebration. The date will be somewhere between September 11th and the 14th, although it has yet to be finalized, as it cannot conflict with the band’s touring schedule in Asia. If confirmed, it will be the seventh tour date that The Cranberries have played in Spain this year!

Check out some front-page articles from the Majorcan press below or click here to read an online article from El Mundo, which mirrors the printed article. (Link no longer available)

Sources: The Cranberries of Prat, El Mundo

The Cranberries are mentioned in two new Italian magazines on newsstands this month, TV Sette and the oft-recurring Tutto. The first article, from Sette, takes a look at the ongoing Sprite promotion in Italy, which it praises as a “good idea.”
Here’s a translation:

Drink And Listen

 

Today it’s possible to download legally and practically free on your PC hundreds of songs, chart singles included. A TV spot [commercial] shows a guy in his car who asks another one:
– Have you got the latest Cranberries’ single?
And he, to answer him, points to a fridge full of Sprite, the drink in green bottle produced by Coca-Cola. On its wrapper there’s a special code which, [when] entered on the website www.thespriters.it lets, after listening to 30 second snipped files, anyone download one of the hundred songs of the Universal Catalogue. With some limitations: the file destructs itself at the end of 2002, and it isn’t copyable on a CD or even on another PC. We’re always in doubt when we’re publicizing about an advertisement, but it’s right, in the interest of those who read, publicizing a good idea. In this case also because it shows that not every major [company] has fear of the Internet. It is also a way to tell people how to act in regards to a product of talent which is a song, which can be enjoyed, like the sea, the beach, the sun, never possessed or stolen; after a work like writing, arranging and playing a song, a little expense (in this case the purchase of the drink) is justified. In the list we find Jovanotti, Nannini, Cranberries, Elton John etc.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Caption: Above The Cranberries, included among the artists of the Universal catalogue downloadable from the Net after drinking a Sprite.

The second article, from Tutto, includes an extensive feature about The Red Hot Chili Peppers. The article includes a listing of bands who, like the Chili Peppers, didn’t find success right away, and The Cranberries are among them.
Here’s what it says:

CRANBERRIES
When the first album EEIDDISWCW? (1993) comes out, grunge and hip-hop is played. Result: in England the album sold only 12,000 copies, a misery. But it will be greatly re-discovered after its American success.

Thanks to Mattia of The Cranberries Videography for the scans and translations.

Source: Exclusive

The Cranberries of Prat has posted more images of the interview The Cranberries gave live on Linea Directa on the station Telehit in Mexico City two weeks ago. Check them out below.

Source: The Cranberries of Prat

The Cranberries of Prat has posted some nice images of the interview The Cranberries gave live on Linea Directa on the station Telehit in Mexico City two weeks ago. Check them out below.

Source: The Cranberries of Prat

Although Europe has to wait until the middle of the month and America has to wait until the end of the month, the individual releases of the “Complete Sessions” albums are already out in some parts of the world.

First to get them is Mexico, where the discs were sent to retail to coincide with the band’s Mexican tour last week. And now, reports have come in from Paris (thanks to François) that some stores there have already begun to sell them as well.

As expected, the individual releases of the albums are nearly identical to those found in the “Treasure Box” boxed set, released in May. The only changes are minor; the notice that reads “Not to be sold separately” has been removed from the back of the casing and has been replaced with a barcode.

Also thanks to Arturo for the info.

Source: Exclusive

“Star,” “Stars,” “The Stars” — we’re still not exactly sure what its title is, but we DO know that it’s right here for your listening pleasure!

The file showed up this morning on file-transfer program KaZaA and was recorded from this past week’s gig in Mexico. The quality is poor, yes, but at least we’ve now got a glimpse of what we’ll be seeing on the Greatest Hits disc this fall!

Major thanks to Insider27 for sending the file to us!!

The Stars (Live in Mexico) (2.3 mb, MP3) (Link no longer available)

Source: Jorge Iván Balderas Hernández

On this week’s episode of TechTV’s Audiofile, the show interviewed Joe O’Herlihy, The Cranberries’ Front of House Sound Engineer for the band’s tours. Of course The Cranberries fans may remember him best from the “Tech Docs” on the “Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris” DVD. Also being a Sound Designer for U2, O’Herlihy talked a lot about the challenges of setting up a sound system for a concert in the short span of a few hours, and also gave a quick tour of some of the equipment he uses.

“We’ll have a structure within the context of a mix in place and some buildings will respond accordingly, other buildings will be much more difficult,” he explained. “You’ve got plastic seats which are very reflective. You’ve got a concrete floor which again is a very reflective surface. But you can’t move all the frequencies [of the soundboard] because once the people come in, they have this automatic dampening effect.”

The job isn’t for everyone he admits. “If a studio engineer came in, it would be an ‘Oh My God!’-type situation. He would probably lose his mind in seconds!”

Source: Exclusive

UK online store 101CD has put up a listing for the British releases of the “Complete Sessions” quartet of albums. According to the site, the individual CDs will be out on July 15th in the UK, almost two weeks before their US release on July 30th.

Thanks to Daniel Robert James Steward for the tip.

Source: 101CD

Universal Japan has just posted the first listing for The Cranberries’ “best of” disc, due out early this fall. As it is listed, the title is simply “Greatest Hits.” Although this could change to a more “creative” title, this is how it stands at the moment. It appears that the album will contain only 1 CD (as opposed to the rumored two) and will have a total of 16 tracks, which includes both “Star” and “New York Skyline.” The listing gives the release as late September 2002 in Japan, which gives us a more exact timeframe.

In related news, French mega-radio station NRJ recently ran a news short about the CD and also pinned its release to “September.” Thanks to Stéphane for that bit of info.

Source: Exclusive