THE CRANBERRIES Vinyl & CDs

Review: As part of a wider Cranberries reissues bundle, the Irish dream pop favourites' third album To The Faithful Departed is here reissued as an vinyl edition. The 1996 album features the later singles 'Salvation', 'Free to Decide' and 'When You're Gone', and while these were by no means such gargantuan successes as the likes of 'Zombie', they still dominated the rock and indie charts at the time. The 3CD deluxe edition offers the a selection of demos from the recording sessions in Paris, plus unreleased outtakes, early mixes, and and 12 live pieces recorded on the band's 1996 Free to Decide tour. This comes with an extensive booklet about the making of the album based on interviews with the remaining members of the band.

Review: To The Faithful Departed is the third studio album by The Cranberries and the successor album to No Need To Argue; by the time both albums had been released, the band had achieved international superstardom, owing to a radio-friendly dream pop sound and sentimental yet political lyrics. Now remembering the legacy of the band in its heyday, as well as the late lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, drummer Fergal Lawler commented on the reissue: "As difficult as it was to hear Dolores' voice, (the recordings) brought back many fond memories. I was shocked at how powerful they sounded and the strong emotions that I felt as I listened." This vinyl reissue - part of a wider vinyl/CD bundle - reissues select pieces from the original 15-track version on just a single LP and is just one option in a series of Deluxe versions, the others being an expanded 2xLP set and a 3xCD set.