The Cranberries
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The Cranberries are an Irish alternative rock band that rose to mainstream popularity in the 1990s. Though not officially disbanded, they have been on hiatus since 2005. Combining the melodic jangle of post-Smiths indie-guitar pop with the lilting, trance-inducing sonic textures of late-'80s dream pop and adding a slight Celtic tint, The Cranberries became one of the more successful groups to emerge from the pre-Brit-pop U.K. indie scene of the early '90s. Led by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, whose keening, powerful voice is the most distinctive element of the group's sound, the group initially made little impact in the United Kingdom. It wasn't until the lush ballad Linger became an American hit in 1993 that the band also achieved mass success in the U.K. Following the success of Linger, The Cranberries quickly became international stars, as both their 1993 debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, and its 1994 follow-up, No Need to Argue, sold millions of copies and produced a string of hit singles. By the time of their third album, 1996's To the Faithful Departed, the group had added distorted guitars to its sonic palette and attempted to make more socially significant music, which resulted in a downturn in the band's commercial fortunes.
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Band members
- Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan Burton (born September 6, 1971) is the vocalist, keyboardist and backing guitarist for the band. She is married to Don Burton and has three children: Taylor, Molly and Dakota Rain.
- Noel Anthony Hogan (born December 25, 1971 in Moycross, Limerick, Ireland), Mike's brother, is the guitarist.
- (Mike) Michael Gerard Hogan (born April 29, 1973, in Moycross, Limerick, Ireland) is the bass guitar player.
- Fergal Patrick Lawler was born in Parteen (near Limerick), Ireland on March 4 1971, he is the drummer. Since April 16 1997 he has been married to Laurie Guerin.
History
Origins
Noel and Mike Hogan, two brothers from Limerick, formed the band with drummer Fergal Lawler in 1990. The band was originally named The Cranberry Saw Us, a pun on cranberry sauce. The lead singer at that time was a friend of theirs called Niall Quinn, who had an extravagant taste for composing and song names, such as "My Grandma drowned in a fountain in Lourdes", "I was always all ways" and "Drop me down a big stair". When he left the band, Dolores O'Riordan, who was a friend of Niall's girlfriend at the time, auditioned and won the role of lead singer, writing the lyrics for "Linger". Her voice, which ranges from keening, to powerful to lilting, is the distinctive element of the band's sound.
Their homemade demo tape did well locally, and the band soon recorded a demo tape that earned much popular and critical interest. After a major-label bidding war, The Cranberries signed with Island Records. After an unsuccessful first single, they ditched their manager. Their second single, "Linger," and debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, became a huge hit first in the United States, United Kingdom and later in the world. The single "Dreams" also became a hit, reaching #14 on the US charts.
Mid-90s
In 1994, O'Riordan married Don Burton, the band's tour manager. O'Riordan's status as frontwoman was causing tension within the group as they recorded No Need to Argue, another hit album that included "Zombie", a protest about the violence between Protestant and Catholic extremists in Northern Ireland in the time of The Troubles [1]. The album gained the band immense popularity throughout Europe and the U.S.
Amidst rumors of O'Riordan's imminent departure, the band released To the Faithful Departed, which sold well despite poor reviews, though not nearly as well as the previous album. During the next few years, the band cancelled a large tour and rumors of a breakup were widespread. They released Bury the Hatchet to mixed reviews in 1999. Image:BuryTheHatchet.jpg
In 2001, they released Wake Up and Smell the Coffee to rave reviews of "The magic is back." The album debuted at number 46 in the U.S. charts. The following year, a greatest-hits compilation entitled Stars - The Best of 1992 - 2002 was released, along with a DVD of groundbreaking music videos.
Time for a break
However, in 2004, The Cranberries announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers. Earlier that year, O'Riordan had sung the title track to the movie The Passion of the Christ, "Ave Maria" and even composed a song for the movie Evilenko (with Malcolm McDowell). She plans to record a solo album (to be released in early 2006). Noel Hogan's new project is the Mono Band.
The Cranberries decided to put the next album on hold. After more than a dozen years of relentless touring and promotion, which had seen them clocking up album sales in excess of 38 million and playing to hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe, the band decided it was time for a break.
Discography
Albums
Studio
- "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?" (April 1993) UK #1, US #18 (ww sales 7,600,000)
- "No Need to Argue" (September 1994) UK #2, US #6 (ww sales 16,700,000)
- "To the Faithful Departed" (April 1996) UK #2, US #4 (ww sales 6,200,000)
- "Bury the Hatchet" (April 1999) UK #7, US #13 (ww sales 3,300,000)
- "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee" (October 2001) UK #61, US #46 (ww sales 1,300,000)
Miscellaneous combinations / limited editions 1,800,000 approx.
Compilations
- "Bury the Hatchet - The Complete Sessions" (2000) – 26 track release
- "Stars - The Best of 1992 - 2002" (September 2002) – UK #20
- "Treasure Box - The Complete Sessions 1992-1999" 4 albums remastered
Live
- "Doors And Windows" (1995) (multimedia disc)
- "In Concert at the BBC" (1994) – limited UK release
- "In Concert: New Rock #94-44, disc 2 of 2" (1994)
Singles
DVDs and videos
- "Beneath The Skin - Live In Paris"
- "Stars - The Best of 1992 - 2002" (2002)
- "Live - Live In Astoria" (DVD)
See also
External links
de:The Cranberries es:The Cranberries fr:The Cranberries it:The Cranberries hu:The Cranberries nl:The Cranberries ja:クランベリーズ pl:The Cranberries pt:The Cranberries ru:Cranberries sk:The Cranberries fi:The Cranberries