The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 1990s with global smashes such as “Zombie,” “Dreams,” and “Linger” — collected here alongside tracks from their five albums for Island — plus two tracks unavailable on other albums, “New New York” and “Stars.”

The Cranberries debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? was released and charted at #1 on the UK album charts in March 1993. Their second and most commercially successful album No Need To Argue was released in October 1994 and stayed on the UK charts for 98 weeks after being certified multiple platinum, making the band global superstars.

In April 2019, The Cranberries released their eighth and final album, In The End, the vocals for which had been recorded by Dolores prior to her tragic passing in 2018. Guitarist Noel Hogan confirmed its release would honor her memory.

In The End reached top 10 in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and on the Billboard Independent Albums chart in the US. It was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

As aforementioned, The Cranberries Stars: The Best Of 1992-2002 newly-released 2LP collection (yes, audiophiles everywhere, that means it is now on a lush double vinyl set), featuring music from their rise to international fame alongside tracks from their five albums, plus two bonus songs, “New New York” and “Stars.”

Side A:
1. Dreams 2. Linger 3. Zombie 4. Ode To My Family 5. I Can’t Be With You

Side B:
1. Ridiculous Thoughts 2. Salvation 3. Free To DecideB 4. When You’re Gone 5. Hollywood

Side C:
1. Promises 2. Animal Instinct 3. Just My Imagination 4. You & Me 5. Analyse

Side D:
1. Time Is Ticking Out 2. This Is The Day 3. Daffodil Lament 4. New New York 5. Stars

For the Cranberries, assembling a best-of covering the first decade of their career meant compiling their singles in chronological order, which turns out to be a foolproof approach for a band that can be uneven over the course of a full-length album but has always managed to express itself well on the two-to-four catchiest cuts.

Indeed, Hollywood and You & Me were not singles chosen for release as such by the band, but they were put out in individual territories. From Dreams and the breakthrough hit Linger to the sometimes harder-rocking and more political efforts such as Zombie and Free to Decide, and on to more melodic songs later on, the singles (presented here in some cases in single versions or new edits to fit everything in) make a case for the Cranberries as one of the major international rock bands of the ’90s.

The Cranberries music, like a lot of Irish music, spends a lot of time reminiscing about the past, how life has been going, and how it will be. Some of the observations are melancholy, some are astute, some are humorous.

If you just want some background music to listen to as you relax and read a book or magazine, I would find something else for this kind of music is more astutely cultivated to listen to when you are feeling a wee bit down and need a consoling shoulder or a anthemic pick-me-up!

Also included is one album cut, Daffodil Lament from No Need to Argue (see lyric video below), said to have been an overwhelming fan choice as the one non-single inclusion, and two new songs, New New York and Stars.

In truth, New New York, in which lead singer and songwriter Dolores O’Riordan takes on the September 11 terrorist attacks, is a bit heavy-handed, as O’Riordan confesses that the subject is beyond her (“There’s nothing to say”) before settling for the anthemic statement, “They won’t tear us apart”.

Much better is Stars, one of the band’s more pop-sounding efforts. But the inclusion of the two songs is appropriate, as it shows the Cranberries continuing to pursue two tracks in their music, one a harder-edged, more political side, the other softer and more romantic.

The Cranberries - Daffodil Lament (Official Lyric Video)

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