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Jul 12, 2022 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

Back in 2002, after five albums from 1992 to 2001 (all on Island, though their contract was transferred to MCA after the 1999 Universal merger), The Cranberries were on hiatus, so in a bid to reintroduce audiences to one of the biggest bands of the ’90s, Island released this 20-song compilation on CD, which has now been reissued on vinyl. It is, exactly what it implies, every single released by the band from their debut, “Linger” (one of their biggest hits, of course), to “This is the Day” (not the song by The The), the last single released from their 2001-released fifth album, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.

Since the singles are arranged here in chronological order and since their first three albums were by far their most successful (1994’s second album No Need to Argue, in particular, made them international superstars), many fans will stop at the first two sides of this, taken up by all-time classic alternative pop singles like the aforementioned “Linger,” the lilting “Dreams,” driving anti-violence anthem “Zombie,” and the beautiful, sentimental “Ode to My Family.” As great as those songs are, that would be a mistake.

If those radio and MTV hits are all you know or remember by The Cranberries, this collection is a great place to start. Stars: The Best of 1992-2002 goes a long way to showcasing that they were a consistently great singles band for a full decade. Other highlights include the punky blasts “Salvation” and “Free to Decide” (both from 1996’s To the Faithful Departed), as well as “Promises,” “Animal Instinct,” and “Just My Imagination” (not the Temptations song later covered by The Rolling Stones and others) from their overlooked 1999 return to form fourth album, Bury the Hatchet. In addition to all of this, there are three bonus tracks, the previously unreleased “Daffodil Lament” and “New New York” along with the titular song (also released as a single to accompany the collection at the time of its original release in October 2002).

This vinyl reissue (the first time this collection has been released in that format not including an EU issue from last year, of which this is a variant of) replicates the CD track order, though instead of 20 songs in a row, listening to five songs in a row per vinyl side is less demanding and perhaps a more rewarding of a listening experience since it forces the listener to focus on fewer songs at a time and thus hear the later material in a whole new light. Perhaps this is just conjecture as your mileage will vary (as with anything), but for this listener and longtime (albeit somewhat casual) fan, it helped me reevaluate a great ’90s band four years after the tragic death of singer Dolores O’Riordan put an end to their 2010s comeback. (www.cranberries.com)

Author rating: 7/10