Cranberries Spokesperson Confirms 40 Million in Worldwide Sales

September 8, 2004  |  Comments Off on Cranberries Spokesperson Confirms 40 Million in Worldwide Sales  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Speaking to Zombieguide today, Cranberries spokesperson Lindsey Holmes confirmed an earlier unconfirmed report The Cranberries’ album sales have topped over 40 million copies to date. In a message this morning, Holmes stated, “To the best of my knowledge total sales have surpassed 40 million.”

The last official total of the band’s album sales put them at 38 million in November 2002, with nearly 2 million of those sales comprising of special and limited editions. (Sales were at 28 million just before the release of Bury the Hatchet, and 33 million before the release of “Wake Up.”) Note that these figures do not include singles such as “Linger” and “Zombie,” which have sold millions on their own.

Source: Exclusive

Major Storm Thorgerson Expo to Premiere in September

August 31, 2004  |  Comments Off on Major Storm Thorgerson Expo to Premiere in September  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

London’s John Martin Gallery and Media Contemporary Arts are jointly preparing for a major exhibition of Storm Thorgerson’s art to open next month. This will mark Thorgerson’s first public exhibition since he suffered a stroke last October.

Thorgerson’s surrealistic album covers are some of the most easily recognized in rock ‘n’ roll history. His credits include Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” “The Division Bell,” Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy,” and Audioslave’s self-titled CD. Of course, Cranberries fans will recognize him most for his work on the art for “Bury the Hatchet,” “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee,” “Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris,” and design elements of theCranberries Official Website.

The exhibition will be held from September 21th until October 9th at the John Martin Gallery in in Chelsea at 6 Burnsall Street, Off Kings Road, London SW3 3ST. The exhibition will be free to enter.

Robin Headlee, Director of Media Contemporary Arts, confirmed to Zombieguide that Thorgerson’s work for The Cranberries will be a definite inclusion at the exhibition. “We will definitely have Bury the Hatchet and we [will] do a special large edition of [Wake Up and] Smell the Coffee.”

Headlee told Zombieguide last Saturday, “We will definitely be doing a special exhibition print of Wake Up. It will be larger than the other prints with an image size of 30 inches square and a 5-6 inch border. It will be signed and archivable… I’m hoping to get the first proof done by the end of next week. No doubt it will take a few proofs until it is accepted; Storm is incredibly fussy – which is good – about his work.”

Beginning on September 1st, the John Martin Gallery Website will have prints all of the exhibition’s featured work available for viewing and purchase. Headlee confirmed to Zombieguide that the massive special edition “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” print will also be available for purchase online, although it may not ship immediately due to its late production: “We will though start taking orders from the website www.jmlondon.com from 1st September, there just may be a slight delay (1-2 weeks) on printing until Storm is happy with the quality.” Headlee adds, “Although not limited, it is a special edition only for sale in conjunction with our exhibition … so limited in that only for sale from September 1st until December 31st at John Martin Chelsea or on www.jmlondon.com. They are all archivable and signed by Storm Thorgerson. The price is £175 plus VAT (but anyone outside the EU doesn’t have to pay VAT). That is approximately $315… Larger than others but less expensive than others, as it’s not limited in number just limited in time on sale.”


Wake Up and Smell the Coffee cover, high-resolution, .JPG format, 109k, courtesy of Storm Thorgerson (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

The normal-sized “Bury the Hatchet” is already available for purchase fromwww.jmlondon.com. A 19″x19″ design is silkscreened onto a 33″x25.5″ paper by Coriander Studios. The “Body Series” print is limited to an edition of 125. Cost for the “Bury the Hatchet” print is £300.00 + VAT (UK only), or about $540.

A press kit for the exhibition describes now now-classic Cranberries cover: “The Cranberries cosmos is reflected beautifully with the diptych images used for ‘Bury the Hatchet’. Two themes are represented in this picture: that someone may always be watching (eg big brother, surveillance, terrorist measures) and the internal eye of guilt and paranoid (one’s conscious). In this particular image, the ‘dreaded eye of paranoia’ is hovering over the naked and vulnerable figure. Afraid and pressing down on him with nowhere to escape, the figure covers his head to hide but the eye is still watching. The second image (not shown) illustrates the same figure standing facing the eye, screaming in retaliation and fighting back. We may not be able to escape the all-seeing eye, but we can tell it to fu*k off when we want to!”


Bury the Hatchet cover, high-resolution, .TIF format, 4mb, courtesy of Storm Thorgerson (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

In his 1999 book, “Eye of the Storm,” Thorgerson narrated the snags that his crew went through in photographing the cover for “Bury the Hatchet”: “When we arrived in Flagstaff [Arizona] it actually snowed. Couldn’t believe it. Miraculously the weather cleared further north, providing two glorious days of perfect winter light. On location on the first morning our truck broke down in the middle of nowhere. We got the Navajo heebie jeebies about working on what might be the sacred land, and with what exactly? An evil eye and a naked man! Should be easy to explain (especially to a Navajo). And then we were caught speeding twice.”

Source: Exclusive

Aslan: Dolores a “Pale Imitation” of Sinead

August 25, 2004  |  Comments Off on Aslan: Dolores a “Pale Imitation” of Sinead  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Irish rock group Aslan recently went on record for a bit of mud-slinging at fellow Irish artists The Cranberries and The Corrs, claiming the two are only “pale imitations” of fiery songstress Sinead O’Connor. In an interview with month with the Galway Advertiser, Aslan guitarist Billy McGuinness had this to say:

“We just got a call last week about Sinead. EMI are releasing an album of duets Sinead O’Connor did throughout her career and we’re hoping they’ll include one of the two tracks she sang on our album. She sang on the single ‘She’s So Beautiful’ and sang a duet with Christy called ‘Up In Arms’. Sinead retiring is a major loss because when she came in to sing on our album the hairs were standing up on the back of our necks – her singing in that session was just so beautiful. Sinead is without doubt the best female singer Ireland has ever produced. Dolores O’Riordan or The Corrs or any of them are just pale imitations.”

Source: Galway Advertiser

Burtons Sell Riversfield Stud

August 25, 2004  |  Comments Off on Burtons Sell Riversfield Stud  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

Source: Sunday Times (London)

“Dreams” in New Payless Commercial

August 20, 2004  |  Comments Off on “Dreams” in New Payless Commercial  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

A new TV comercial for Payless Shoes airing in North America features The Cranberries’ “Dreams” as the backing track. The TV spot shows women plucking clouds out of the sky and then sticking them on their Airwalk fleece boots. The ad is currently airing on several major stations in both the US and Canada.

Thanks to several readers for the tip!

Source: Exclusive

Zucchero Expects Royal Albert Hall DVD “in October”

August 17, 2004  |  Comments Off on Zucchero Expects Royal Albert Hall DVD “in October”  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

Source: Zucchero O cial Site

Westlife Explain How Dolores Saved “Little Drummer Boy”

August 9, 2004  |  Comments Off on Westlife Explain How Dolores Saved “Little Drummer Boy”  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Evening Herald

Dolores Raises Price of Riversfield Stud

August 8, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores Raises Price of Riversfield Stud  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

Source: The Sunday Times

“Zu & Co.” on the Charts and on CNN

August 4, 2004  |  Comments Off on “Zu & Co.” on the Charts and on CNN  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

Noel Hogan in the Zombieguide Interview

July 24, 2004  |  Comments Off on Noel Hogan in the Zombieguide Interview  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Cranberries guitarist Noel Hogan admits that it’s been over a year since his last proper interview. News on the band has tighted to a trickle since they announced last September that they plan to take a break to pursue solo projects over the next coming year. On Wednesday, Noel talked with Zombieguide’s Alex Kraus over the phone about his first solo album, the challenges behind it, and the future of The Cranberries.

Noel has been no slouch over that period, as he tells Zombieguide in this exclusive first interview for his upcoming solo album. He’s been working with artists like Eagle Eye Cherry and Alexandra Hamnede, programmer Matthew Vaughan, and producers Marius de Vries and Stephen Street on an album he best describes as “diverse” and able to take the listener “through different feelings. You know, there are some hard-hitting moments, some happy moments, there’s quite sad moments.” Working on his own is no easy task, as he admits, the prospect of creating an album on his own has been an incredible challenge. Next year, he plans to take his solo material on the road with a showcase tour that will take him across Europe and the USA.

Noel gives us the unadulterated scoop on his solo album, Dolores, and the future of The Cranberries…

Alex Kraus’s Phone Interview with Noel Hogan (MP3, 85mb, 35mins)
(LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

(Note that the first minute of the interview and a few seconds of audio throughout were cut from the recording.) (Link fixed 10/22/04)

Zombieguide: I suppose this is officially the first interview in promotion of your solo album?

Noel: Yeah, I suppose so, I haven’t done anything yet before this, so this is the first. I’m doing this now cos the album is almost finished.

Zombieguide: I guess it’s been awhile since the last interview you did?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, it has been. I guess the last one was sometime last year right after we were touring with the Rolling Stones. After that we did a once- off gig in Ireland, in August, was it? No, it was July. Anyway, we did an interview that night and that was the last one.

Zombieguide: Well, we have lots of questions here for you from Zombieguide visitors, so we’ll get to those in a minute. But right now, I have to ask you, first of all, straight from the horse’s mouth, what’s the status of The Cranberries?

Noel Hogan: Well right now, we’re just doing what we said we were going to do, which is to kinda go our separate ways and experiment for awhile. We were going to record our sixth album, but then Dolores’s mother-in-law got ill and she couldn’t concentrate. Unfortunately, she died a few months ago… so we said, look, take as much time as you need. There are alot more things that are more important than the band all the time. So Dolores went there [Toronto] and she couldn’t give us a date that she could come back to us. We’ve talked about this for so long about everybody doing their own thing that maybe now is the right time to do that. And then when we feel that the time is right for the band to get back together, then we’ll do that. As it stands right now, everyone’s doing this, their own little bits and pieces. But in a year or so maybe. I talked to Dolores maybe a month or so ago and we were talking about when to get back together again. It will happen, we just don’t have a set date yet. We know that Dolores has recorded stuff as well and she wants to do her own thing as well. You know, we’ve done The Cranberries for 13 years and we’ve never had a chance to get outside it. So it kind of makes it more exciting for us and hopefully the things we’ve learned from doing our own thing, we can bring back and make the next album a really good one.

Zombieguide: Alright. Last summer you guys recorded a 4-track demo that you were using to shop around to different distributors. Did anything come out of that?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, we’ve four tracks and we played 2 of them live. We’ve done one live called “Astral Projection” …

Zombieguide: …and “In It Together”?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, that’s right, so they’re recorded, but they haven’t been mixed, so we have rough mixes of them. They’re in the bag and ready there to go. So I guess when we’re ready to go, we’ll have those four titles to fall back on.

Zombieguide: Can you gives us the other two titles, by any chance?

Noel Hogan: There was “Raining in My Heart” [edited]… and I’m trying to think, I can’t remember to be honest, I can check that and can get Rainer to email that to you, cos I have the demo at home. It’s just been so long since I listened to it that I forget the names. But those three are definite because we’ve had those for awhile.

Zombieguide: You guys said you wanted to go off on an experimental side with the sixth album and the demos you did for that. What were your influences for that? Did you guys have any influences that influenced…

Noel Hogan: Well, you’re always going to be influenced by everything that’s going on. You know, music has changed so much since when we began. There was a time I swore that I’d never ever go near a computer to do anything with music. But then I started to hear what other people had done. Especially — not the hardcore dance stuff, no — but more stuff like even, say, Moby, that style of music, I got interested in. I thought, there are some interesting sounds here. I didn’t want the band to go off into dance rythms or anything like that, but I just thought, in the background, you can get some interesting sounds that you can only get in a computer. You could try to mix what we do with this together and see what results you get. So that was kind of the plan. That’s how initially I came in touch with that programmer I ended up working with, Matt Vaughan. I had written a few songs and I wanted to see how they would sound with different samples and things. I kinda started to get into like that.

Zombieguide: So there is a possibility of The Cranberries going on tour at some point in the future.

Noel Hogan: Oh yeah, yeah, obviously it would be after the album would be recorded, but it’s something that we all want to do. This is the longest we’ve gone without doing something or other. We were just saying how exciting it will be to get back again and do stuff.

Zombieguide: Well, I just have to nag you on behalf of your fans in South America, they’re dying for you to come visit them.

Noel Hogan: Yeah, well, hopefully. This album that I’m doing and this album that Dolores is doing, we’ll have a year of that. By the time we start the next album and record it, you’re looking at two years before the unit will be together as The Cranberries, touring. It will happen at some point.

Zombieguide: This could be a mistranslation, Dolores was at a press conference in Sanremo, Italy, in March, Dolores said that it was her call to go on this break and that you three guys were a bit disappointed. Is that true?

Noel Hogan: Um, no, because she rang about it. It was me she rang and the two boys were on holidays at the time. We were meant to go back into the studio, I think it would have been September-October. When the boys came back, I told them, look, Dolores has this stuff to deal with, so I don’t think we’re going to be recording in the near future. So I guess they were disappointed initially. I didn’t bother ringing them while they were on holidays because I wanted them to enjoy themselves during that. So, I’m sure that’s what she was referring to when she said that. But a couple of weeks later, everybody was fine, we all got used to the idea and planning what everybody was gonna do with themselves.

Zombieguide: OK, someone asked after you and Dolores finish promoting your solo works, will there still be a lots of material left over for The Cranberries and the sixth album? (Asked by Irishset)

Noel Hogan: Yeah, I’m sure because we’re lucky in that we write constantly. Like I have far more songs finished than what I need and Dolores is the same. So it’s never been a problem for us to write. You get a bit picky I guess and you want to try to get the best songs that you can. You can write in an eight or nine month period, you can write and write eight or nine songs. But sometimes you think, well, five of these songs are kinda crap, and four are worth doing and you follow those. But that’s what takes most of the time is weeding out the ones that you think aren’t as strong as the strong ones.

Zombieguide: Dolores said in an interview last year that you guys were really trying to do that now with the newer stuff, that you’d write a lot but only pick a little bit out.

Noel Hogan: Yeah, exactly. You know, like sometimes I could send Dolores a tape or CD with four rough ideas in it and sometimes she might pick none or sometimes she might pick one. We would kind of chop through them like that. The thing is, the ones that you don’t think are as strong, you end up chopping those up and putting two bits together and they make a better song later on. It’s not like you ever forget them, most of them I do keep records of and when I’m trying to get a chorus or something for the song, I think, oh, remember that, I had whatever months ago. You dig it out and use it again, and it worked great this time.

Zombieguide: This is the last Cranberries-related question. In August 2002, while you guys were in Hong Kong you filmed a new documentary , but it wasn’t finished in time to release with “Stars.” Do you think we’ll ever get to see it?

Noel Hogan: Um, you know, I’m not sure really. We did alot of stuff like that, there’s a lot of unfinished stuff there. Maybe someday that could all be put together. I think it’d be great to do a proper full-length documentary, it’s something we’ve always been interested in.

Zombieguide: Now, you made some news earlier this year because you have invited fans to submit names for your solo album. So the question is, do you have a winner? (Phil, N. Ireland)

Noel Hogan: No, not yet. I’ve got it down to about 50 actually. It’s really hard. I tried myself first for ages and I just couldn’t come up with anything. The ones I did come up with had been taken already or even things like companies had them. You got to be careful about that. We got a great response when we put it on the ‘net. There were so many that we just sat there and go through them all. We have a shortlist now and I’d say, because I’m running out of time, in the next six to eight weeks, I’ll have a winner.

Zombieguide: What made you decide to hold a contest, other than not being able to come up with a title?

Noel Hogan: That was the main reason. I was sitting here in the office and I couldn’t think of it. One of the guys who’s been with us for years, it was Sett, I don’t know if you know him, he’s been the tour manager with us. He said to me, you know, maybe you should think about this. I went home and thought about it and thought, you know, that’s a great idea. And it gets the fans involved as well, which is something we’ve always tried to do. So that’s what we did. I met some guys who — there’s a huge art college here in Limerick — so I met up with them. We sat down and kinda thrashed out the idea for a website. It was great, and it turned out great.

Zombieguide: What were you going for in a title? Fans had a really hard time coming up with ideas, since we had NO idea what your solo stuff sounds like.

Noel Hogan: I guess, without anyone hearing it, I was trying to get something that would sum up the music. Now I know that’s really hard without hearing it. But I kinda figured that somebody would stumble onto something for me.

Zombieguide: Were you looking for something, funny, serious, witty…?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, witty enough, but I guess it’d have to be a little bit serious.

Zombieguide: Alright. Celticyodels from Syria asks, how far back does your solo material go? Is there any that you wrote with The Cranberries but then decided that somebody other than Dolores should sing on it?

Noel Hogan: I guess the first few I had written when we were recording those 4 songs we spoke about earlier. Like I said, I keep writing all the time. There were 2 I had written that I had kept, that I was thinking, now these two songs I could take them somewhere else. I hadn’t really thought about the vocals or anything at that point. As I said to you, we had intended to do another album, so I was still writing for The Cranberries still at that point. So that’s when… I guess it would have been February or March of last year that I first got in touch with Matt [Vaughan]. I brought the songs very raw, basically just the guitar part, into the room that he works out of and started working on them. Because it was a new way of writing for me, it took a few months for me to get a point where I was happy with them. Then at that point, we decided that we weren’t going to do another album. That’s when I started thinking OK… that’s what gave me the initial idea of “Well I have these songs started. Maybe it might be interesting to see what it would sound like with other people singing on them.” That sparked the idea really then, so that’s what became now this album.

Zombieguide: We know the name of two of your collaborators, Alexandra Hamnede and Richard Walters, who I think is going to record with you next month. Cranlady1981 asks, with whom else are you going to work and there are you going to work and are there going to be any big surprises? (Cranlady1981, Greece)

Noel Hogan: Well, there are a few. The most well known one is Eagle Eye Cherry, is doing one track. There’s a girl called Kate Havnevik, she’s a Norwegian girl. She’s got a bit of a buzz over here at the moment. She’s on two other tracks. There’s a guy from a French band called Overhead. His name is Nicolas and I can’t even pronounce his second name so I won’t even attempt it. [Editor’s note: Overhead is fronted by Nicolas Leroux] He’s a singer with them. He’s got an amazing voice, he sounds kind of like Jeff Buckley. So he’s done another track and he’s actually working on a second one at the moment.

Zombieguide: I was reading some reviews for Richard Walters and someone else compared him to Jeff Buckley…

Noel Hogan: Yeah, he’s kinda got that vibe as well. I’m in with him not next Tuesday but the following Tuesday. I’m booked in with him. The last guy I can think of offhand, he’s in an Irish band called Woodstar and he sings with them. He’s done two tracks, these were the first 2 tracks I did because I know him pretty well.

Zombieguide: They’ve opened for you, right?

Noel Hogan: That’s right, they did some gigs here with us. They’re doing their second album at the moment, so I got him in between albums to work on two tracks with me. He’s got quite an interesting voice, very high voice he has. He’d actually done stuff — their first album was produced with Stephen as well, so I got to meet him through a bunch of different people. And there’s some instrumentals on there as well. There was one I did where I had a sitar player brought in because it had a very Middle Eastern type of vibe to it and I thought this would be good. Then I worked with Marius de Vries on that track and he brought in this Turkish girl. She’s not singing lyrics as such, more like wails over it, and it’s completely different to anything I’ve done before. So it’s quite varied, some of it’s quite rocky, some of it’s very laid-back. It is electronic sounding, some of it, because the majority of it was done on computers.

Zombieguide: Let’s see, Kerrie from Spain asks… now we know Mike and his wife just had a baby and Ferg’s studying programming at home. Do you know if they have any projects lined up for their time off?

Noel Hogan: Well, I know that Ferg has started writing stuff. I heard a few bits of it and I know that he’s working with a few people here, locals guys in Limerick. He’s definitely… I’m not sure how many songs he’s got done yet. I know because he’s played on two tracks for me, I got him to play drums on. But he’s working away, he’s definitely working with different people. He’s really gotten into the whole programming side of things.

Zombieguide: What kind of promo are you anticipating to do for your solo CD? Maybe a promo tour or…?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, the plan is… I’ve got a couple more vocals to finish. I’ve got half the stuff mixed. I just have to mix the rest of it. By September, I should be finished the bones of the recording. And then the plan is to start rehearsing with a band. I’ve already approached different people that I know, they’re just friends of mine that have played for years. [We have to] start learning the parts and working through it. And then to do some showcase gigs across Europe and then over to the States. I’m talking about January to start doing that. I’ll probably start doing other promo towards the end of the year, press and that sort of thing. I’d like to get one song out somehow or other before Christmas just as a sampler for people to hear, and then come January, start touring proper.

Zombieguide: Mouna asks, what sort of message are you hoping to convey with your album or what do you hope people will get out of it? (Mouna, Toronto)

Noel Hogan: Um, well, like I said earlier, it varies a lot, so there’s alot of different moods in it. Some of it is very very atmospheric. Most of the people that I’ve played it to or have worked with, I’m giving them bits of the instrumental part, more or less finished, to do the vocal part over. A lot of people has said it’s very cinematic, the vibe that they got off of it. [That’s what] they thought without even a vocal in there, what you would hear in a movie in the background. Obviously not the more rocky ones… hopefully, when people listen to it, it takes them through different feelings. You know, there are some hard-hitting moments, some happy moments, there’s quite sad moments, I guess.

Zombieguide: That’s interesting you mention “cinematic.” Someone asked if you’re considering doing any movie music. (Chloe, France)

Noel Hogan: Well, it’s something that the publisher I’m with at the moment has approached me with. There’s a girl there who does what they call “synch,” which is basically movie, TV, and cinema. When she heard the stuff, she approached me and asked me if I’d be interested in doing stuff solely for movies, which is something myself and Dolores have always talked about, it’s something that we’ve always been interested in. I said to her, look, let me finish this and we’ll see what happens after that. I don’t wanna commit to anything else right now, just get this done. I’ll probably do the band after that. It’s just [a matter of] trying to fit it all in to get the time. I would imagine that takes up a lot of time as well.

Zombieguide: Sigma from Mexico City points out that in earlier Cranberries works, we can hear pretty simple guitar arrangements, but in later works like New New York, Stars, and WUASTC, we can hear that your guitar playing has become a little more complicated. Do you think we’ll be able to hear more of that in your new solo work?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, I think so. What I started doing is, I did it first on that track, “In It Together”… I’ve always used the regular tuning on the guitar. I met a guy, he was one of the guitar techs on tour, and he said to me, have you ever tried alternative tuning? So I’d heard of it, but I’d never really tried it. He gave me a bunch of tunings and basically this whole album was written around these six or seven tunings that I’ve been using. It’s like learning guitar all over again, it’s really opened it up completely for me, it’s been incredible. Sometimes you feel like you’re running out of ideas if you just use the regular tuning, since you’ve used it for so long.

Zombieguide: Actually, someone asked a question about that, if you’re going to use alternate tunings or open tunings? (Nigel)

Noel Hogan: Yeah, basically every song is a completely different tuning, which is fine in the studio and when I’m writing, but I haven’t even thought of how I’m going to approach it live yet. Obviously you can’t have whatever, 12 or 13 guitars, it’d be crazy.

Zombieguide: Especially after you give one away in the contest!

Noel Hogan: Yeah, exactly, so I’ll have to work that out. Because of doing this, it’s opened it up completely and it’s given me a lot more freedom playing live and a lot more confidence.

Zombieguide: Alright. Mummbz wants to know, do any of the band members plan to start a record label now that you’ve left Universal?

Noel Hogan: It’s something we have dabbled with. We’ve definitely talked about it over the years. I think we would feel better if we did it as the four of us instead of individuals, ‘cos financially, it’s a lot to pump into something. If you have the comfort of the other 3, you wouldn’t worry so much. So it’s not something I would completely throw my back on, but at some point it’s something we might dabble in.

Zombieguide: A related question, someone askes, are you disillusioned with the whole music businiess machine, especially in regards to the lack of support you received from you last record label? How will things change in the future as to how The Cranberries are promoted and how you are promoted? What lessons have you learned? (Sundaygirl, Manchester)

Noel Hogan: It is. There are moments when you are made a lot of promises and obviously these things don’t happen. You do get seriously pissed off then. And you kind of wonder why you bother half the time because you’re doing it and no one’s getting to hear it. It does annoy you a lot but then when you sit back and relax, you realize this is the way it’s gone on for years. We were very lucky because in the beginning we were successful and we had them at our beck and call. But as time goes by, they get used to you and they get acts that are more successful, so they go to them. Once you realize that, that that’s the way the game is played, you don’t get as upset about it as you probably should sometimes. I think at the moment, it’s no secret that the record companies are all in a lot of trouble with downloading. Every week you pick up a newspaper or one of those interview papers and another company is about to fire another 20 people or whatever. They’re struggling, but I think their problem is that they haven’t embraced the whole Internet thing yet.

Zombieguide: That’s what I was going to ask you next, the Official Site said you were considering making your new album available through downloads. Are you still considering doing this?

Noel Hogan: Yeah. It’s the way it’s going, you can’t turn your back on it. It’s like saying when CDs came out, “I’m sticking to vinyl. I’m ignoring it. I don’t wanna release it.” It’s the same thing. It’s just the way it’s going and you just have to go with it. You can’t be living [in the past,] 10 years ago. I personally find that I love going into a record shop and wandering around for an hour or two, looking at covers and that type of thing. But that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and, let’s be honest, who doesn’t download something or other?

Zombieguide: Aiencran from Italy, who runs the great site CranPortal, an Italian site, says we’ve heard that a song called “Brighty Sky” might be used as a singe?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, that’s the one with a sitar on it, the one I’ve done with Marius de Vries. It’s the most, I guess, the most different song I’ve done compared to The Cranberries’ stuff. And that’s why I was thinking for an initial track to come out to have something completely different so that people hear straight off the bat that it isn’t the same thing exactly. We haven’t made any decision yet. There’s about 3 tracks that we’re throwing around as the first single. I’m at the moment in the process of getting another remix of it done as it’s very much an upbeat type of song. I was trying to get a remix done of it to put on the B-side as well, for clubs and that type of thing. I’m just going through different remixes at the moment to see what we’re going to do with that. The other option we were thinking about was not to release it as an official single but maybe doing it as a white label 12″, maybe print up 2000 copies and give them to people…

Zombieguide: …send them to clubs, that sort of thing…

Noel Hogan: …or even over the ‘net. It might become available as a download or something like that.

Zombieguide: Now we know that you’ve been working with Marius de Vries and also Stephen Street now on this album, is that right?

Noel Hogan: Yeah.

Zombieguide: What has each of their roles been?

Noel Hogan: Stephen has done a lot of the vocal parts. I’d be fine on my own to do the music, because it’d be just me in a room, or me with Matt and we got used to each other so I felt confident enough to deal with that, learning how to play different parts: keyboards and bass. But when it came to the vocal, because I was bringing in outside people that I wouldn’t have known that well [whom] I maybe would have talked to two or three times before. I was just worried that I’d get them in and… you know, I’ve never recorded a vocal in my life. What if I’d get them in and I’d make a [?], so I got in touch with Stephen. We stay in touch all the time anyway. He was interested in what I was doing anyway. So I asked him as a favor, would he mind? He has a small studio in London now, that he uses, Olympic. I knew he had this room that he does a lot of vocals in. So I asked him, as a favor to me, would he mind if I just show up with this track and will you produce the vocal part for me? So he was delighted to do that. So I’ve done, I guess, it must be 6 or 7 tracks with him doing the vocal part at this point. I might get him to mix 2 of them at the moment. They’re more guitar-oriented ones. I’ve always liked the guitar songs that he’s done for me. We haven’t done that at the moment, it’s still kind of up in the air. That’s what I’ve done with Stephen so far. With Marius, it was just one track that I had, the Brighter Skies track. I had it finished, there was just something I felt it needed, I just wasn’t sure. I’d done as much as I thought I could. Marius has done a couple of bits before and I liked the sound that he had gotten. So we approached him with it, and he said send him the track, he was really busy, if he liked it, he said he’d work with it, which he did. I’ve actually never met him, only spoken with him on the phone.

Zombieguide: So Stephen’s handled a lot of the vocal parts, you say. Supervago from Spain wants to know who’s been responsible for the lyrics.

Noel Hogan: It’s been each individual singer. They’ve all gone to Matt and said, look, is there anything you don’t want, anything you do want? And I said, look, if I knew that, then I’d write them myself, you know? So just do what you think is right and send it to me. I make the decision then. I have worked with some people where it didn’t work out. Not many, now, only 2 or 3. I just thought, no offense, but it’s just not what I’ve been looking for for that song and they’ve been fine.

Zombieguide: And I believe this is the last question, Adam from California wants to know what kind of pedals do you use and what’s the name of the pedal you use in the Daffodil Lament?

Noel Hogan: It’s actually not a pedal, it’s a little thing called an ebow. It’s basically a magnet that goes over the strings and it vibrates the strings and then you play the notes. You can get them in any good guitar shop basically. It takes awhile to get used to because it makes the guitar very loud. There’s a lot of positioning to be done. It takes about a month and you’ll be able to perfect it pretty well. For the pedals, there’s hundreds, I could be here all day, to be honest. They’re your regular kind of Boss pedals that you can buy anywhere. What I’ve done is I’ve put it all into a big rack unit that’s controlled by one big pedal. That’s called a Bradshaw unit, it’s a guy in California that makes these. You basicially give him everything you want and he gives you back one little pedal board which is what you have in front of you then and its [the unit] backstage.

Zombieguide: Alright. Lots of people wanted to say hi, I don’t have time to mention them all…

Noel Hogan: No problem.

Zombieguide: Thank you SO much for doing this for us.

Noel Hogan: Honestly, thank you, the reason I [?] is because I check out the site every week. Sometimes I don’t talk to the guys and I mightn’t see Dolores for a few weeks or Ferg or Mike, so sometimes I check out to see if you’ve any news about them that you would know that I wouldn’t, so… it’s a great site, you do a really good job.

Zombieguide: Thank you very much. I try to keep it all accurate, that’s the hardest thing.

Noel Hogan: Yep, it’s amazingly up-to-date which is what impressed me as well.

Zombieguide: It’s very hard to get accurate news these days with you guys on break…

Noel Hogan: Yeah, hopefully over the next few months, there will be more stuff coming out with me doing this and Dolores’s is quite near the end of her thing as well. Between the both of us, hopefully, we’ll keep you busy.

Zombieguide: Really? Any idea when Dolores’s might be out?

Noel Hogan: I’m not sure yet, I know that she was in LA earlier this week or late last week having different meetings with different people as well. I would imagine, to be honest, that it’s so late in the year now that it wouldn’t be until January or February as well. To get something out now before the Christmas rush is impossible. I had hoped myself to have mine out by this time, but there’s so many unforseen things that you have to add on months.

Zombieguide: It’s always harder than it looks, isn’t it?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, it’s hard, especially when you’re doing it on your own because you’ve had the comfort of 3 people to bounce things off of for so many years. You do get there, as I’m discovering finally.

Zombieguide: Well, I wish you luck with it and we can’t wait to hear it… Noel Hogan: I hope to see you soon.
Zombieguide: We hope so too. Come to the States!

Noel Hogan: Definitely. I just got back actually, I just got back actually. I was on holiday in LA, I just got back this day [Tuesday] last week. I did thephotos for the album cover there. They’re done, it’s just a matter of picking the ones that I don’t look too bad in.

Zombieguide: Maybe Rainer could send us a sneak peek of those?

Noel Hogan: Yeah, I’m sure he could, as soon as we get them. The guy did like 600 shots and I picked out 20 earlier in the week. He said by the end of this week, he’d doctor them up and whatever they do for the final finished versions. Hopefully by the end of the week, he’ll have some, and I’ll get Rainer to send one or two over to you.

Zombieguide: Alright, that would be awesome! Thanks again! Cheers!

Noel Hogan: Cheers, thanks, bye!

Zombieguide would like to thank Noel Hogan for his time and also thank his management at The Artist Group for arranging the interview for us!

Source: Exclusive!!

Ask Noel a Question!

July 19, 2004  |  Comments Off on Ask Noel a Question!  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

It’s been an unspoken longtime goal of ours to do a proper interview with one of The Cranberries, and now, we’re stoked to say, it’s going to happen.

Noel has specifically chosen Zombieguide to conduct the first interview in promotion of his upcoming solo project. Your humble webmaster, Alex, will be interviewing him either tomorrow or sometime next week, depending on what works for Noel’s schedule.

So until then, you can submit your own questions and we will ask Noel himself during the interview. Just click here to go to the proper thread in the Zombieguide Forums and submit your question as a reply! If you’re not already registered in the forums, you’ll need to do so, it’s quick and easy.

We’re utterly thrilled to have this opportunity to talk with Noel one-on-one, and we hope you all will be just as happy to participate.

Sources: Exclusive!

Official Site Confirms Dolores Offered Helen of Troy Role

July 16, 2004  |  Comments Off on Official Site Confirms Dolores Offered Helen of Troy Role  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

Sources: Cranberries Offcial Website, Crabsody In Blue

Tribute Band Organizing Fan Meet in Italy

July 9, 2004  |  Comments Off on Tribute Band Organizing Fan Meet in Italy  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

An Italian Cranberries tribute band by the name of “Salvation” is organizing a Cranberries fan meet in Civitella d’Agliano, Italy, to take place on July 24th.

Salvation will be setting up space at the venue where fans can display their collectionn of Cranberries CDs, T-shirts, autographs, etc. to share with other fans. Of course, the meet will include a performance by Salvation as well. Lead singer and guitarist Anna d’Aloisio says, “It’s imporant that we know how many people are interested, especially for having enough time to organize everything, so we must get word from you by July 15th.” Therefore, all interested fans are encouraged to respond by that date.

For more information, check out the news page at Cranberries Italia for all the details in a .PDF file.

Source: Cranberries Italia

“Analyse” on “Best of Woman” Compilation

July 3, 2004  |  Comments Off on “Analyse” on “Best of Woman” Compilation  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

The “Woman” compilation, which compiles rock and pop songs from female artists, has now had 5 incarnations and the series has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide — not bad for a compilation. With 5 entries now in the series, a “Best of Woman” compilation is now on the way, and The Cranberries’ “Analyse” is the last track in the 2CD set.

The Cranberries were previously included in the series with “Just My Imagination” on the first “Woman” comp and “Analyse” on “Woman 3.”

The tracklist for the new two-disc “best of” set is as follows:

Nelly Furtado / Turn Off The Light
Beyoncé (feat. Jay Z) / Crazy In Love
Destiny’s Child / Survivor
Swing Out Sister / Am I The Same Girl
Ashanti / Rock With You
Macy Gray / I Try
Sophie Ellis Bextor / Murder On The Dancefloor
India Arie / Video
Alison Moyet / Love Resurrection
Kelly Rowland / Stole
Texas / In Demands
Mya / My Love is Like …Wo
Martika / Toy Soldier
Sade / Hang On To Your Love
The Cardigans / Erase & Rewind
Sheryl Crow / If It Makes You Happy
Anastacia / Love Is Alive
Vanessa Carlton / A Thousand Miles
Shania Twain / That Don’t Impress Me Much
Diana Krall / Cry Me A River
Tori Amos / A Shorta Fairlytale
Des’ree / You Gotta Be
Sheryl Crow / The First Cut Is The Deepest
The Cardigans / Lovefool
Jill Scott / Gettin’ In The way
Solange Knowles Feelin’ You
Paulina / Don ́t Say Goodbye
Suzanne Vega / Marlene On The Wall
Lara Fabian / I Will Love Again
The Cranberries / Analyse

No word yet on when the compilation will be in stores, although past “Woman” compilations have received a worldwide release.

Thanks to Sigma for the tip.

Source: Sanborns Radio

Rumors: Unreleased Song Discovered and 40 Million Worldwide Sales?

June 30, 2004  |  Comments Off on Rumors: Unreleased Song Discovered and 40 Million Worldwide Sales?  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Zombieguide has discovered the title of what could possibly be an unreleased Cranberries song titled “When I’m 21”.

The song was officially registered by The Cranberries through the Irish Music Rights Organisation and is listed in The Cranberries’ repertoire of written songs in BMI’s database.

The title is completely authentic, although what could possibly make it “not a song” is if it is an alternate title for the No Need to Argue track “Twenty One.” However, “Twenty One” has its own listing and the only other alternate title for the unknown song is “When I’m Twenty One” (with the numerals spelled out in letters). The song was co-written by Dolores and Noel, as was No Need to Argue’s “Twenty One.”

The BMI registration number for “When I’m 21” is 5509119, which chronologically puts it around the time that songs for “Bury the Hatchet” were registered (“Desperate Andy” is 5700000). However, registrations for older songs like “Still Can’t” were also renewed at the same time.

The registry includes several obscure listings for long-forgotten Cranberries songs (“Like You Used To,” “False,” and “Yesterday’s Gone”), and also credits for songs used in TV show backgrounds for MTV’s “Fanatic” and “Undressed.”

The registry also provides another piece of the puzzle for the Gaelic song played at the London Underworld in 1991, commonly known among fans as “Iosa” (Gaelic for “Jesus.”) The official registered name for the song is “Atosa”. With this information in mind, Zombieguide will from now on refer to the song as its official title, “Atosa.” (If someone can give us the Gaelic translation for that, we’d appreciate it). “Atosa” was registered alongside many songs recorded for “No Need to Argue.”

Those interested in songwriting credits might be interested in the tidbits that “False” and “Yesterday’s Gone” were co-written by Dolores and Noel, while “Atosa” was written by Dolores alone.

Other songs are curiously missing from the database: the early song “The Same Old Story” and the unreleased “Wake Up” B-side “Seven Years” are nowhere to be found.

In other rumored news, the blog Dolores – para Iniciantes e Iniciados claims that The Cranberries surpassed 40 million in worldwide album sales in April of this year, but does not cite a source. We couldn’t contact the webmaster for confirmation, so if he/she is reading this, please send us an email.

We tried to contact Lindsey Holmes Publicity last week to confirm this news, but we got no reply. For the past year, Zombieguide has had no official contacts, and thus we cannot independently confirm many of the rumors popping up. If someone “in the know” is reading this and could help us in this regard, please contact me, as we’d very much appreciate it.

Sources: BMI’s database, Dolores – para Iniciantes e Iniciados

Dolores @ Rock in Rio: Exclusive Photos & Info

June 26, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores @ Rock in Rio: Exclusive Photos & Info  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

Source: Exclusive

EvilEnko Soundtrack to Release in Late Summer

June 24, 2004  |  Comments Off on EvilEnko Soundtrack to Release in Late Summer  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Exclusive

ICBWY in Daily Telegraph’s Top 10 Breakup Tunes of All Time

June 23, 2004  |  Comments Off on ICBWY in Daily Telegraph’s Top 10 Breakup Tunes of All Time  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

In the June 2nd issue of The Daily Telegraph, editors for the British newspaper put together their list of the “Top 10 Break-Up Tunes” of all time. The article reads, “Breaking up is hard to do. Or if you’re Eamon, it’s downright blasphemous. We all cope with the end of a relationship differently. Women tend to cry their weight in tears while men tend to drink their weight in alcohol and plan a trip to Bali with the boys. But those of us who are musically inclined are able to vent through song. SLM’s Penelope Cross looks at 10 of the most memorable break-up tracks.”

The Cranberries’ “I Can’t Be With You” got into the list at #10. Here’s what they had to say about the song:

10. I Can’t Be With You – The Cranberries

The songs on the album from which this track was taken were all written after singer Dolores O’Riordan broke up with her first “big love”. As a result, No Need To Argue has hurt written all over it and is a very personal piece of work. Not that it bothers Dolores: “I’m not ashamed of the way I feel, why should I be?” I Can’t Be With You has a slightly faster pace than some of the other album tracks but it’s the singer’s enunciation and emotion that make this song about missing someone so great. It includes lyrics like “Thinking back on how we were/And how we loved so well/ I wanted to be the mother of your child/And now it’s just farewell”.

Leading the list are “Lovesong – Amiel,” “Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley,” and “Cry Me A River – Justin Timberlake” at the 1, 2, and 3 spots, respectively.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Sony to Release 11 Different Versions of “Music From and Inspired by Spider-Man 2” Worldwide

June 22, 2004  |  Comments Off on Sony to Release 11 Different Versions of “Music From and Inspired by Spider-Man 2” Worldwide  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Icicle Melts for the news tip.

Source: Variety via Scifi.com

Jam & Spoon Album to Release Monday

June 18, 2004  |  Comments Off on Jam & Spoon Album to Release Monday  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

May News Highlights

May 30, 2004  |  Comments Off on May News Highlights  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

As one might expect, lots of Cranberries news unfolded this month that we were unfortunately unable to update with (Japan was fantastic, thanks to everyone who’s been asking!). Here are brief highlights from Cranberries news over the past month:

  • NoelHogan.com is now open with a contest to let fans choose the name of Noel’s upcoming solo album. The winner will receive one of Noel’s guitars and a copy of the new album, due out before the end of the year. According to 365 Artists, the likely candidate for the first single is to be a song called “Brighter Sky”. It appears that the album has been mixed by Marius De Vries (who remixed “Analyse” and “Time is Ticking Out”). Noel has also worked with Alexis Smith (“Analyse” and “TITO” remixes) and James Loughrey (Hope of the States, Razorlight). (Source: CranPortal)
  • Dolores’s court case against former nanny Joy Fahy ended with a decisive victory for Dolores. The judge ruled in all counts for the Burtons except on the issue of Joy Fahy’s lost clothing, for which the Burtons must pay approximately $1,500. Fahy, on the other hand, must pay a daunting $300,000 (approx.) in legal fees for the Burtons, far more than what she would have gained had she won the case. Fahy plans to appeal the case.
  • Dolores performed “Pure Love” with Zucchero on May 6. If you haven’t seen it already, you can download a video of the Dolores & Zucchero performance here. The album “Zucchero & Co.” was released this month in Europe and went straight to No. 1 in Italy and Switzerland. Check out Un Po Di Zucchero and the ZG Forums for photos.
  • Dolores is performing again tonight (May 29th) with Zucchero at the Festivalbar concert in Milan, Italy. Once again, the song will be “Pure Love.” More news on this event as it happens.
  • Dolores has put her home, Riversfield Stud, in Co Limerick up for sale. As ZG reported months ago, Dolores and Don are house-shopping in Dublin. Dolores has lived at Riversfield Stud since 1997, and, if sold, this will be the first time in her life that she has not had a home in Limerick. Click here to read an article from the Irish Independent about the features of Dolores’s former home, now on the market with bids in excess of $3 million.
  • According to the Malcom McDowell Tribute Site, Brian Johnson’s Helen of Troy play has not been scrapped and could premiere late 2004. (Thanks cranberry_india.)
  • According to Dance Artist Info, Jam & Spoon’s “Tripomatic Fairytales 3003” featuring Dolores O’Riordan’s “Mirror Lover” is now set to go on sale June 14th. (Thanks cranberry_india.)
  • The CD soundtrack for “EvilEnko” featuring Dolores O’Riordan’s “Angels Go to Heaven” was supposed to go on sale in early May, but no one (even in Italy) has yet to find the soundtrack on sale. The soundtrack is scheduled to include both the original film version and a “full band version” of “Angels Go to Heaven.”
  • According to the World’s End website, Dolores has recorded a new song called “Apple of My Eye” with producer Tim Palmer. No word yet on what the song might be used for. (Thanks forevercran.)

Thanks to everyone at the Zombieguide Forums for keeping up on the news. Zombieguide will now resume regular updates. As always, if you have Cranberries-related news that we don’t have here, email it in to us!

Dolores O’Riordan to Release on Helter Records?

April 7, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores O’Riordan to Release on Helter Records?  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

Source: Metalworks Studios

Dolores to Sing “Angels Go to Heaven” for EvilEnko Soundtrack

April 7, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores to Sing “Angels Go to Heaven” for EvilEnko Soundtrack  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

Huge thanks to Alisha for this news.

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

Source: EvilEnko.com

Official Site: “Cranberries Are Still a Unit”

April 1, 2004  |  Comments Off on Official Site: “Cranberries Are Still a Unit”  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Since September, many Cranberries fans have written emails to the Official Cranberries Website in hopes of learning something — anything — about the status of The Cranberries. For months, nearly all of those emails have gone unanswered. Zombieguide reader Jill Smith was one such fan who went proactive by writing to the Official Site and yesterday, to our surprise, received this response:

Great to hear your wife and you are such fans of The Cranberries music. At the moment, the band is just taking some time off after having started working on new material. The Web site is in the process of being redesigned and reorganized. So that is why there has been a lack of updates in the past. Things should be up and running in a couple months and we’ll be keeping it current with news and tour info to help our online fans stay notified. The Cranberries are still a unit.

ZG Forum user Forevercran also received a personal reply today which read:

Thank you for writing in. I’m sorry to hear of your frustration with the lack of information and I hope this doesn’t prevent you from continuing to be a Cranberries fan in the future. A lot has happened in the last few months with the band and there has been much confusion surrounding them. At the press conference from the Sanremo festival, Dolores mentioned that the band was currently taking some time off and that was translated into the band has broken up.

There is no need to worry, all is well in the Cranberries land. They have recorded some new songs and are now taking some time off, they have not broken up. At the moment, the Web site is being redesigning and reorganizing. Once it’s up and running, we’ll be updating it with news and tour info as before, and keep our online fans notified. If you haven’t subscribed to our newsletters yet, you can do so here:http://www.cranberries.com/cb/elists.html.

I hope this cleared things up, and you continue to enjoy the Cranberries music!

So it appears that the new webmastering team at InDIMENSIONS has begun digging into the no doubt massive pile of email, and more such repsonses seem likely.

But more than that, an official site redesign can only be seen as a good sign. The proposition of future news updates about tour info is even more promising.

Source: Exclusive

Dublin Beautiful Night Concert Cancelled, Belfast Continues as Planned

April 1, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dublin Beautiful Night Concert Cancelled, Belfast Continues as Planned  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

Source: The Observer

Cranberries Members May Speak at Limerick Music Seminar

March 30, 2004  |  Comments Off on Cranberries Members May Speak at Limerick Music Seminar  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

According to the latest print issue of the Irish music mag Hot Press, members of the Cranberries are “to be confirmed” to speak at a music seminar in Limerick on April 10th targeted at small independent bands.

Hot Press says: “In other live news, Upstairs In Dolan’s — the imaginatively titled new venue in Dolan’s — will be hosting the forthcoming AMC weekender which will bring lots of great acts to the venue, the highlight of which will be a music seminar on the 10th [of April] which will include speakers from Woodstar, The Cranberries (tbc) and Mike Sound from Dolan’s. All info is avaliable on www.theamc.net.”

The seminar will cover basic “do it yourself” topics for indie bands like recording, promoting, and touring. Doors open at 12 noon for the seminar and tickets are only €5.

Also of interest to Cranberries fans, former Cranberry Saw Us singer Niall Quinn will be performing with his band The Pennywhores at Dolan’s on the same day. The Pennywhores are part of a “Vibe for Kurt” Nirvana tribute concert to take place at 8 o’clock that night. Ticket prices are still undetermined. Update 04.01: The Pennywhores will no longer be playing at Dolan’s on April 10th. However, Niall Quinn tells us that he will still be attending the seminar.

Thanks to Des for the info!

Source: Hot Press, Upstairs In Dolan’s

Childsitter Lawsuit Continues; New Evidence Arises Today

March 26, 2004  |  Comments Off on Childsitter Lawsuit Continues; New Evidence Arises Today  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The case will be continued on Tuesday.

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

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




Tabloids Pounce on Nanny Lawsuit

March 26, 2004  |  Comments Off on Tabloids Pounce on Nanny Lawsuit  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

The Mirror

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

The Irish Times

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

Irish Independent

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

More Bad News: Cranberries Lost €1.3 Million During 2002

March 15, 2004  |  Comments Off on More Bad News: Cranberries Lost €1.3 Million During 2002  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

According to articles published this weekend by the Irish tabloids The Mirror (Saturday) and the Sunday Independent (Sunday), The Cranberries lost a whopping €1.3 million of their own funds during the year 2002. This information comes from the recently-filed financial reports for their self- owned company, Curtain Call Limited.

The filed accounts show that Curtain Call began the year with a surplus budget of €647,500 and ended with a deficit of €673,500. Directors’ fees for the year were €12,000 and €818,431 was paid for what’s denoted as “other services.” Perhaps the most costly expense was the €1.2 million in taxes that hit the company for the year.

The Sunday Independent is quick to point out that despite the harsh year, The Cranberries still have plenty to fall back on; the band is estimated to be worth around €50 million.

In usual tabloid style, both papers quote anonymous sources with dubious credibility. A “music insider” for the Sunday Independent said, “The year 2002 was a hard one for the Cranberries. They were still getting back on their feet after the album Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, which was slated by the critics and did not do well sales-wise.” The Mirror quotes a source “close to the band” as saying, “The tax was on their profits of the year 2002 in which they performed around the world and released new material. It’s a big bill but they can afford it because they made so much money in the early 90s.”

This news compares with an article published last year by The Sunday Tribune which shows hefty touring costs cutting into the band’s profit in 2000 and 2001.

The Sunday Independent tried to call the Curtain Call offices for comment on the 2002 loss but received no response.

Sources: The Mirror, Sunday Independent

Dolores to Appear at Zucchero Benefit Concert

March 12, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores to Appear at Zucchero Benefit Concert  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

Tickets are available from BookingsDirect.com.

Source: Zucchero.it

Sanremo Press Conference Transcript

March 9, 2004  |  Comments Off on Sanremo Press Conference Transcript  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

Source: Virgilio Musica

More Photos from Sanremo

March 7, 2004  |  Comments Off on More Photos from Sanremo  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

More media is coming in from Dolores O’Riordan’s first solo performance yesterday at the Sanremo Festival 2004.

The first three photos below are from Reuters. The first is taken from Friday’s press conference, while the next two were taken during her performance on stage late last night (1:00 local time).

Photo 4 is from Corriere della Sera (thanks Little_Dolores).

The next four photos are from Cranberries fan Mara (Irishsoul), who had the supreme good fortune of meeting Dolores at the hotel where she was staying. Check out her post in the forums to read Irishsoul’s interesting storywhich includes a cryptic encounter with Cranberries backup singer and guitarist Steve DiMarchi. Is Steve working with Dolores on her solo material? Makes you wonder…

The last photo is from Virgilio Musica, and appears to be taken at the same time as the photo from Corriere della Sera but at a different angle. If you have found more news or photos from the Sanremo festival, please send them to us!



Dolores Confirms Cranberries Break Up

March 5, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores Confirms Cranberries Break Up  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

In a press conference in Sanremo, Italy, today at 17:30 local time, singer Dolores O’Riordan confirmed that The Cranberries have split for the foreseeable future.

When asked if The Cranberries will get back together, her frank response was, “I don’t think so, perhaps in ten years.”

She continued, “We have worked together for 13 years and now we have closed a circle. Maybe a new Cranberries album will never come out. Maybe we’ll return together in 10 years, who knows? Nothing lasts forever. The reason of this decision is that my main priority are my children. The band used to take away too much time from my life. The Cranberries were becoming only a routine. I need new things like a solo album. The album will come out in 2005 0r 2006.”

“It was all becoming a routine and I think a solo record is the only way for me to release something. At first, the boys were unhappy [with the decision]. Then I spoke to Noel Hogan and he told me that was happy, because now he has a way to discover new musical paths. We were always saying that if a day comes when it was no longer exciting or fun, we would stop. And so we have.”

“There will be plenty of variation from what I’ve done before. I am continuing my musical evolution, but not chaning my core spirit, and I’m still the same person, frankly. The songs that I am writing now are all born out of the piano, as it happened for the song ‘Pretty Eyes.’ It’ll be an album with a more modern and contemporary sound.”

“I had known Lady Diana, one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. While we were at dinner together, her humanity struck me, very rare for people of her kind. The song [Ave Maria] will be included on the soundtrack for Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ Last week I tried to see it in Toronto. Even though there were five showings, I couldn’t. There were too many people. But I’ve read a lot about this movie. I know that it has raised many controversies, but it’s reasonable considering the topics that it touches. I allowed them to put it in the film, despite the controversey, because it respects the contents of the Bible from the point of view of a Catholic.”

Dolores also revealed what Mel Gibson himself thought of her song. According to the article on Rockol, Gibson said of the song, “It was as if Dolores herself knelt down and prayed.”

Below is a photo of Dolores from the press conference, her first public appearance in months and Dolores’s first press conference since the day of September 17th, 2003.

Zombieguide will have more news on Dolores’s appearance at Sanremo 2004 as Saturday approaches. Thanks to many, many people for help with this important news piece.

Sources: Rockol News, Yahoo News

Two Cranberries Articles in Italy’s “Tutto”

March 3, 2004  |  Comments Off on Two Cranberries Articles in Italy’s “Tutto”  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

The March issue of the Italian magazine “Tutto Musica” carries two articles about The Cranberries, though neither carry any new information.

The first article is one called called: “Dossier: Music and Drugs Special: But What Do the Songs Say?” According to Tutto, there is a kind of “drug discrimination” going on in music with one type pitted against another: “The topic of drugs has been drawn in music in multiple ways; hardly ever are there exaltations of their use, but rather descriptions of the effects. Of course, heroin is nearly always associated with death, but not marijuana. You read and judge.”

The article then examines the lyrics of “Salvation” in English and Italian. Under a circa 1996 photo of Dolores, the magazine states, “Dolores had written it after a long phase of depression. In the photo, she provacatively extends her untouched arms.”

In another section of the magazine, one rather confused fan wants to knonw the same thing that everyone else does: What’s going on with The Cranberries? Unfortunately, Tutto can’t say much more than we can, but nevertheless, here it is:

QUESTION: I’m a big Cranberries fan and I’m looking forward to hearing their next album. Do you know anything about?

ANSWER: From what we can see on the official website of Dolores O’Riordan’s band, the band is working on several projects, but no mention of a new recording. Most likely Dolores will release a solo work (perhaps a soundtrack, expected for this spring [Songs Inspired By The Passion of the Christ]) and so will Noel Hogan. The Cranberries have anyway denied about their breaking-up.

To check out scans of the new issue of Tutto, head over to the Magazines Gallery.

Thanks to Eva and Lorenzo for the scans and info.

Source: Exclusive

“Music Inspired by The Passion of the Christ” Status Update

February 17, 2004  |  Comments Off on “Music Inspired by The Passion of the Christ” Status Update  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

Update: TAG Website is an “Illustration” Only

February 11, 2004  |  Comments Off on Update: TAG Website is an “Illustration” Only  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Zombieguide received an email today regarding yesterday’s news about the newly-formed company The Artist Group International. Unfortunately, the parts of the website that were online yesterday served only as an “illustration,” we were told, and that information we reported from it below is “not necessarily final or accurate.” That is, none of the people below are confirmed to be involved with the company, rather they are listed for illustrative purposes only.

We also asked if any members of The Cranberries (particuarly Noel Hogan) have any current relationship with Mr. Kovac and The Artist Group. To that question, a representative responded, “Mr. Kovac has business and personal relationships with the parties you mention and many others, however, those relationships remain private.”

Since yesterday, the TAG site was updated to remove all of the tentative information.

Former Cranberries manager Lewis Kovac has established a new artist management agency called The Artist Group International. The new agency is running out of the same building as The Cranberries’ self-owned management company, Curtain Call, Ltd.

When The Cranberries announced their haitus last September, their press release mentioned that Lewis Kovac was preparing to establish a new company, although no details were available at the time.

The website domain was registered last September but didn’t go online until sometime within the past few weeks.

The Artist Group’s physical address is on O’Connell Street in Limerick, the same office space used by The Cranberries’ self-owned business ventures Curtain Call Limited and Timeless Music Limited.

While The Cranberries as a unit no longer have a professional relationship with Kovac, recent Irish press reports indicate that the lads continue to work with him. Noel was photographed together with Kovac in Limerick’s Trinity Rooms in November. One Hot Press article claims that Noel, Mike, and Fergal may be working together with Kovac on material without Dolores.

The Artist Group already has a few clients lined up, French-grown bandMétisse being one of them.

Source: The Artist Group International

Passion of The Christ Multi-Artist Soundtrack Scrapped?

February 11, 2004  |  Comments Off on Passion of The Christ Multi-Artist Soundtrack Scrapped?  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

Source: David Hodges Official Website

“Linger” on Upcoming Greatest Irish Bands Compiliaton

February 3, 2004  |  Comments Off on “Linger” on Upcoming Greatest Irish Bands Compiliaton  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

The Cranberries’ classic “Linger” is being included in a new CD compilation entitled “Greatest Irish Bands” due for release on February 24th in the US, just in time for the St. Patrick’s season.

The CD, out on Hip-O/UTV Records, has done an impressive job of collecting all of the biggest Irish artists, including U2, Sinéad O’Connor, The Corrs, Thin Lizzy, etc. The CD includes a Bonus DVD with the short film Sightings of Bono. According to the press release, “Bono is also part of Sightings Of Bono, a seven-minute film shot in Dublin in 2000 about a girl who sees the U2 lead singer everywhere until she eventually meets him in the shop where she works. The short was seen in a few theaters and on the Internet but has never been released elsewhere until now.”

Tracklisting:
1. U2 – Where The Streets Have No Name
2. SINÉAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U
3. THIN LIZZY – Whiskey In The Jar
4. BOOMTOWN RATS – I Don’t Like Mondays
5. CLANNAD (WITH BONO) – In A Lifetime
6. THE POGUES – Fairytale Of New York
7. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS – Alternative Ulster
8. RORY GALLAGHER – Tattooed Lady
9. THE CRANBERRIES – Linger
10. THE CORRS – Breathless
11. HOTHOUSE FLOWERS – Don’t Go
12. THE UNDERTONES – Teenage Kicks
13. VAN MORRISON – Brown Eyed Girl

Nationwide promotion of the CD and DVD are expected; you can download the sales sheet sent to retailers here to read about upcoming promotion for the CD. High-resolution cover art is below.

Thanks to Kama and several others for the tip.

Source: Universal Music

New Dolores Interview in Ireland’s “Women’s Way”

January 28, 2004  |  Comments Off on New Dolores Interview in Ireland’s “Women’s Way”  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

MUSIC CHICK FINDS A ROCK

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

Source: News of the World

Dolores: I Wanna Be a Rockin’ 40-Year-Old Mum!

January 23, 2004  |  Comments Off on Dolores: I Wanna Be a Rockin’ 40-Year-Old Mum!  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

I’LL BE A ROCKIN 40-YEAR-OLD MUM!

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

Source: Irish Daily Star

Illawarra Mercury: “Zombie” Best Song of Summer 1994

January 17, 2004  |  Comments Off on Illawarra Mercury: “Zombie” Best Song of Summer 1994  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

In their January 9th issue, editors of the Australian newspaper “Illawarra Mercury” compiled a list of the best songs of summer from the past 10 years, and The Cranberries’ are at the top of their list for the 1994-1995 season. In order to be considered, all songs on the list had to spend time at #1 on the Australian charts.

According to the paper, “Zombie” is one example of an “upbeat, party song that wedges itself so far into your head nothing short of a lobotomy is going to get it out… That song that is always being played in the car radio; the one that you’re singing in your head and you don’t even know how it got there. In fact, you didn’t even know you knew the words.”

“In the hottest months of the year we were listening to Dolores O’Riordan bang on about ‘their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their gons’, Okay, the last word was actually ‘guns’, but her accent twisted it into ‘gons’. A serious song about the conflict in their Northern Ireland homeland, it might have skated under our… radar if it weren’t for the really cool grinding guitar that runs through the song. Released during the tail-end of grunge, it was a guitar sound we were used to.”

Here’s the full list of “Best Songs of Summer” that the editors picked for the past 10 years:

Other notable contenders of the past 10 years mentioned are No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” and Oasis’s “Wonderwall.”

Source: Illawarra Mercury

CeDe.ch Auctions 7 Cranberries Gold Awards for Charity

January 17, 2004  |  Comments Off on CeDe.ch Auctions 7 Cranberries Gold Awards for Charity  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Cede.ch, Sweden’s largest online CD, DVD, and game vendor, is teaming up with Universal Music Sweden to auction a series of gold and platinum award plaques for charity.

CeDe manager Eric Bachmann told German newspaper Blick,”Right now we have a minimum bid for each item. For Sting’s double platinum that includes an original autograph, we’ve set it at 1200 CHF ($960 US)… [there are] seven gold disks from the Cranberries. In addition platinum and gold from Sheryl Crow… all between 100 CFH ($80) and 300 CHF ($230).” Other Universal artists in the auction include Zucchero, The Cure, Andrea Bocelli, Texas, Metallica, and Tears for Fears.

The seven gold awards from The Cranberries are all in recognition of sales of 20,000 in Sweden for “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.” The seven plaques were presented to MCA, UMI International, Mike Hogan, Noel Hogan, Fergal Lawler, Jay Boberg (MCA President), and Lewis Kovac (former Cranberries manager). Currently, all seven stand at around 300 CHF, or about $230 US. The auctions end on January 22nd and you must be registered to bid.

The three charities receiving the proceeds from the auction are Terre des Hommes (Land of the People), Stiftung der Elternvereinigung krebskranker Kinder (Fund for Parents of Children with Cancer), and Susy Utzinger Stiftung für Tierschutz (Susy Utzinger Fund for Animal Protection).

Click the golden flash banner on the left side of Cede.ch to access the auction site.







Zucchero to Unveil Duet Songs on Saturday

January 16, 2004  |  Comments Off on Zucchero to Unveil Duet Songs on Saturday  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

Cranberries.ie Changes Servers

January 11, 2004  |  Comments Off on Cranberries.ie Changes Servers  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Although The Cranberries’ Official Website has been mysteriously inactive for months, a look at the website’s registration record suggests that there has been some movement behind the scenes, as the website was transferred this week to a different hosting company.

On January 6, the Official Website was transferred from Irish-based hosting company Elive to Atlanta-based Interland, a company that specializes in small- and medium-sized businesses. Elive was also Zombieguide’s previous hosting company. Elive had hosted the Official Site since it opened in January 1998.

A whois database lookup for the site shows that Alan McEvoy, The Cranberries’ longtime financial consultant, has been designated as the administrative contact after the band parted ways with former manager Lewis Kovac in September.

It appears that the bare-bones website for Timeless Music Management is still hosted by Elive and that no changes were made to the registration record.

In related news, the shopping cart function on the “Shopping” section of the site has been disabled, making it impossible to purchase anything from the site. (Update: Savannah has posted in the Forums that the shopping cart is working, although it still doesn’t functionn for us.)

No word on why the band’s administration ended their long-term relationship with Elive. The lack of any updates in the past 4 months caused some to fear the worst for the site’s future. However, the server move suggests that the site will be online at least for the foreseeable future.

As to when we’ll see an official update, that’s anyone’s guess. Until then (and even after then), stay tuned to Zombieguide for the latest Cranberries developments, official or otherwise.

Source: Exclusive

Zucchero Duets Album Due in Late April

January 7, 2004  |  Comments Off on Zucchero Duets Album Due in Late April  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

Ronan Keating Spreads Cranberries Christmas Joy

January 5, 2004  |  Comments Off on Ronan Keating Spreads Cranberries Christmas Joy  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

On Christmas Day, Britain’s BBC Radio 2 invited Irish celebrity Ronan Keating to host an hour and a half special entitled “Ronan Keating’s Celtic Christmas.” Keating was not only hosted the show, but was given full control over what songs were played on the program. In a move that the BBC website called “surprising,” he chose a Cranberries song for the program, along with selections by fellow countrymen Christy Moore, Clannad, Thin Lizzy, The Pogues, and Jackson Browne.

No word on what song he played during the evening Christmas special.

Source: BBC Radio 2

Jam El Mar Explains Jam & Spoon Album Delay

January 5, 2004  |  Comments Off on Jam El Mar Explains Jam & Spoon Album Delay  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources: Midgeure-interviews.net, Polydor Island Germany

eBay Shuts Down 237 Auctions for Cranberries Rarities

December 29, 2003  |  Comments Off on eBay Shuts Down 237 Auctions for Cranberries Rarities  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

eBay shut down approximately 237 auctions for Cranberries rarities when they suspected that their seller, Danny Kronstrom, may have engaged in shill bidding. We told you last week that Kronstrom, one of the biggest Cranberries collectors in the world, had decided to auction his entire collection. By Saturday night, eBay closed all of his auctions and suspended his account. The goodies up for auction included a French “Hollywood” radio promo, a Brazilian “I’m Still Remembering” radio promo, countless European live bootleg CDs, and some promos that we’ve never even seen before.

Shill bidding is the process of creating a fake ID to bid on your own auctions in order to artificially raise the prices. A user with the ID of “patheticsenses” was found to be bidding on 117 of Kronstrom’s auctions. “Patheticsenses” had no previous eBay history, was created at the same time as Kronstrom’s account, and was bidding exclusively on Kronstrom’s auctions, but only to outbid other users and never as the first bid. These are all telltale signs of shill bidding. (Even your humble webmaster was outbid by “patheticsenses.”) While Kronstrom’s seller account (“dannykronstrom”) was suspended, the account “patheticsenses” was not.

In an email to Zombieguide, Danny denies all accusations and claims no wrongdoing. “‘Patheticsenses’ is not me, Alex. I don’t know who has made this rumor, began this story, but I only want to sell my items and quit [my interest] in The Cranberries…”

“I feel so bad.. I want to write my real emotions, but my English is not good.”

Zombieguide estimates that Kronstrom must still pay at least $60 in lost eBay listing fees for the closed auctions.

Thanks to Paul for keeping an eye on this situation for us.

Source: Exclusive

Ritz Publishes New Interview with Dolores

December 29, 2003  |  Comments Off on Ritz Publishes New Interview with Dolores  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  Dolores O'Riordan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Exclusive

Major Cranberries Collector eBay-ing His Collection

December 21, 2003  |  Comments Off on Major Cranberries Collector eBay-ing His Collection  |  by Zombieguide Archives  |  The Cranberries

Longtime Cranberries collector Danny Kronstrom has made the hard decision of parting with his collection.

Many Cranberries fans, including myself, met Danny through his website,The Cranberries Tape Trader, formerly one of the largest Cranberries websites online. The page that remains there now is but a shadow of its former self. Danny has spent the last several years amassing one of the largest Cranberries memorabilia collections in the world.

Danny and I have a long history together, as we ran The Cranberries Gazettetogether before I was invited by former webmaster John Armijo to join Zombieguide.

When asked why he is selling his collection, Danny told me, “I fear it’s the end of The Cranberries and it’s no longer as important to me. I love it, but not enough to buy everything about them. I have some rare stuff and I think it’s important to share it. Some people have shared rare stuff… it’s my time now!”

Danny will be listing his collection piece by piece on eBay over the coming weeks and months. Click here to view Danny’s eBay items. (LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

Source: Exclusive

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