Biography
19
92
At the beginning of the year, with Island Records behind them, the band hired a local studio to begin work on their first album. But those shots at the big time were a disaster. Neither the songs nor the production was working out.
The band hired new management and asked The Smiths producer, Stephen Street, to take control of the recording sessions. He agreed and joined the band in Dublin some months later. This second attempt would prove a lot more promising. Out of these sessions came the songs for the following year's debut album release "Everyone Is Doing It, So Why Cant We?".
Away from studio, the band played on, doing dates around England in the summer, including the world famous London Fleadh Festival where Irish culture and 'rock and roll' meet head on every year, where traditional Irish music shares centre-stage with the likes of Elvis Costello and The Pogues.
They also played support to Indie giants "Mercury Rev" and "House of Love" at a concert in the Royal Albert Hall - a venue that they themselves would headline just a few short years later.
Out of the Stephen Street sessions, the band released "Dreams" as their debut single, in September 1992. It sneaked into the lower half of the Top 100, again with little public notice. However, the reviews of the single were very positive. The band was just happy to be on the road, gigging and partying across the UK.
"It was fun back then," Fergal strokes his chin. "We were in the back of a transit van - the four of us - the gear was back there as well, so we were a cosy little bundle. But we were new, we didn't know anything. A big adventure. And we made the most of it."
Dolores laughs ? "We had no problem sleeping. Back then, we just drank ourselves to sleep. You can't do that when you're older!"
At the end of the year The Cranberries came home to Limerick for a show at Christmas. They had taken their first steps on the great rockin' roller coaster. They had toured the UK; they had recorded their debut album with a seasoned producer; And now they were making a name for themselves in their own hometown.