Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? [25th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition] (1993)

Title aside, what the Cranberries were doing wasn't that common at the time, at least in mainstream pop terms; grunge and G-funk had made their respective big splashes via Nirvana and Dr. Dre when Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? came out first in the U.K., and in America some months later. Lead guitarist Noel Hogan is in many ways the true center of the band at this point, co-writing all but three songs with O'Riordan and showing an amazing economy in his playing, and having longtime Smiths/Morrissey producer ... Read More

Title aside, what the Cranberries were doing wasn't that common at the time, at least in mainstream pop terms; grunge and G-funk had made their respective big splashes via Nirvana and Dr. Dre when Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? came out first in the U.K., and in America some months later. Lead guitarist Noel Hogan is in many ways the true center of the band at this point, co-writing all but three songs with O'Riordan and showing an amazing economy in his playing, and having longtime Smiths/Morrissey producer Stephen Street behind the boards meant that the right blend of projection and delicacy still held sway. One can tell he likes Johnny Marr and his ability to do the job just right: check out the quick strums and blasts on "Pretty" or the concluding part of the lovely "Waltzing Back." O'Riordan herself offers up a number of romantic ponderings and considerations lyrically (as well as playing acoustic guitar), and her undisputed vocal ability suits the material perfectly. The two best cuts were the deserved smashes: "Dreams," a brisk, charging number combining low-key tension and full-on rock, and the melancholic, string-swept break-up song "Linger." If Everybody is in the end a derivative pleasure -- and O'Riordan's vocal acrobatics would never again be so relatively calm in comparison -- a pleasure it remains nonetheless, the work of a young band creating a fine little synthesis. [The 25th Anniversary edition of the Cranberries' debut album is a feature-packed four-disc box, containing a remastered version of the album and three discs filled with outtakes, non-LP tracks, and live material. The second CD in the set rounds up six B-sides-including "Liar," "What You Were," and "Reason" then adds their four-track debut EP, along with demos recorded when they were originally called the Cranberry Saw Us; these are harder and rougher than the dreamy Everybody. Two live performances -- two tracks from June 1, 1991 at Live at Cork Rock -- and a full set from July 31, 1994 at Tipperary comprise the third disc, underscoring how the Cranberries were more of a rock band than their debut suggested. Finally, radio sessions with Dave Fanning and John Peel round out the set, drawing a complete portrait of the Cranberries at the dawn of their career.] ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi Read Less

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2018, Island UPC: 602567505662 CD See All