The Cranberries Release ‘MTV Unplugged’
In 1995, the Irish band performed on MTV in promotion of their sophomore album. Finally, the audio is getting released in full.
In 1995, The Cranberries performed on MTV Unplugged in promotion of the previous year’s No Need To Argue. The audio is being released in full for the first time on CD and vinyl. A white vinyl edition includes an 11×11 lithograph of the band performing. The 9-song, 45 minute performance features the group performing hits like “Linger” and “Zombie.”
No Need to Argue was the Irish band’s second album following 1993’s Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? It features the chart-topping protest song “Zombie,” written about the Troubles. The Cranberries played several songs off the record during their MTV Unplugged set, including “Dreaming My Dreams,” “Ode To My Family,” “Empty,” and “No Need to Argue.”
The Cranberries also performed “Free To Decide” and “I’m Still Remembering” off their then-upcoming third album, 1996’s To the Faithful Departed. Also featured on MTV Unplugged is the unreleased single “Yesterday’s Gone.”
In October, The Cranberries will release 30th anniversary editions of No Need to Argue. The beloved album will be available in a variety of formats. A 3LP edition features remastered audio from the record’s original producer, Stephen Street and gathers live recordings and multiple previously unreleased live tracks recorded during the group’s performance at Woodstock ‘94, as well as cuts from The Cranberries’ 1994 set on MTV Unplugged.
The 30th anniversary edition also includes remixes of “Zombie” and “Ode to My Family” by CHVRCHES’ Iain Cook. Cook has previously remixed “Linger.”
Speaking on “Zombie”’s initial success in a press release, The Cranberries’ drummer Fergal Lawler shared: “I remember playing ‘Zombie,’ for instance, early in 1993 on our first European tour with Hothouse Flowers. By the time the chorus came around for the second time, you could feel the reaction in the room. People just loved it from the get-go.”
