The Cranberries’ ‘To The Faithful Departed’ Returns In Expanded Vinyl, CD Formats
Originally released in April 1996, the influential Irish band’s multi-million selling third album is back in a variety of physical formats through Island/UMe.
The Cranberries’ monumental third album To The Faithful Departed is out now as a deluxe edition on vinyl and CD via Island/UMe.
Shop the best of The Cranberries’ discography on vinyl and more.
Originally released on April 30, 1996, the album yielded four singles including the U.S. Number One Modern Rock single “Salvation.” In this deluxe reissue, the original album has been remastered by John Davis at Metropolis. Available in its original configuration as 1LP, an expanded 2LP set, and a 3CD set (whose tracklisting the digital version mirrors), To The Faithful Departed deluxe editions contain an abundance of bonus tracks and material. The 2LP and 3CD configurations include three previously unreleased album demos recorded with Tim Palmer in Paris. The digital and 3CD set also includes unreleases outtakes and early mixes of the album, along with twelve rare live tracks
The sleeve notes by long-term Cranberries associate Eoin Devereux includes contributions from the remaining band members as well as archived material which includes interviews with Dolores O’Riordan.
Selling over six million copies worldwide and reaching Number One in six countries, it became the band’s highest-charting album on the U.S. Billboard Top 200. Among a series of positive critical notices, Entertainment Weekly lavished an A- review, calling it their “best album,” saying “If the Cranberries once sounded as if they were sleepwalkers in a world gone weird, To the Faithful Departed sounds as if they’ve finally awakened” and Wall of Sound adds, “To the Faithful Departed is the group’s best album yet, due largely to its musical diversity and undeniable energy.”
“I hadn’t heard these tracks for a long time but have spent many days over the past year or so listening intently to these songs,” remembers drummer Fergal Lawler. With the tragic passing of powerhouse vocalist Dolores O’Riordan in 2018, his remembrance of the recording is bittersweet. “As difficult as it was to hear Dolores’ voice, they brought back many fond memories. I was shocked at how powerful they sounded and the strong emotions that I felt as I listened.”
