The Cranberries kicked off their Wake Up and Smell the Coffee 2002 World Tour last night in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a few promised surprises to be found in the setlist. Among these include “The Rebels” from the band’s thrid album, and “Chocolate Brown,” the concluding track to “Wake Up…” Here is the band’s actual setlist and a poster from the show, courtesy of The Cranberries Official Webpage. We’ll have first reviews and impressions right here on Zombieguide, so check back soon!!

The 2-track version of “Time is Ticking Out” has been released in Europe, along with its 4-track counterpart. The 2-track version contains a live version of “Loud and Clear” not found on the 4-track version. The CD art is also different, having an inverse color pattern than that seen on the 4-track version.

Dolores is on the cover of the February issue of the Austrian magazine “Action.” The issue includes a 2-page article on the band, including a full- page live shot of Dolores and a band portrait.

Irish-based RTÉ News has posted an exclusive audio interview with Dolores O’Riordan, Ali Hewson, and Adi Roche from this month’s “Time is Ticking Out” launch ceremony in Dublin. “I was thinking how blessed and fortunate I was, you know, to live in a land where we didn’t have these problems, Ireland, man, it’s lovely isn’t it? But, I mean, God, I see alot of cancers around me now, I see alot of people developing cancer, and children, and I wonder, Why? Fifty, sixty years ago, before this explosion, I mean, it wasn’t like that,” Dolores told RTÉ News.

Click here to listen to the full interview. (Link no longer available)

Source: RTÉ News

Hollywood Records has released a better-quality shot of the cover art for the “Clockstoppers” soundtrack, which includes “Time is Ticking Out.” The CD is due out in the US on March 26.

MCA Records in Australia has released an interview disc for “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee,” sent to radio stations in promotion of the album. The interview was recorded back in August and includes a cue sheet for the “interviewer” to “ask” Dolores questions. Interview discs were widespread for “Bury the Hatchet” and “To the Faithful Departed,” but this is the first we’ve seen for “Wake Up,” and a limited release at that.

Scans are below — you can even read the last few questions, straight off of the back of the CD case.

The “Clockstoppers” soundtrack, which includes “Time is Ticking Out” as its final track, has been delayed until March 26th, according to the movie’s official page. The soundtrack was originally scheduled for a March 12th release. In related news, Hollywood Records has released a small shot of the soundtrack’s cover.

Source: Clockstoppers Official Website

With the Wake Up and Smell the Coffee World Tour 2002 mere days away, Universal is well underway with advertising for the upcoming European gigs. Check out this poster for the Dusseldorf, Germany gig…

Source: Exclusive

As sometimes occurs on The Cranberries Official Website, pictures are uploaded to the server that for some reason or another, are not shown on the site itself. Below are four more photos of the trucks being loaded for the Wake Up and Smell the Coffee World Tour which weren’t shown on the site!

Thanks to Argenberries for pointing this out!

Source: Cranberries Official Website

In addition to releasing the single on the fourth of this month, Universal Australia has begun promoting “Time is Ticking Out” in Australia via print ads, this one taken from an industry magazine. Click below and check it out.

Source: Exclusive

The IRMA announced the billing earlier today for March 4th’s 2002 Meteor Ireland Music Awards. The Cranberries have been confirmed for the performance along with Anastacia, Westlife, Gabrielle, Ronan Keating, Samantha Mumba, Lighthouse Family, and Muse are also confirmed for next month’s awards at the Dublin Point Theatre.

A limited number of tickets went on sale to the general public days ago and are expected to sell out soon. A few are still available, though, at a price of Euro 29.50 from Irish ticket outlets.

Source: Meteor Irish Music Awards

Months ago, Zombieguide reported on an exclusive “This Is The Day” single release for France. A spokesperson from MCA France has now finally given confirmation to the news, noting that the release of “This is the Day” will be exclusively for France. The single will be released on March 18th. No tracklisting or artwork has been released.

However, the news is double-edged for French fans. In exchange for the exclusive release, the spokesperson commented that France would not receive the single for “Time Is Ticking Out,” nor do they have plans to promote the track by radio. French fans looking to pick up “Time is Ticking Out” are advised to import it. And vice versa — all of us unlucky fans without the single for “This is the Day” are also advised to import…

Thanks to Dan for the news.

Source: Exclusive

The official “Clockstoppers” webpage has posted the tracklisting for the “Clockstoppers” soundtrack, which is due out in the US on March 12.
“TITO” comes at the end of the soundtrack, which may suggest that it will be played over the ending credits of the movie — as the song title is appropriate with the movie’s plot.

1. Smashmouth “Holiday in My Head”
2. Lil’ J “It’s the Weekend”
3. Fenix TX “Song for Everyone”
4. Uncle Kracker “Time after Time”
5. Third Eye Blind “Never Let You Go”
6. Blink 182 “All the Small Things”
7. Nickelback “Breathe”
8. New Found Glory “The Minute I Met You”
9. Simple Plan “Worst Day Ever”
10. Dandy Warhols “Bohemian Like You”
11. Lit “Quicksand”
12. Scapegoat Wax “Space to Share”
13. Kool Keith “Know My Name”
14. Sugar Ray “Abracadabra”
15. The Cranberries “Time is Ticking Out”

Source: Official “Clockstoppers” Webpage

The Meteor Irish Music Awards Website has posted an online poll to select winners of this year’s awards. The best part? The poll doubles as a contest, with the winner receiving two tickets to the event, which are generally unavailable tot he public. The Cranberries are already expected to play at the awards, which take place next month.

So click here (Link no longer available) and start voting for “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”! Please note that you must be 18 years of age or older and be able to attend the event (i.e. be a resident of Ireland or be capable of travelling there).

Source: The Meteor Irish Music Awards Website

“Time Is Ticking Out” is one of the many tracks a new Universal promo sampler in Argentina. Other artists include The Cure, Elton John, and Sting — the new promo contains 23 tracks.

Source: Exclusive

Zombieguide has gotten word that “Time Is Ticking Out” has been released in Australia, making it one of the earliest regions to get the new single. So all you Aussies head out to your local music store and pick it up!

Source: Exclusive

Yet another picture from Thursday’s “Time is Ticking Out” launch event in Dublin… Pictured below from left to right are Dolores O’Riordan, Adi Roche, and Ali Hewson taken inside the Clarence Hotel.

Sources: Argenberries

Zombieguide has yet more pictures from yesterday’s “Time Is Ticking Out” launch event in Dublin. Pictured below are Ali Hewson, Adi Roche, and Dolores O’Riordan taken at the Clarence Hotel.

Sources: Showbiz Ireland, Official Cranberries Webpage

The town of Benissa has rejected a plan to urbanize a section of coastal Spain called the “Tossal del Tender.” The plan was proposed by a company called Paradise Hills, L.L.C. — which is reported to be owned by Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer for The Cranberries. The decision was made last Tuesday at a planning session, and was voted upon by members of urban development groups PP, PSOE, and Grupo Mixto.

O’Riordan purchased the hilly land known as “Tossal del Tender” approximately five years ago after touring it via helicopter. After viewing it, she ordered her representatives to purchase the mount, an estimated 80 squared kilometers (about 50 sq. mi.) of virgin land. The area is said to have a marvellous costal view, from Ifach all the way to the Cabo de Moraira. O’Riordan founded Paradise Hills as a means of developing the land.

Tuesday’s decision was O’Riordan’s second stumbling block in attempting to urbanize the land. She originally proposed to build a luxury hotel, but the idea was rejected by the local city council. She then instead proposed to build four mansions on the huge expanse of land. However, to do so, the entire area surrounding Tossal del Tender would have to be urbanized with plumbing, electricty, roads, and other infrastructures, an area of nearly 300 sq. km. (190 sq. mi.). Paradise Hills had intended to invest 150 million pesetas ($800,000 US) into the urbanization, with a promise to create as minimal of an environmental impact as possible. However, the municipal architect ultimately decided that there were far too many technical problems with the idea. He reported this at the planning session last Tuesday and the committee complied by declining approval of the project.

Thanks to INNER for the tip.

Source: Levante-EMV Digital

The following was in today’s Irish Mirror, which includes a lot of new quotes not listed in previous articles…

EX-ROCK CHICK DOLORES: I AM AN EARTH MOTHER; CRANBERRIES STAR TO HELP CHERNOBYL KIDS. by Allison Bray

 

CRANBERRIES star Dolores O’Riordan yesterday revealed her transformation from rock chick to earth mother to help victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

 

The 30-year-old singer announced that all royalties from their latest single Time’s Ticking Away [sic] will go towards the Chernobyl Children’s Project.

 

She said: “The song was inspired by the children and they deserve the profits. Hopefully I can raise awareness.” She made the announcement at Dublin’s Clarence Hotel along with long-time friend and patron of the charity Ali Hewson – wife of U2 frontman Bono – and charity director Adi Roche.

 

She said Ali, an active supporter of the charity and a staunch anti-nuclear campaigner, was also an inspiration.

 

Dolores added: “I had spoken briefly with her on the subject before, but I was so moved that I wrote Time Is Ticking Out.

 

“I’ve always said when I got to a certain age I wanted to do something real, to give something back to the world.”

 

Dolores said her 30th birthday last September after the birth of her second child, daughter Molly in March, was the turning point for her.

 

The proud mother added: “There are a lot of women at 30 who are still out there wiggling their bums but I got to a point where I was tired of that. I wanted to do something more than be a rock chick.

 

“I’ve been there and done that and I think being a mother has made me feel a lot more giving.

 

“I was blessed with a beautiful little girl who was healthy.

 

“Yet when I spoke to Ali and started reading up on it, I was shocked that these children are still being born with horrible growths and deformities.”

 

Dolores said that the rest of the band completely support her move to donate the royalties adding: “They are quite honored to give this to charity.”

 

Anyone wishing to make a donation should contact TSB Bank, Lapps Quay, Cork. Account number 36410021 sort code 99 07 01.

Source: Irish Mirror

Ali Hewson, wife of Irish mega-group U2’s Bono, was on hand at a launch ceremony earlier today in Dublin to kick off the release of “Time Is Ticking Out”.

Dolores wrote the song well over a year ago, inspired heavily by Ali’s work with Chernobyl victims. Dolores said in an earlier interview, “Chernobyl was a big issue for a long time then it slipped away. Then I picked up a newspaper. I remember my daughter was probably three months old [sic] and there was a picture of Bono’s wife Ali, who raises funds for the Chernobyl project. I looked at pictures of her with the children and it totally broke my heart and that’s where the inspiration came from.” Interestingly enough, the track was actually written before the birth of Dolores’s daughter, as it was first performed at Vicar St. in Dublin in November of 2000.

Both Dolores and Ali were on hand at the ceremony, which was held around noon in the U2-owned Clarence Hotel in the Temple Bar district of Dublin. Also in attendance was Adi Roche, founder of the Chernobyl Children’s Project.

“I had just given birth to my second child, a beautiful healthy little girl,” Dolores said at the event. “It was at this time that I read an article in a paper which featured The Chernobyl Children’s Project. I had spoken briefly with Ali on the subject before this, but I was so moved, almost to tears, that I wrote ‘Time Is Ticking Out’. It was inspired by the children and I hope I can raise awareness on this issue. It shouldn’t be like this — we must do something about it.”

Roche commented that the title of the track was very relevant to the cause, as new health problems are only now coming to the surface from the 1986 nuclear incident. Effects, she said, were crossing generations, as children “are witnessing soaring levels of genetic changes, especially among those who were less than six years of age when the accident happened.”

Roche founded the organization in 1991, which has raised nearly $15 million to date for victims of the catastrophe.

Dolores O’Riordan revealed at the ceremony that all of the proceeds of the single will go to benefit the Chernobyl Children’s Project.

“Time is Ticking Out” will be released in Ireland on February 15th.

Pictured below, from left to right, are Ali Hewson, Adi Roche, and Dolores O’Riordan from the event earlier today.

Sources: Showbiz Ireland, BBC News, Ananova, Hot Press

CranberriesItalia.it, the band’s official Italian website reports that The Cranberries have been confirmed to play at the Festival di San Remo in Italy. Though the official site has yet to list the brand new date, the band will be playing on the final night of the festival on March 9th.

Source: CranberriesItalia.it

April’s release of the lavish boxed set consisting of the band’s first four albums hasn’t jeopardized the release of a “greatest hits” compilation later this year, according to a statement by Universal Canada.

In a statement released today by Universal Canada, the company confirmed that the band’s plans for a Greatest Hits disc later this year are still intact. Also included in the brief comment is a reference to “bonus tracks” and “new versions” of songs for the April boxed set release. “The Cranberries issued a press release on January 14th explaining their plans for 2002, which include: a catalogue re-issue planned for March 2002, including bonus tracks, new versions etc.,” said the post, “and in the fall of 2002 they’re planning on releasing a greatest hits package. Stay tuned for more information.” The “fall 2002” timeframe is slightly ahead of the “November-December” timeframe given earlier.

Check back soon for more information on the upcoming boxed set and greatest hits releases!

Source: Universal Canada

According to several radio-related sources, there’s a good reason why “Time is Ticking Out” has gotten no airplay in the United States — it hasn’t been given to radio stations yet. Though MCA Records has sent out a few select “Time is Ticking Out” promo CDs, the track is not officially “available for adds” until March 18th.

In related news, Canadian music channel MuchMoreMusic has confirmed that they have received the video for “TITO” from MCA, but the station has yet to include it into their regular rotation. Expect to see it debut on the channel as early as next week.

Thanks to Electric Blue and Vance for the info.

Source: Exclusive

Zombieguide has received some clarification regarding the “TITO” Remix clip posted yesterday. Apparently, this may NOT be an actual “long remix.” The remix which appears on the newly-released promo CDs and singles is evidently longer than the free version posted on The Cranberries Official Webpage. The version which appears on the single does include the extra minute of vocal interlude as well as the extra vocals which appear near the end of the song. The version which is available on the official page is apparently an edit version of the remix, which will probably appear on a CD sometime in the future.

Cranberries of Prat has posted a clip of what appears to be a longer remix of “Time is Ticking Out”. Similar to the “Analyse Oceanic Remix Long Version,” the new remix includes nearly an extra minute of music after the final “beep” which was not found in the remix offered for download from the band’s official page. And what’s even better is the addition of some of Dolores O’Riordan’s tantilizing patened yodels!

“TITO Remix” (Single Version) Clip
(Zipped Real Media, 800K)
(Link no longer available)

Source: Cranberries of Prat

Below are some full-sized scans from the recently-released Spanish promo for “Time is Ticking Out.” Scans below include the cover, back cover and CD art!

Source: Cranberries of Prat

The Cranberries are among several artists on the new compilation, “Pure Alternative Live 2002.” All tracks on the compilation are live, and it even includes a very special acoustic version of Duncan Sheik’s “Barely Breathing.” The Crans contribute a live version of “Linger” to the CD’s tracklisting.

Tracklisting:
1. GorillaZ “Clint Eastwood”
2. Five for Fighting “Easy Tonight”
3. Linkin Park “One Step Closer”
4. U2 “Elevation”
5. Oasis “Wonderwall”
6. The Cranberries “Linger”
7. Eve 6 “Promise”
8. Duncan Sheik “Barely Breathing”
9. Goo Goo Dolls “Black Balloons”
10. 3 Doors Down “Be Like That”
12. Incubus “Pardon Me”
13. Vertical Horizon “You’re a God”
14. Good Charlotte “Little Things”
15. Gin Blossoms “Hey Jealousy”
16. Matchbox 20 “Last Beautiful Girl”
17. Sugar Ray “Every Morning”
18. Linkin Park “With You”

Source: Exclusive

Once again, the United Kingdom will be receiving an abbreviated version of the new single, “Time is Ticking Out.” As per UK regulations, the CD will contain the maximum three tracks, and will omit the CD-ROM-enhanced “Analyse” video included with the international version.

The tracklisting will be:

1. Time is Ticking Out (Album Version)
2. Time is Ticking Out (Marius De Vries Remix)
3. Shattered (Live at Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland, November 11, 2000)

Thanks to Yusef for the news.

Source: Exclusive

According to Ireland-based website IMRO, the single for “Time is Ticking Out” is due out on February 15th in Ireland and the UK. The single got an Italian release earlier this month and will have a scattered release schedule for the rest of the world until March.

Source: IMRO

Ireland-based IMRO is one of several news sites based in the British Isles to report that Cally will be providing new artwork for the upcoming Limited Edition Boxed Set of The Cranberries’ four albums between “Everybody Else…” and “Bury the Hatchet.” It’s a bit of a surprise, as Pink Floyd veteran Storm Thorgerson has designed all of the band’s artwork for the last three years, including “Bury the Hatchet” (which is included in the boxed set). Cally designed the band’s first three albums, and the news is a welcome one to longtime fans. The Limited Edition Boxed Set is due out worldwide on Island Def Jam Records on or about March 18, 2002 and will be accompanied by individual single-disc editions of each album.

Source: IMRO

Below is an exclusive scan of the “Time is Ticking Out” 12″ European Promo Vinyl, just issued by MCA Records. The release is no doubt an attempt to promote the remixes at the vinyl-spinning clubs throughout Europe.

Source: Exclusive

No Cranberries history is complete without the name Niall Quinn.
It began one night in late August 1989. While waiting in The Granary Nightclub, Mike and Noel met with Niall Quinn, their longtime neighbor who lived only a few hundred yards away. Niall, a drummer for his own band The Hitchers, was opening the set that night. They introduced Niall to Fergal, also a drummer. Mike, Noel, and Fergal, all three about the age of 16, were by this time looking for a singer to complete their band.

“Over the course of a pint they told me they were putting a band together, were actively looking for a singer and I guess I volunteered to give it a go. A couple of weeks later while on the way home from school a little white car screeched to halt across the road from me and out bundled the three boys to see if I was still interested,” Niall writes in a newly-written online narrative of the early days of The Cranberry Saw Us, titled “Another Story”. The story is by far the most informative resource on the previously obscure early days of the group that eventually formed The Cranberries.

He notes, “We decided on the name that day [in September] – and contrary to what I’ve read elsewhere I came up with it. Actually what I came up with was the name ‘The Cranberries’ and then suggested several variations on it. These included ‘The Cranberry Saw Us’, ‘The Cranberry Doodles’ ‘The Crandoodles’ and several more I can’t remember. Without actually voting on it we discussed them and eventually settled on ‘The Cranberry Saw Us’. I remember favoring it over ‘The Cranberries’ – which I reckoned sounded like a band a girl would be singing with – like ‘The Darling Buds’ or ‘The Sugar Cubes’. Maybe that’s why long after my departure they shortened it back to its source name – because it fitted perfectly a band fronted by a female.”

Over the next few months, the novice band practiced regularly, eventually moving into the “The Whiteroom” rehearsal room of the local record company, Xeric Records. On September 18, 1989, The Cranberry Saw Us did their first gig at the Flag Cafe in Limerick. “It was in The Flag Cafe – a little coffee shop that used be on Broad St. in Limerick that was popular with students of the nearby art college. We actually performed as a five piece that day. We’d toyed with the idea of getting in a keyboard player and a few weeks before the gig I’d convinced a mate of mine from school to give it a go,” Niall writes. Although titles such as “My Granny Drowned in a Fountain” on Lourdes” are common among the major Cranberries biographies, it was crowd-pleasers like “Sixty-Niner” that stole the band’s early live gigs.

The Cranberry Saw Us’s live gig experience only adds to the legendarily “quirkiness” of the band. Niall admits, “At this stage I was enjoying the novelty of being a frontman and wasn’t particularly concerned that my voice was at best work-a-day or that my guitar playing was simply awful. I think I premiered a quaint little ditty called ‘Sixty-Niner’ at that second show [at the Flag Cafe] too. From then on I’d usually sing it with my trousers ’round my ankles for extra dramatic effect. Though the trousers down stunt was in truth stolen wholesale from ‘They Do It With Mirrors’ frontman Kevin Brew… Maybe to compensate for my discomfort I experimented a bit. I reckoned if I’m going to feel ludicrous I may as well look ludicrous so I’d tie my hair up in pig-tails, borrow a school uniform off one of the lads girlfriends and wear that onstage. And why not?”

Early Cranberry Saw Us Gig Ad
As the end of the year approached, however, Niall was becoming concerned about the time he invested in the band. In his mind, he was firstly and primarily a drummer for The Hitchers. He wanted to be sure that his reputation would remain that way and he wouldn’t become instead “the singer for The Cranberry Saw Us.” Mike, Noel, and Fergal were also anxious to record a demo of their new mass of songs. Niall remembers, “The lads were gung ho to book a day in Xeric Studios and record a few songs. I was a bit hesitant if only for the simple reason that I couldn’t afford it. The plan was for each of us to chip in fifty quid which would be enough to get us a day. Truthfully they may as well have been asking me to chip in fifty million. I didn’t have it and had little way of raising it. In the end I managed to scrape £25 together and that was through calling in a lot of favors.”

The band booked January 7th, 1990 at Xeric Studios and recorded their first and only demo, titled “Anything,” the title being an alluding tribute to the English guitar band Ride. The art to the demo was hand-done by Noel, who ironically misspelled “Cranberry” (as “Cranbery”).

By February, however, Niall knew his resources were being strained. The Hitchers was a demanding priority, so he decided he knew he had to leave The Cranberry Saw Us. He wished them luck in finding a replacement, but his involvement in the band didn’t end here. “Outside the take away [of the Termite Club] I bumped into an ex-girlfriend of mine called Kathryn who asked how TCSU were getting on since I’d split,” recalls Niall. “I said the lads had mentioned that they were considering getting a girl and straight away Kathryn suggests a girl in her older sisters class at school. ‘Her name’s Dolores …she sings with the choir but she’s into Sinead O’Connor as well. I’ll get her phone number for you tomorrow.’ And that’s how, one Sunday afternoon, I ended up phoning a girl called Dolores — out of the blue — to see if she’d be interested in singing with my old band.” Dolores O’Riordan was interested. She arranged to meet at Xeric Studios late that spring with the band.

Niall remembers the moment Dolores opened her mouth to sing, saying, “She started playing a Sinead O’Connor song — I don’t know which one… I think it’s on ‘The Lion & The Cobra’ LP — but she was scarcely three or four lines into it by the time all our lower jawbones had hit the floor. This girl could sing — effortlessly. I think I was off the hook with Noel, Mike and Ferg by the time she finished and within a couple of minutes I’d made my excuses for dashing off, said my see ye laters and quietly slipped out the door leaving history to get on with its making.”

“The songs [they played] were not to my taste, but I saw the potential in the playing. It was easy for me because no matter what their first impressions were, the minute I opened my mouth I knew that they were going to be impressed.” -Dolores

Niall Quinn rarely does any interviews whatsoever regarding The Cranberry Saw Us, but has graciously made an exception for Zombieguide, and chatted with us earlier this today.

ZG: Zombieguide.com
NQ: Niall Quinn

ZG: First of all, thanks, Niall, for the opportunity for us to chat with you. We’ve gathered some questions from fans along with some we came up with ourselves.

ZG: Is this, then, a picture of you?

NQ: Yeah, not TCSU period though. I can date it exactly. That shot was taken on Dec 23rd 1992 — the coldest day of that year here in Ireland and just The Hitchers’ luck to have pre-booked a photo shoot for that morning. It’s like 10 below freezing or something.

ZG: The narrative that you wrote titled “Another Story” is in excruciating detail and is by far the best source of information about the early band that we’ve yet to run across. What motivated you to compose the entire story? Did you just want to set the story straight once and for all?

NQ: I guess so. I mean for the most part reports that are out there of that short era tend to be really scant on detail. I should correct something you said to a contributor to the message board the other day too. I’ve not actually seen many Cranberries fan-sites. It was a friend of mine said to me a while back, “Have you ever typed your name into a search engine on the web? There’s some really funny shit out there about you.” So I guess I was a bit intrigued. The fact that there isn’t much detail available has maybe contributed to people drawing their own conclusions about some bits of the story and filling in the gaps with those conclusions however wacky they are. So seeing as I was setting up a website for the new band I decided that maybe this was the right forum to deal with the issue. I mean, I think it’s an interesting little story — but it is a LITTLE story in the greater scheme of things — it was never going to be long enough for a book nor for that matter have I the remotest interest in writing a book about it. I don’t think either that I’m making a particularly big deal about it. It’s just my best recollection of that period and it’s even buried pretty deeply within the website. To be perfectly straight, you guys are the only people anywhere [whom] I’ve told that it’s in there because I guessed that as fans of the band it’d be attractive to you. What’s attractive about it to me is the fact that I’m the editor and I’m not going to clip quotes out of context and I’m not going to try and make it into something it aint.

ZG: The Belgian newspaper article that you described was very far from the truth… were there any other notable examples of false information about The Cranberry Saw Us that you’ve come across?

NQ: Well obviously the ‘mental institution’ story is a fairly extreme example. But there are plenty of common misconceptions out there — not just on the www but in urban myth as well. Even here in Limerick I sometimes encounter people who think I was in The Cranberries as opposed to TCSU, that I was in TCSU at the same time as Dolores, that I was the drummer, that I was the guitarist, that I was kicked out, that I was asked to leave because the boys had seen Dolores singing with another band and wanted her to join. Another common enough one is that I used sing ‘Linger,’ ’Dreams’ etc… none of which obviously were written ‘til Dolores joined. Let’s see… Oh there was a good one I heard ages ago that included a complicated romantic entanglement between myself, Dolores and one of the lads — don’t know who. All bullshit. But journalists are the worst. I’ve been asked in the past to do interviews on the basis that The Hitchers have a record out, been asked one or two questions about The Hitchers and a dozen about The Cranberries/TCSU. Now some may say that’s only to be expected. I’ve a policy these days (thankfully I don’t get asked much anyway) that pretty much excludes talking to the print media (I’ll break it for two individuals who I trust impeccably) and anything else has to be either by e-mail (where I get to keep a copy of exactly what I wrote) or has to be live broadcast. That may sound tight-assed but it restricts the amount of creative editing people can get up to. By example there was one interview that I was told I was doing for the rock column of a paper here in Ireland back in 1997 when The Hitchers first LP “It’s All Fun & Games ‘Til Someone Loses An Eye” was released. There was virtually nothing of the interview published. What they did publish was a photo and front-page banner headline something like “I Could’ve Been A Millionaire!”. At the bottom of the page in a 11⁄2” square was a footnote saying the LP was out. That’s the calibre of wankers you’re dealing with. But I’ve been in interview situations where I could see that this guy has no interest in me or The Hitchers and even when they hear the story of my involvment in TCSU you can see visible disappointment on his face because he SO wants this to be a ‘Pete Best’ story. He needs this story to be about how I narrowly missed out on “fame and fortune”, how I proverbially “lost the Winning Lottery ticket” when even a cursory glance at the facts rubbishes such nonsense.

ZG: LittleHoss asks to “Describe each of the band members for us in your own words… Do you have any funny stories about the band you’d like to share?”

NQ: Is LittleHoss a web handle or something?

ZG: No, uh, the names were changed to protect the innocent! *laugh* Yes, it’s a web handle.

NQ: The Hitchers’ bassist was a guy called Hoss Carnage — he was 6’2” though. A couple of things first — these descriptions would be how I’d remember the lads over a decade ago because, unfortunately, I rarely see them these days. Also while obviously I’d have known Dolores as the singer with The Cranberries — a fellow musician about town trying to make her way in the world — I was never as close to her as I would’ve been to the three lads. Therefore it’d be rich of me to be describing her personality when I never got to know her very well. All I would say is that on the occasions we did meet she always seemed very quiet, unassuming and friendly. Noel was the quietest of the three boys. Despite being quiet he’d a quick wit and I’d say if he were in the army he’d be singled out as leadership material early on. He has a great sense of melody and has always been a far better guitarist than I’ve ever seen him given credit for. Mike was and I dare say most likely still is the joker of the pack. I hope he’ll forgive me for saying so but he could find the funny side of a motorway pile-up. I’ve met him most recently of the lot of them — even that’s got to be a year ago. I bumped into him in a local club. He was just having a beer and a game of pool so we’d a chat. I was telling him that The Hitchers had a recent line up change as Hoss the bassist had left and we joked about him joining in Hoss’ place as The Cranberries were quiet at the time. Fergal was the most outgoing of the three. A genuinely friendly and very down to earth guy — as indeed they all are. He was always fiercely enthusiastic and a perfectionist with it. I think that actually comes across in his drumming.

ZG: Crandana asks, “Did you ever have any serious aspirations of becoming famous, or was the band strictly for fun?”

NQ: I take it the band you’re referring to is TCSU, so yeah I took it serious as a heart attack. My reasons for moving on are probably best explained in my own site. I dunno [if] has Alex posted a link to it. It’s www.geocities.com/thepennywhores/another_story.htm. The band was fun as it should be. ‘Serious aspirations of becoming famous’ wouldn’t be my way of putting it. Yeah, I’d still like to be a successful musician and writer but how do you quantify successful? What I’d ultimately like would be to be able to do this professionally and make my living from it. That is actually a lot to ask in this day and age so I’m more than prepared to accept that most of my living will have to be made elsewhere and making records is always going to be an uphill struggle and probably a cottage industry. I don’t think I’d handle ‘famous’ very well so if I could take or leave it I’d most likely leave it. ‘Fortune’ I’d be willing to try though! *laugh*

ZG: Mummbz asks, “Do you still live in Limerick or have you moved elsewhere?”

NQ: Yeah I live in Limerick these days. I lived In Cork which is 60 miles south of here from ’92-’95 as I was in Art College down there doing sculpture and print. That was hard as the band was scattered and we used have to trek home most weekends to meet up, rehearse, get drunk, chase skirt… usual lads stuff.

ZG: Mummbz also asks, “What did you think of The Cranberries at the start of their rise in popularity? At the height of their popularity? Today?”

NQ: You seem to imply their popularity has waned. Has it? Not in this part of the world. I mean, I know there was a media backlash in the UK but they set you up to blow you out of the water anyway. They still do really well over there. I was and still am delighted for them. I remember seeing them on Top of the Pops years ago and saying, “Wow, I actually know these people.” It was all very exciting. I always thought they’d [create] some really cool songs. From their early stuff I’ve always thought ‘Uncertain’ was a beautiful song. They also had a song on their first demo (after me) called ‘A Fast One’ which I still love. It’s more like a Belly song or even a Sleeper song than a Cranberries song but it’s great. I really like the title track and ‘Icicle Melts’ from ‘No Need To Argue’. More recently ‘Just my Imagination’ is a really nice tune — very Smiths.

ZG: I don’t doubt that they’re still a hot commodity in Europe, but I think in the United States things have “waned” a little bit. MTV is chock full of crap (almost more so now than before) and I haven’t seen The Cranberries on regular MTV in nearly 3 years. I can’t be bothered by it too much, but if you ask any American fan in the discussion boards, they can give you a recent “frustration” story. Well, next question… several fans have asked what you have been doing since you left the ‘Sauce. So, please, tell us a little bit about your time with The Hitchers and now the Pennywhores — or anything else you care to talk about!

NQ: Well before, during and after my time in TCSU I was I was the Drummer/chief songwriter/ occasional singer with The Hitchers and we actually only broke up last year. We released two LP CDs in the UK and Ireland, ‘It’s All Fun & Games ‘Til Someone Loses An Eye’ (1997) and ‘For the Want of Some Better TV’ (1999). We just released our farewell EP single ‘She Broke My Heart So I Ate Her Liver’ on Dec 30th last [year]. I’ll be posting The Hitchers’ new site in the next few days so I’ll send the URL when it’s up and running. Actually I know the URL already it’s www.thehitchers.com. That’d be the best way to find out about The Hitchers because otherwise there’s just too much to tell. My new band The Pennywhores haven’t played live yet but it’s going to be my first time fronting a band since TCSU. Check out the site and have a listen to a tune or two. I’ve done about a dozen solo shows in the last year so I’m looking forward to doing more of that too.

ZG: Why the name Pennywhores? It’s very, um, unique!

NQ: It’s a lyric from a song called ‘Rachael’ by Bostons finest -‘Buffalo Tom’ from their LP ‘Smitten’. It goes “Rachael tell me what you’re waiting for? / Rachael aren’t you just a penny whore?”

ZG: LittleHoss asks, “Your lyrics to early material have been described as ‘quirky’. How do you respond to that?”

NQ: Well they probably were/are quirky — if quirky means unusual and uncommon way of putting an idea across. Unfortunately there are those who attach to quirky — insincere, lacking gravitas and therefore irrelevant. But it wasn’t just TCSU that affected. It clung to The Hitchers the whole way through our career. At the same time I was in TCSU, The Hitchers would’ve been selling demos of ‘The Streaking Chicken From Mercury Who Exposed Himself To Everything EP.’ Now there was a song on that called ‘Which Leg of A Chicken is More Tender?’ and we got pigeon holed by people who’s attitude would be, “Oh you guys sing songs with titles like ‘Which Leg of A Chicken is More Tender?’ therefore you’re wacky, you’re not earnest, You’re a comedy band, you don’t take this seriously, therefore we’re not going to take you seriously — in fact we’re going to ignore you ‘til you go away.” Despite the fact that if they’d bother to listen they’d find that ‘Which Leg of A Chicken is More Tender?’ is about something very real. It’s about as far into love song territory as I go and it is very sincere. But I always have and always will blame pop music for that narrow-mindedness. It makes people extremely conservative — for all the bullshit pop acts spout about ‘free your mind,’ ‘express yourself,’ ‘hurray for everything’. Pop music is very much the pre-school of conservatism (Academy status is still held by TV) and the message that I believe it constantly rams home to kids is keep your head down, be one of the gang, don’t make waves, don’t try to be different! If you DO try to be different YOU WILL BE PUNISHED psychologically, emotionally, socially and financially all your life. Now… that’s my anti-pop/anti-tv rant out of the way for today.

ZG: Yeah, I’d have to agree with that in a lot of ways. Several fans have asked, “Do you still keep in touch with ‘the lads’ ?”

NQ: Like I said earlier I rarely see them these days, which is a pity. On the rare occasion that I would bump into them while out for a beer, to be honest I feel a little awkward because I’m guessing they’re not in town for long and are catching up with family and loved ones of their own and I’d feel a bit bad about cramping their time. I’d always say hi and have a quick chat but I wouldn’t swarm round them or anything. I would love to meet up with them for a few beers sometime though. The most recent contact was nice. Noel signed in to The Pennywhores guestbook the other day with some words of encouragment for us.

ZG: Out of the three guys, which do you think had the best musical talent at the time?

NQ: Ah that’s easy — Fergal. He was a sublime drummer even back then — always knew when to hang back, when to wade in, how much pressure to apply when and where… he had it all from very early on in his drumming career. Noel and Mike had to put up with an amount of bullshit about their playing ability, much of which came from jealous blues-men. I can relate to it because The Hitchers had to listen to an awful lot of the same nonsense about our playing abilities for a different set of reasons. Back then Limerick had a plethora of blues and hard rock bands. Several featured lads who’d dress like Megadeth for a photoshoot but when you’d go see them they’d scarcely be as heavy as Bryan Adams. The blues brigade were often as bad – -and I should know, I served my drumming apprenticeship with one of the better outfits. But, to these guys a band like The Cranberries were easy meat because they kept their musical arrangements minimal, as were The Hitchers, because all our songs were power-chord bashing three chord tricks.

ZG: Why Cranberry? You wrote that it was something you came up with in Fergal’s back yard, but didn’t say quite where it came from. Just a random thought?

NQ: Yeah pretty much. There’s no big story behind the names origin.

ZG: I’ve read in several publications that the guitar chords to “Linger” were originally used in a very different Cranberry Saw Us song. Can you verify this, and if so, give some more information?

NQ: I’ve heard this said before too and if it’s so I only wish they’d used more of it as it would‘ve entitled me to a bite of a very sweet plum indeed. There’s only one song that matches the chord pattern or sequence and that’s “My Granny Drowned in a Fountain at Lourdes” — which we used play in the key of A. The sequence was A-E-G-D. Now if you modulate A-E-G-D to play it in the key of D it becomes D-A-C-G, which happens to be the chord sequence of ‘Linger’. It’d be pretty unreasonable of me to go trying to copyright a chord sequence though -particularly as there’s only 13 notes on a scale. So the upshot of it all is — it looks like I still have to go to work tomorrow. Oh well. *laugh*

ZG: Do you remember any verbal or written critiques of “Anything”? Did you sell very many copies?

NQ: I can’t remember any though I was saying in my own sites piece that The (now defunct) Limerick Tribune published a picture so I’m guessing they must have said something about the demo. I don’t remember anything bad being said about it so it must’ve been okay. I haven’t a clue how many it sold. I’d guess we’re talking dozens. Very low dozens. Possibly a bakers dozen.

ZG: Yeesh! And I thought getting my hands on a copy of “Nothing Left At All” would be hard! Did Noel have to design all of the covers of “Anything” one- by-one? Or were they photocopied or… ?

NQ: Not at all. Noel drew the cover with some markers, brought it down to me to type the inlay, I either bottled pointing out that he mis-spelled Cranberry or maybe I did point it out and he rationalized it away! Then again my typing isn’t going to score me a whole lot of secretarial work either is it ? What I think is quite funny is where I’d typed in a retail price of £2.00 and Noel changed it to £2.50 with a pen! The sleeves are color photocopies.

ZG: If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you? Would you do anything differently?

NQ: Would I do it again? Yeah why not? I had a lot of fun with the lads and I learnt a lot. I made some use of what I learned too. Only eighteen months after I finished my TCSU stint my own band The Hitchers found themselves singerless. Had I not had that TCSU experience I’d probably have been favorite to step into the job and would most likely have dived headlong into a job I was not cut out for. Would I do anything differently? What would be the point in doing anything differently? Where’s the percentage in it? It’d create an all ‘round no win situation. Examine it a little. Let’s just say I didn’t leave TCSU in late Feb/early March 1990. What happens? Me and the lads limp on for a couple of years, sheer determination would probably get us a record of some sort out by late 92 and we’d probably split amicably but disenchanted by early ’94. That’s if the lads hadn’t gotten tired of me splitting myself between two bands and booted me out by Christmas 1990. So what’s changed. I’m still not in TCSU anymore and I still haven’t made my fortune from rock ’n’ roll. So there’s no material benefit for me to gain by going back in time and staying in the band. The only thing that has changed now is that Noel, Mike and Ferg (and Dolores) are in the same position as me. They’ve never heard of Dolores O’Riordan nor she of them. Dreams, Linger, Island Records, Stephen Street, the LPs, Woodstock II… none of it ever happened. That’d be a shame. I don’t believe in pre-ordination or pre- destination, I don’t believe in God so I can’t believe he maps out paths through life for any of us. I don’t believe in fate or destiny. But when I examine the alternative ways the dice could’ve fallen I can only conclude that it was for the best that my path and the lads path parted when and where they did.

ZG: Once again, thanks so very much for your time and effort…. perhaps we’ll be seeing you sometime in the future at Zombieguide?

NQ: No Problem

According to Solidarité Sida, The Cranberries and Garbage will be headlining the annual “Le Festival Solidays” at the Hippodrome de Longchamps in Paris. The event takes place on July 5th and 6th of this year and is in its fourth year of running.

However, the news should be taken cautiously until it is officially confirmed. Two years ago for the 2000 Festival, Solidarité Sida advertised a billing that included The Corrs as the featured artist. However, The Corrs never performed, and it was speculated that the announcement was merely an attempt to boost ticket sales.

Thanks to Stephane from Paris for the news.

Source: Exclusive

The new Cranberries single “Time is Ticking Out” made the highest debut this week on the definitive Spanish radio chart Los 40 Principales. “TITO” entered the charts at #15, a decent entry by the standards, and will no doubt move its way up. For reference, “Analyse” was also the highest-charter for its debut week, and eventually moved its way up to the #1 position.

In other chart news, the video for “Time is Ticking Out” is also doing equally well in Europe. The video currently stands at #2 on the MTV Italy Select chart, coming in second to Linkin Park’s “In the End”. The video is also appearing daily on MTV Italy’s Total Request Live.

Thanks to Electric Blue and Merry for the news.

According to ShowbizIreland.com, The Cranberries are among several artists expected to play at this year’s Meteor Music Awards. The Berries will be joining U2, Westlife, The Corrs, and Samantha Mumba at the final awards ceremony in Dublin this coming March.

Irish comic Patrick Kielty recently officially kicked off the awards at a ceremony in Dublin and is expected to be hosting the final awards show. This year’s Meteor Music Awards will be held at the Dublin Point Theatre on March 4th and will be broadcasted on Irish TV. Over 1,000 tickets will be available for this year’s event, and will be available to record companies and private corporations. Proceeds from the sales will benefit charities associated with the awards.

Source: ShowbizIreland.com

MCA Records has released a new promo CD for North America, a sampler of the rock tracks found on “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”. The disc includes a radio edit of the disc’s title track, which has not been released on any other previous disc.

1. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee (Radio Edit) (3:42)
2. This is the Day (4:15)
3. Time Is Ticking Out (2:59)

In other new promo release news, MCA has released a 12″ promo of “Time is Ticking Out (Marius De Vries Remix)” which includes the normal remix as well as a previously-unreleased “Instrumental Mix” on Side B.

Side A
1. Time is Ticking Out (Marius De Vries Remix)

Side B
2. Time is Ticking Out (Marius De Vries Instrumental Mix)

Source: Exclusive

Earlier tonight, Dolores O’Riordan was on stage at the prestigious NRJ Music Awards 2002 in Cannes, France to present the award for “Best Song of the Year”. Dolores, on stage with French-Canadian singer Garou, presented the award to Geri Halliwell. Dolores demonstrated a bit of her francophone, ending with her oft-used humble phrase, “My French… comme ci comme ça, français de l’école (My French… it’s average, school French).” The Cranberries were nominated for “Best International Group” (along with U2, Daft Punk, and Depeche Mode), but Destiny’s Child took home the award.

The Cranberries were invited to kick off the Midem Music Conference earlier in the day with a private gig at Cannes’ The Palm Beach. Only five pairs of tickets were given away through NRJ radio (with an insultingly easy contest: Find The Cranberries among a mix of Madonna and The Corrs songs), which made it a very private concert indeed.

Thanks to Uriel de Santiago Martinez for the news.

Source: Exclusive

Cell phone company Movistar Activa has begun promoting their upcoming Spanish music festivals, for which the Cranberries headline. Tickets have been on sale for several weeks for the multiple Spanish dates in March, as they have for other dates throughout Europe. Check out the poster below to promote the upcoming festivals, which will also be featuring Weezer and Dover.

Sources: Cranberries of Prat, CranClub

European TV station VIVA will be broadcasting The Cranberries’ Hamburg, Germany performance from April 16, 1999, this weekend to its European audience. The broadcast will be on Saturday from 18:00 to 19:90 (local time). If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out — it’s a good one!

Source: Cranberriesitalia.it

The Cranberries’ classic MTV Unplugged performance will be re-aired this weekend in its entirety on MTV Europe as part of its “Unplugged Weekend” special. The performance was recorded on February 14, 1995 in Brooklyn, NY, with a small string orchestra and includes the one-time performance of “Yesterday’s Gone”. Those of you on the giant peninsula with MTV Europe can look for it tomorrow (Saturday) at 13:00 CET.

Thanks to redgil for the tip.

Yesterday, Universal Music released this press statement, outlining The Cranberries’s plans for 2002. The band will be releasing special collector’s editions of each album, along with a boxed set in March, and will be touring the US beginning in May.

BAND TO START 2002 WORLD TOUR AND RE-RELEASE BACK CATALOGUE IN FIRST HALF OF YEAR

 

Santa Monica, California, January 14, 2002 – MCA Recording artists, The Cranberries, announced today their initial schedule for the first half of 2002.

 

The Cranberries have just confirmed the first dates of their “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” World Tour through April 2002.; The band will embark on their first routing since the band’s “Bury The Hatchet” tour ended in July 2000, after 110 dates, with the announcement of singer and front-woman Dolores O’Riordan’s second pregnancy.; The group will tour throughout 2002.

 

The band also confirmed today the release date of their back catalogue which is being released world-wide by Universal Music’s Island Def Jam label on March 18, 2002.; The 4 CD set is being sold in a Limited-Edition Boxed Set format and in individual CD formats.; The packages include new artwork plus studio B-sides and other material recorded during each album’s creation.; Island Def Jam is releasing the set in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary; of the band’s debut album release, 1992’s “Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We?”

 

“We have had a great year” stated O’Riordan.; “Noel, Mike and I added beautiful children to our families last year.; I also turned 30 in September and we had a great time travelling around the world playing our new music to our fans.; We are all really excited about the tour kicking off this year in Copenhagen, a city we haven’t visited since we started our careers! We intend to visit many new countries this year – including Latin America (a part of the world we have not been to), Asia and America.”

 

The tour kicks off February 17th in Copenhagen, Denmark (see below for dates) making stops throughout Europe at a variety of venues ranging in size from 1,500 to 15,000 seats.; The Cranberries will head to America to tour in early May.

 

“Time is Ticking Out,” the second single and video taken from the band’s platinum plus album, which has already sold 1.3 million copies (and been certified gold/platinum in a dozen countries world-wide since it was released late last year) is being released at different times over the next two months (check local listings for exact dates).

 

“Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” was produced by Stephen Street and features the first single and video, “Analyse” which was a top 10 hit single around the world.

 

Following is a list of dates for the first leg of the “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” World Tour:

 

Feb 17th Copenhagen, Denmark; Vega
Feb 19th Stockholm, Sweden Arena
Feb 21st Berlin, Germany Columbiahalle
Feb 22nd Dusseldorf, Germany Philipshalle
Feb 24th Vienna, Austria Bank Austria Halle
Feb 26th Geneva, Switzerland Geneva; Arena
Feb 27th Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion
Mar 10th Bologna, Italy Palamalaguti
Mar 11th Toulon, France Zenith
Mar 13th Madrid, Spain Palacio Vista Alegre
Mar 15th Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi
Mar 16th San Sebastian, Spain Velodromo Anoeta
Mar 18th Lille, France Zenith
Mar 28th Brussels, Belgium Forest National
Mar 29th Amsterdam, Netherlands Heineken Music Hall
Mar 31st Frankfurt, Germany Jahrhunderthalle
Apr 2nd Amneville, France Galaxie
Apr 3rd Stuttgart, Germany Liederhalle Beethovensaal
Apr 5th Milan, Italy Filaforum
Apr 6th Lyon, France Halle Tony Garnier
Apr 8th Paris, France Bercy
Apr 9th Bourges, France Festival
Apr 19th Oslo, Norway Rockefeller Music Hall
Apr 21st Hamburg, Germany Alsterdorfer Sporthalle
Apr 23rd Prague, Czech Republic Paegus Arena
Apr 25th Katowice, Poland Spodek Arena
Apr 27th Munich, Germany Colosseum
Apr 29th Montepellier, France Zenith

The band are currently rehearsing in Ireland and will perform this weekend at a private gig for NRJ Radio listeners in Cannes, France to kickoff Midem 2002 the music industry’s biggest event. This will be Noel’s first live gig with the band since November 2000.

Source: Cranberries Official Website

Following Saturday’s airing of “Música Sí”, Universal Spain has been notified of the video manipulation and may soon be pressing some form of charges against the show.

Laura Ceballos, representative for the group in Spain, was not originally aware of the incident. However, both she and Universal Spain have been notified and are currently investigating. Universal Spain is currently awaiting a VHS copy of the show from the president of the Spanish Fanclub and will intervene after it has been reviewed by the company.

Source: Cranberries of Prat

The 4-song performance recorded in late November for the Spanish music show Música Sí will be airing tomorrow morning. The band performed four songs for the show: “Analyse”, “Zombie”, “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”, and “Time is Ticking Out”. “Analyse” was aired previously in December, which may exclude it from a second broadcast. For the record, this is currently the only documented live performance of “Wake Up” thus far. The show will be broadcasted tomorrow at 11:15 AM on the Spanish network TVE1.

Thanks to Jesus Castillo for the info.

Official Italian Cranberries webpage Cranberriesitalia.ithas posted six downloadable Real Video clips from Dolores’s performance for Pope John Paul II on December 15th. The clips include soundcheck clips, meet & greet with fans, and actual performance footage. The site promises to have more photos up in the coming days, as well as Dolores’s answers to questions by Italian fans. Here are the links to the downloads… (All links no longer available)

“Little Drummer Boy” Soundcheck w/ Westlife
“Little Drummer Boy” Soundcheck 2 w/ Westlife
“Panis Angelicus” Soundcheck
“Little Drummer Boy” Performance w/ Westlife
Dolores Meet & Greet w/ Fans
Contest Winner Andrea Nannelli Proudly Displays His Autographed Guitar

Source: Cranberriesitalia.it

With the release of “Time is Ticking Out” a mere few days away, we finally get our first glimpse of the single’s cover from The Cranberries Official Website. The cover depicts a globe-painted egg, about to drop rapidly to its doom — which links in very well with the song’s theme. The site notes that the official street date for the single is January 14th for Europe.

Source: Cranberries Official Website

Spanish television channel TVE1 aired the newest episode of “Música Sí” earlier today, which included The Cranberries’ four-song mini-concered, recorded in a frictional session in late November. In an attempt to cover their own asses, the show manipulated much of the video, putting the band in a very degrading, humiliating, and indignant position.

They originally recorded the songs in this order:

1. Analyse
2. Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
3. Zombie
4. Time Is Ticking Out

During “Zombie” Dolores and the director had a harsh exchange of words, which you can read about here (Link no longer available), if you haven’t already. The show instead changed the order of the songs, putting in the following:

1. Analyse
2. Time Is Ticking Out
3. Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
4. Zombie

At the beginning of “Zombie” Dolores said, “This next song is Zombie.” It was properly translated at the bottom of the screen. “Zombie” was never finished. Halfway through the song, an understandably irritated Dolores dropped the lyrics and said, “The sound is crappy, I can’t sing like this.” However, the subtitles deceptively read, “I’m stressed and I can’t sing.”

To make matters worse, in the break before “Zombie”, the show substitued in falsified clips that were recorded after the show. “The interviewer said that Dolores had told her during the spots that her voice was terribly bad and that she didn’t know whether she would be able to sing,” says Jesus Castillo, one Spanish fan who was able to watch the show. “They have followed a line of argumentation completely false to save their image by manipulating what actually happened. Dolores was very serious, angry, uninterested and she commited a HUGE mistake singing WUASTC. In TITO, she didn’t sing ‘we’ in the chorus . She said, ‘… don’t know, for me love is all’. In Zombie she skipped many parts. If you don’t know what has happened, you lose all the respect for the band BECAUSE Dolores seems really silly.”

Spanish fansite Cranberries of Prat has plans to begin a petition to send to “Música Sí” in hopes of a public apology from the show. In the meantime, they also plan to have an MP3 of the audience-recorded argument between Dolores and the director within the coming days, so that the situation can be made known first-hand to fans.

And perhaps the biggest insult of them all is that this situation isn’t exactly new. The band experienced similar mistreatment when they recorded for “Música Sí” in early 1999, where it was reported that the audience filler at times boo’ed The Cranberries on stage.

Thanks to Jesus Castillo for the info.

The newest issue of the Brazilian magazine “Dynamite” features Dolores & Co. on its cover, as well as an in-depth article within its pages. Check out the cover of the issue below.

Source: Cranberries Tape Trader

“Time Is Ticking Out”, the second single from “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” has been given a Canadian release date of Tuesday, January 29, 2002. The four-track version will be seeing its Canadian release two weeks after its international counterpart. A US release is not expected.

Source: Cranberries Tape Trader

A representative for The Cranberries has informed Zombieguide.com earlier this week that the band is currently deep into rehearsals, preparing for the upcoming “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” 2002 World Tour. The tour will kick off in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 17th and then will cover the rest of Europe, later heading to other global locales, including North America, South America, and Asia. The band began rehearsals for the new line of shows as early as November.

The band is currently at home, practicing at their mythical “red brick barn” (sometimes dubbed “Cranberries Headquarters”), which is located outside their hometown of Limerick. “Shhh!” Dolores once told Q Magazine, “It’s supposed to be a hay barn. That’s what the neighboring farmers think, anyway… Just say it’s somewhere between Limerick and Cork.” The magazine complied, washing their hands free of any blood, saying, “…the rest of the band who, for the sake of any Irish famers who happen to be reading, are here solely to make hay.”

The Cranberries have good reason to practice. As the band told Navegalia.com in late November, “We expect to really surprise the public. We’ve been rehearsing for three weeks and we’ve decided to include alot of old songs because it’s been awhile since we’ve played them and we want to bring them back.”

What kind of “surprises” will eager fans be treated to on the next tour? We’ll find out soon enough when the “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” worldwide tour kicks off next month.

Wanna check out rehearsal photos from inside “Cranberries Headquarters”? Check out Zombieguide Europe’s screen captures from the “Beneath the Skin” DVD

Source: Exclusive