High profile anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan has written an editorial centered around The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” posted on the site Buzzflash.

In it, Sheehan reveals that she happened to be listening to the song on the day her son was killed in Iraq (April 4, 2004):

On the way home from Los Angeles yesterday, my daughter Carly and I stopped in a store on the Grapevine to purchase some CDs for the longish drive (6 hours). One of the CDs we bought was a greatest hits album by The Cranberries.

It’s not me, it’s not my family: One of the songs is the above song, Zombie. The Cranberries were an Irish group that took on social issues such as violence and drug addiction: serious problems in all societies, but especially their society in the 1990s. We were listening to the CD and after Zombie, I looked at Carly and she was wiping tears oof her face. She said: “How can you listen to that song? You listened to it the day Casey was killed while you were cleaning the house.”

You can read the whole thing here or after the jump…

Billboard reports that electronic artist Girl Talk (alias Gregg Gillis) debuted a mash-up of The Cranberries’ “Dreams” and Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” on Saturday at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Festival.

Billboard said that the mix was “among the most crowd-pleasing combos.”

Other mash-ups in Girl Talk’s setlist included Tag Team’s “Whoomp! There It Is” and Big Country’s “In a Big Country,” Kelis’ “Milkshake” with Guns N’ Roses’ cover of Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog,” and Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” with Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”

Dolores O’Riordan’s performance and interview from last week on Ireland’s “Late Late Show” is now posted on the RTE website.

Dolores O’Riordan is an icon of modern music. As lead singer of The Cranberries she has sold a massive 45 million records. Tonight on The Late Late Show Dolores launched her solo career and her debut solo album “Are You Listening?” Dolores performed her new single “Ordinary Day” and spoke to Pat about fame at a young age, performing for two popes and a whole lot more besides.

The clip is pretty long at 17 minutes, and includes some great interview bits, including Dolores describing the time when she got to sit on Luciano Pavarotti’s lap a la Santa Clause.

Strona Cranberries has put up a short clip from Polish news program Teleexpress of Dolores O’Riordan arriving at the Warsaw airport on Monday. Dolores is in Poland this week to do promo for Are You Listening?

[LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

Gibraltar-based band Breed 77 will be releasing a “Latino metal” cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” as a bonus track for the digital download of their new album Look at Me Now, to be released on April 23.

According to the UK’s FAME Magazine, who have heard the cover…

Look At Me Now is released April 23, and on the digital bundle contains a never heard before “Latino-metal” version of the Cranberries classic hit, Zombie, which is totally out of this world. Usually a track of this calibre should have a label stating, “Do Not Cover”, placed upon it, but Breed 77 has produced a track, up there with the original itself.

Dolores O’Riordan’s upcoming single is the subject of one of the Q&A’s on the radio-tracking Billboard website.

Don’t worry about Billboard’s response about the radio single — a Sanctuary representative told Zombieguide that the reason U.S. radio stations haven’t started playing the song is because they haven’t gotten the advance CD yet. U.S. stations will start getting advance singles for the song this week.

More interestingly, Billboard has included all the up-to-date sales figures for The Cranberries’ releases in the U.S.

Keith,
I just read that Cranberries’ singer Dolores O’Riordan will be releasing her first solo album on May 15 in North America. I heard the first single on her MySpace page and it is really great. I was wondering what you think her chances of having any success in North America are?

Also, how many albums have the Cranberries sold in the U.S.? Thanks so much!

Ryan Gibson Toronto

Hi Ryan,

Indeed, Dolores O’Riordan’s solo debut, “Are You Listening?,” will arrive in the U.S. on May 15 through Sanctuary Records. In Europe it streets on May 7 while Japan and Australia get the album on May 12.

The set was written and recorded over the past four years and is led by the first single, “Ordinary Day.” The song, written about the birth of her third child, has yet to impact U.S. radio. For the week ending March 19, no

monitored American stations had played the song. What are the album’s chances for success? Well, not having radio play your song is a bit worrisome. Though, there is still a sizable gap of time between now and when the album arrives, so things could brighten up for the single.

The Cranberries’ last studio album, 2001’s “Wake Up and Smell the Coee,” has sold 170,000 in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. In 2002, the band also released “Stars – The Best of 1992-2002.” It has sold 322,000 in America.

The group is best known for its numerous early and mid-’90s hits like “Dreams,” “Linger” and “Zombie.” Those three tunes all made the top 20 on Billboard’s Alternative/Modern Rock chart while the act also scored five more top 20 hits. The Cranberries’ best selling album is 1994’s “No Need To Argue,” which has sold 4.1 million in the U.S. The previous year’s set, “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?” has shifted 3.2 million. 1996’s “To The Faithful Departed” has sold 1.7 million while 1999’s “Bury The Hatchet” has moved 377,000.

The Cranberries’ “Daodil Lament” is once again being used in TV commercials to promote Daffodil Day 2007, which is tomorrow, March 23rd in Ireland. The Irish Cancer Society began the event to raise both funds and awareness for cancer research.

The Irish Cancer Society is asking Irish residents to wear or buy a daffodil tomorrow in support of cancer research.

We have the TV commercial below, thanks to Stephen and courtesy of The Irish Cancer Society.

(VIDEO NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

The Cranberries have supported Daodil Day in Ireland in the past by donating an autographed lithograph for auction. “Daffodil Lament” also appeared in Daffodil Day TV adverts in Australia in 2003.

Actor Ed Helms, who plays the hilariously annoying Andy Bernard on NBC’s hit comedy “The Office,” explained in an interview for Creative Loafing how he ended up annoying the bejesus out of his co-workers by singing The Cranberries’ “Zombie” on the episode called “The Return” this season:

Some of the funniest moments happen when the characters sing, or try to sing. Are the songs decided in advance?

Mostly, but a few of them are improvised. There’s an episode when Andy’s singing at his desk, off in his own world and annoying Jim, and there was some song written in the script, but we thought, “There’s got to be a more annoying song than this one.” We talked for a while and ended up with the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” because it has that voice cracking on “In your he-ead.” Also, there was an earlier episode when Andy and Jim stay up late getting drunk in the Stamford office, and Andy was half-passed out on the floor singing songs from his a cappella group from college. We had one Indigo Girls song in the script, but Jim wanted to harmonize, so we did “Closer to Fine” instead.

This week’s Sunday Independent in Ireland published a list of the Top 10 Richest Entertainers in Ireland. The Cranberries are #8 on the list, worth an estimated €56 million. The Sunday Independent writes, “THE band’s 1993 album, Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? remains Ireland’s best- selling album after U2’s The Joshua Tree. Their music continues to feature regularly in films, a big earner.”

In case you’re curious, here’s the full Top 10:

1. U2, €800m
2. MICHAEL FLATLEY, €580m
3. MOYA DOHERTY and JOHN McCOLGAN, €165m
4. ENYA, €127m
5. VAN MORRISON, €68m
6. CHRIS de BURGH, €57m
7. THE CRANBERRIES, €56m
8. GRAHAM NORTON, €37m
9. COLIN FARRELL, €32m
10. WESTLIFE, €30m

The Cranberries have not one, not two, but three songs on iTunes’ special “The List: 22 Songs by Irish Rockers” playlist in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. U2, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy also weigh in with three tracks each. The special playlist is currently featured on the front page of the iTunes Music Store with a jumbo button —click here to go straight to the compilation. Here’s the rundown:

1. Gloria, Van Morrison with Them
2. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Live 1983), U2
3. The Boys Are Back in Town, Thin Lizzy
4. Dreams, The Cranberries
5. Dirty Old Town, Pogues
6. I Don’t Like Mondays, The Boomtown Rats
7. Mandinka, Sinead O’Connor
8. Still Got the Blues (Full Version), Gary Moore
9. Cowboy Song, Thin Lizzy
10. Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
11. New Year’s Day, U2
12. Don’t Go, Hothouse Flowers
13. Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O’Connor
14. Linger, The Cranberries
15. Bad Penny, Rory Gallagher
16. Wild Night, Van Morrison
17. Drunken Lullabies, Flogging Molly
18. Jailbreak, Thin Lizzy
19. Zombie, The Cranberries
20. Where the Streets Have No Name (New Edit U218), U2
21. Only Shallow, My Bloody Valentine
22. Suspect Device, Stiff Little Fingers

On April 3rd, Universal Music will be reissuing “The Cranberries: Millennium Collection” in the United States in a new biodegradable sleeve rather than the usual jewel case. The jewel case version is still “in print” in the catalog, but may be pulled soon. Click here to download a PDF sellsheet about the new campaign. Of course, that’s just fancy speak to say that you’ll be getting less for your money — the liner notes are now online only at http://www.ilovethatsong.com/green/

(more…)

It’s a sad day for Bury the Hatchet fans in the US — all versions of the album have been pulled from Universal Music Distribution’s catalog of active items. In other words, no new copies of the album are being printed and stores will not be able to purchase new stock.

The Cranberries’ first three albums (Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, No Need to Argue, and To the Faithful Departed) are still in print in their Complete Sessions versions with extra B-sides. Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is also still available.

Similarly, The Cranberries’ Treasure Box boxed set of the first four albums has also now gone out of print.

In an interview with bassist Marco Menodza in the El Universal (Mexico) newspaper, the Whitesnake bassist reveals that he played on parts of The Cranberries’ last album Wake Up and Smell The Coffee without being credited for it.

Mendoza filled in on an unspecified number of tracks for Mike Hogan, who was attending to a “severe crisis” during the recording sessions.

While Mendoza did not become the “5th” member of The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan told him clearly at the time: “I want you with me in the future,” and thus recruited him as bassist for her solo album. According to the article, Mendoza recorded 22 songs with Dolores.

“Dolores has matured, now she is mother of three children, and that new stage is reflected in the compositions, much more critical, but still with that political line of The Cranberries,” he said.

He affirmed that Dolores has a strong affinity for Latin America, especially Mexico, and that she will try to include Mexico on her upcoming North American tour.

Mendoza was an old friend of Dolores O’Riordan’s husband, Don Burton.

Thanks to Juanberries for the news.

The “Cent Pour Cent” special on The Cranberries will re-air on France’s M6 Music Rock on March 14th at 14h and 20h. This is a half-hour segment of The Cranberries’ music videos.

Dolores O’Riordan will record a new interview for the M6 Music Rock channel tomorrow — see the news below for more details.

Thanks to kaixo2222 for the news.

Happy birthday to Fergal Lawler — he turns 36 today!
Hope you have a good one, and best of luck with all your current personal pursuits.

Universal Music is releasing another budget-priced “greatest hits” collection for The Cranberries in the UK, this time a DVD title called The Cranberries: The Videos, which will be part of their Gold Collection series.

The disc will release on March 5, 2007. You can preorder at Amazon UK. The MSRP is £7.99 (about $16 US) and will contain the following videos:

1. Ode To My Family [USA Radio Version]
2. Salvation
3. Just My Imagination
4. Animal Instinct 5. Dreams
6. Promises
7. Zombie
8. I Can’t Be With You
9. Free To Decide
10. Linger
11. Ridiculous Thoughts
12. When You’re Gone
13. You and Me
14. Analyse [Original Version]
15. Time Is Ticking Out
16. Stars

Thanks to many for the tip.

Philadelphia’s The Intelligencer newspaper mentioned The Cranberries in a January 17 article called “Resurrecting the hits of the â€TM90s,” saying that the band — along with Counting Crows, Savage Garden, Semisonic, and R.E.M. — are among the most prolific hit-makers of the last decade. Here’s what they had to say:

Along similar lines, still haunting the airwaves, with Dolores O’Riordan’s unique smooth vocals, is The Cranberries.

The Britain based group [sic] is most often represented with its platinum hit “Linger” (Do you have to let it linger?), “Zombie” (Another heads hangs lowly, child is slowly taken/ and the violence caused such silence/ who are we mistaken?) and “Ode to My Family” (Understand the things I say/ dont turn away from me/ cause I spent half my life out there/ you wouldnt disagree).

You can read the whole thing at phillyBurbs.com

The attempt by the Heart FM media group to win Limerick’s 10-year radio license, currently held by Live 95, has failed, as the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland announced last Monday that it would award a renewal to Live 95’s license.

The Heart FM group was funded in part by Cranberries members Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler, among others. Mike Hogan was poised to become a director for the new radio station if it was approved.

Thanks to Thomas for the news.

Niall Quinn today emailed us a very rare piece of memorabilia indeed — an August 1990 Night Times newspaper interview to promote Water Circle, The Cranberries’ first demo tape released in 1990. You’ll recall that Niall Quinn was the lead singer for The Cranberry Saw Us, the precursor to The Cranberries. Niall writes, “I was doing some archiving of my own at the weekend and came across it.”

The interview is one of the earliest (if not the earliest) known Cranberries interviews to survive. In it, Noel Hogan talks about the trouble the band went through to recruit a new singer after Quinn left to concentrate on his other band The Hitchers:

When Niall announced that he was leaving the rest of us decided straight away that we wanted to continue. He introduced us to someone who was interested but in singing but the guy messed us around and we ended up auditioning a fella called Alan who was heavily into the doomier side of The Cure. He wanted to drown all the songs in feedback and distortion, which isn’t us at all. The only good thing is that it made us realize that we need a soft, gentle voice because we’re not that heavy. That’s when we decided to advertise in Xeric [Studios] for a girl and we struck lucky straight away.

The girl who responded to that ad, of course, was Dolores O’Riordan.

We brought Niall in to sing her some of the old songs and she seemed to like them. Then she did a Sinead O’Connor number and we were all stunned, so we said, ‘Great, let’s give it a go!’

Niall says that the interviewer was probably Stuart Clark, who is now an editor for Hot Press, Ireland’s largest entertainment magazine.

Niall writes that he may also have a video of The Cranberries broadcasted on Irish TV in June 1990: “I know thereâ€TMs also a VHS cassette in my parents house that I have to get my hands on — it contains amongst other (hitchers) stuff — a very brief glimpse of The Cranberries, They Do It With Mirrors and The Hitchers all busking together (Iâ€TMm not kidding –there was about ten of us!!!). Thatâ€TMd be dated about July 1990 and was broadcast on an Irish TV show called PuirÃnÃthat Autumn. As soon as I have it digitised I’ll let you know.”

The Cranberries’ classic 1994 performance on the Jools Holland show on the BBC will re-air next weekend on German network ZDF: Theaterkanal. The band performed “Dreaming My Dreams,” while Dolores performed “No Need to Argue” with Holland on organ and a string quartet. The show that features The Cranberries, Crowded House, the Auteurs, and Aswad will air February 3rd at 23:00 local time on ZDF: Theaterkanal (schedule).

Thanks to dominestar for the tip. Screen capture taken from Cranberries Shows.

The Cranberries’ “Zombie” was used on last night’s episode of “The Office.” Andy Bernard, a character in the series, is evidently a fan of the song. If any watched the show, tell us about it in the ZG Forums.

Source: E! Online

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Cyril for the news.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources: Irish Times, Irish Independent

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Cristobal for the news!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to despandy for the tip.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ZG: Yeah, we know it.

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

ZG: Right. And it has the spine…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Storm: You think so?

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

Storm: Are you sure?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ZG: Yeah, they like having bonus things…

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

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

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

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

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

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

ZG: I was, but…

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

ZG: I think so.

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

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

Storm: “Mono Band”? What’s it like?

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

Storm: Maybe they’ve broken up then.

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

Storm: Sad, really.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(more…)

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

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

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

Thanks to supervago for the news.

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

Hello friends,

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

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

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

Yours, Nina

Thanks to Scott for the news.

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

The newsletter also claims:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Angel and aguafiestas for the news.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources: Border Mail (more), The West Australian

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

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

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

Source: Irish Independent

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Dallas Morning News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: The Age

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

The magazine writes,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: New York Times

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Kama and Zombieguide founder John for the news.

Source: Exclusive

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

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

Thanks to Copycat for the tip.

Source: Exclusive

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

She wrote:

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

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

Thanks to Scott for the tip.

Source: Exclusive

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

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

Here’s the full list:

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

Please direct all hate mail to Q, thank you.

Source: Rocklist.net