In 1989, The Cranberry Say Us consisted of four group members, Noel Hogan(18), Mike Hogan(17), and Fergal Lawler(18), with lead singer, Naill Quinn. Quinn decided to leave to concentrate on another band, but suggested a friend of his girlfriend to take over his role. 1990, this singer he talked so fondly of, Dolores O'Riordan(18), walks into their rehearsal room. She set up her keyboard and began to play and sing a few songs. Stunned with Dolores' powerful voice the boys send her home with a demo tape of their songs, and Dolores starts writing lyrics and overlapping melodies. Within a week, Dolores comes back to the band with a bunch of finished songs, one of being Linger. Thoroughly impressed, the band takes Dolores aboard. The chemistry was phenomenal. Their first gig was done at Ruby-a club in Ireland, performing six songs for an audience of sixty. They continued to play at various locations for a few months, and in November, 1990, they released 300 copies of Nothing Left At All...which sold out in days.

Come 1991, The Cranberries do their first tour in the UK, supporting Moose. After signing with Island records, they release a four track EP, titled Uncertain. Unfortunately, this EP got little attention and received bad reviews. More tour dates are set, and within a few months, they start recording their new album, January of 1992. The sessions were disastrous and their work is scrapped. The Cranberries hire a new manager, and puts the band together with producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur), and return to the studios with success. Their new album is released March 1993, titled, Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, which is something Dolores came up with after the band scrapped their first session, and weren't going to attempt a second try. She said this album title to a friend while watching another Indies band play a gig. The album ranked a disappointing No.78 on the UK Charts, so The Cranberries decided to test out America, touring with The Success was found, their debut album had reached Platinum status during only one month. The band went back to the UK with all of America's heart behind them, and re-released the album for it to become No.1 on the charts- one of only five bands ever to reach that position on a re-entry.

Still touring, the band begins to write new songs as their popularity begins to grow bigger and bigger by the day. In 1994, The Cranberries win the IRMA award for' Best New Irish Artist', and 'Top New International Act' from Music Week. Unfortunately, Dolores gets a serious knee accident while skiing in Switzerland, tearing a ligament in their right knee. October 1994, their second album, No Need To Argue  is released and reaches the highest number of albums sales that The Cranberries have ever had...to this day, selling a growing number of fifteen million copies. November 1995 is the scheduled date to start recording the follow-up to No Need To Argue, with a new producer, Bruce Fairbairn (Aerosmith), and five months later, To The Faithful Departed is released. It goes on to sell six million copies, and the band, again, begins to tour. That is, until Dolores re-injures the knee she hurt in the ski accident while performing a show in Australia. The band decides to cancel the remaining dates of the tour, due to Dolores' knee, and severe exhaustion from touring and constant promotional appearances. It was seven years of having no lives, other than their one of fame. Dolores was literally a "psychological mess"- living just off cigarettes and coffee. Everyone was just really stressed out and needed a long break to get their lives back together. They departed each other assuming that they would never get back together again...Dolores commented, sadly, that she never wanted to sing again. It became too serious, too stressful, and had lost all fun.

A five-month vacation to the Caribbean with Dolores' husband got her life back together, and also a new addition to the family-a baby boy. As well as the baby, another thing came-came back-Dolores' love for singing, truly proving that singing is in her heart and soul. The Cranberries then re-united and started writing music with yet again, a new producer, Benedict Fenner. Well rested and recovered, the band, learning from their past, decide to take it slow to avoid what had happened previously. They finish their fourth album September of 1998, and titled it Bury The Hatchet, a title symbolizing they've left their hard times being them. Album 4 was released April of 1999, and The Cranberries started to tour again, taking a couple days in between to relax. Due to poor advertising by their record company, the album does not do as well as hoped, though still a success in Europe and Asia. Dolores explains in an interview with Craig Kilborn that she had fans coming up to her asking when the next album was going to be released, when it had been put out five months ago! Needless to say, for the bands fifth album, they have just signed a new contract with a different record company. The Cranberries are currently recording their fifth album, titled, Wake Up And Smell The Coffee, scheduled to be released in October 2001. For this album, the Cranberries chose to go back to Stephen Street, their producer for their first to albums, hoping to re-capture that sound that brought them success in the early 90's. They start touring in August, and their first single is called, Analyze. Until then... we anxiously look forward to the new album with patience.

Analyse...with a twist
Dolores comments on her surprise to hear that she's been asked to sing Analyse to the Pope, with a huge orchestra behind her! Hopefully they will air this concert so we can hear this interesting version of their latest hit single. Dolores also states that Versace is making her a dress specially for the concert. This interview was held sometime during the band's time in Toronto, when MuchMoreMusic plan to show the full interview, I have yet to determine!! MuchMoreMusic News

Cranberries At Edge102
A Toronto-based radio station, Edge102 hosted The Cranberries for an interview this past Thursday night. The band also played three acoustic songs for the intimate crowd, not to mention myself standing right at the front! :) Happy?? At this time, probably one of the best days of my life. Because of the low publicity of the show, there weren't very many people there, so the band had time to give almost everyone an autograph. Noel was absent from this event, with Steve in his place. The picture below is taken from the Edge102 Website More exclusive pictures and transcripts to come shortly.