DECEMBER 2020 Rock And Blues International

JETHRO TULL’S Martin Barre

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE CHARLIE BEDFORD VANESSA COLLIER KEVIN BURT LUCIANO FEDERIGHI GARY BARLOW MIKE MONTGOMERY O’Riordan, who recently passed away in 2018. Dolores O’Riordan wrote all the lyrics to songs. The song was about the Warrington IRA bombings in 1993 that took the lives of two children.

For this album, the band elected to present a more heavier and rockier presentation to their songs than they did in their first album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We. The mood on is also a bit rougher than their first release. With this one they decided to add more distortion and beef up the volume of their new By Greg Fontaine songs. When the album was first recorded unplugged for MTV in 1995. Fans of The Cranberries will have released, it sold over 5 million copies in The second is a demo for the song a chance to rejoice again this month. its first six months. The album was hot! “Serious” that has been floating around Last month on the 13th, Island Records/ The band received a Juno Award in on YouTube as a low-quality live UMe has remastered and re-released the Canada for Best-Selling Album in 1996. bootleg. Also included on the CD are band’s 2nd album, No Need To Argue. Billboard Magazine ranks it at #90 in several previously unseen photographs The new release is an expanded edition their list of the 300 Best-selling Albums that were taken during the photo sessions that is available as a 2 CD version and a Of All Time. for the album. 2 LP version. It is also available digitally. No Need To Argue was Just in case you never realized it, The previously unreleased songs originally released on October 3, 1994. the cover on their first two albums on the album contain B-sides and extras featured the same couch and both as well as 9 demos. They also contain No Need To Argue is The Cranber- pictures were taken by the same photog- some live cuts. There are 5 songs ries best selling album. To date it has rapher, Andy Earl. By the way, the recorded live at the Liverpool Royal sold over 17 million copies worldwide. couch was a rented couch. For the Court on October 14th, 1994 and three It also contains the band’s most success- second album, they had to track down songs that were recorded live at the ful single, “Zombie.” “Zombie” is also the couch and rent it again. This couch National Stadium, Milton Keynes on the band’s most watched video. It has was carried all around Dublin and had July 30th, 1995. There is really a been seen over 1 billion times on many pictures taken of it with the band. fantastic live version of “Zombie” on the YouTube, which is a first for Irish bands. Every single sleeve that the band National Stadium release. So far they are the only Irish band to released featured the band on the sofa in achieve this. They even surpass U2’s a different location. The same sofa Now if you’re into vinyl, Island record for video views. “Zombie” is also resurfaced a year later when the British Records/UMe has it for you. The vinyl one of the band’s most political songs. It band, Supergrass used it in their video configuration features the remastered was written by lead singer Dolores for the song “Alright.” album along with the same B-sides, as well as the extra track “Yesterday’s Now on to the meat and potatoes Gone.” It also features a cover of the about this new release. The remastering Carpenters “(They Long To Be) Close to on this project is extraordinary. They did You.” a fantastic job and the album sounds even better than it did in its initial Both the CD and LP sets also release. And, as you can expect, there include a 5,000-word essay on the are a lot of great gems on this cool history of No Need To Argue written by reissue. Both the CD and digital version the band’s official archivist Eoin contain the remaster of the album along Devereux. Devereux also wrote the with three B-sides: “Away,” “I Don’t sleeve notes for the reissue of The Island Records/UMe Release Need,” and “So Cold In Ireland” from Cranberries debut release, Uncertain. their original tapes. The crowning Uncertain was originally recorded in moment on these releases lies in the 1991 as an 4-song EP. Remastered And Expanded Versions Of unreleased material. There are 19 previously unreleased tracks. Among those are two additional tracks that were No Need to Argue By The Cranberries never officially released. The first one is continued on next page “Yesterday’s Gone,” which was actually 86 Rock and Blues International • December 2020 December 2020 • Rock and Blues International 87 most introspective My Life Track Listing album release. Mary co- (2xLP) wrote 14 of Side A 9. Ridiculous Thoughts the album’s Intro 10. Dreaming My Dreams 17 songs. Mary Jane (All Night Long) 11. Yeats’ Grave These songs You Bring Me Joy offered a deep 12. Daffodil Lament Marvin Interlude insight to I’m The Only Woman 13. No Need To Argue what Mary was going through at this Side B B-sides + extras stage in her K. Murray Interlude life. During My Life 14. Yesterday’s Gone (MTV this time she You Gotta Believe was battling I Never Wanna Live Without You Unplugged) depression, 15. Away battling drugs Side C 16. I Don’t Need and alcohol, I’m Goin’ Down 17. So Cold In Ireland and was also My Life Interlude in an abusive 18. (They Long To Be) Close To Be With You relationship. Mary’s Joint You Production on the album was 19. Zombie (A Camel’s Hump Side D Remix by The Orb) handled through Sean Don’t Go “Puffy” I Love You Demos + live tracks 4. Zombie Combs new No One Else label, Bad Be Happy B Boy Enter- Magic shop demos 1. Empty tainment. To 1 Song To My Family 2. Everything I Said produce the My Life Track Listing continued from album, Mary 2 So Cold In Ireland 3. The Icicle Melts (2CD / 3xLP CE) 3 Empty Mary J. Blige’s turned to Bad previous page 4. Disappointment Boy 4 Ridiculous Thoughts Side A 5. Ridiculous Thoughts Entertainment’s Intro 5 Everything I Said My Life Reissued by “Hitmen” Mary Jane (All Night Long) 2CD digital tracklist 6 Yeats’ Grave C producers You Bring Me Joy club member, Marvin Interlude 2020 remaster + extras 1. Dreaming My Dreams Chucky I’m The Only Woman Demos 2. Yeats’ Grave Geffen/Ume Thompson, a 7 Serious Washington, 1. 3. Daffodil Lament D.C. record Side B 8 Away 4. No Need to Argue By Greg Fontaine 2. I Can’t Be With You Geffen/UMe has reissued Mary J. producer. Sitting behind the boards was K. Murray Interlude 9 I don’t need My Life 3. Twenty One Blige’s album My Life. Mary and Geffen/ master engineer Prince Charles Alexander, another alumni of Bad Boy Entertainment. You Gotta Believe 4. Zombie D - Bonus tracks UMe reissued the album last month in Live @ Liverpool Royal Court November to celebrate the anniversary of My Mary indeed had a winning combination with I Never Wanna Live Without You 5. Empty 1. Yesterday’s Gone (MTV unplugged) these two. Mary also spiced up her songs by 14.10.1994 Life’s original release in November of 1994. 6. Everything I Said 2. Away This was the legendary singer-, adding some really cool samples from artists Side C 7. The Icicle Melts 3. I Don’t Need actress, philanthropist and honorary Queen of such as Roy Ayers (“My Life”), Curtis I’m Goin’ Down 10 Dreaming My Dreams Hip-Hop Soul’s second record release and is Mayfield (“I’m The Only Woman”), Isaac My Life Interlude 8. Disappointment 4. So Cold in Ireland Hayes (“I Love You”) and Al Green (“No 11 Daffodil Lament 5. Close to You considered to be her big breakthrough album. Be With You One Else”). Mary’s Joint 12 The Icicle Melts My Life received quite a bit of My Life was released in three different 13 No Need To Argue attention and yielded the hit songs, “You Side D 14 Empty Bring Me Joy,” and “I’m Going Down,” her formats, a 2 CD version, a standard weight rendition of a song by the band Rose Royce. black double vinyl, and a triple vinyl edition Don’t Go My Life debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at in translucent blue with a lenticular cover, I Love You Live @ National Stadium, #9 and worked its way to #7. It also hit the including bonus tracks featuring LL Cool J, No One Else Be Happy Milton Keynes, 30.07.1995 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at the No. 1 and Smif ‘N Wessun. There will also be a 3 position and spent 8 weeks toping out that LP version available the will feature a chart. It then went on to spend 46 weeks on commentary by Mary on the original album Side E (Bonus Tracks) 15 I Can’t Be With You the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and 84 tracks. This 3 LP version will also be Mary Jane (All Night Long) [Remix] 16 Ridiculous Thoughts weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. available digitally. Feat. LL Cool J 17 Zombie It also toped the Canadian and U.K. Albums I’m Goin’ Down (Remix) Chart. By December of 1995 it was certified Since the release of the album, Rolling Feat. Mr. Cheeks triple platinum by the Recording Association Stone has ranked the album #17 on their list I Love You (Remix) Of America (RIAA) for selling over 3 million of 50 Essential Female Albums, #93 on their Feat. Smif N’ Wessun 2LP tracklist albums in the United States. She also won 100 Great Albums of the 90s, and #279 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All A the Billboard 1995 Music Award for Top Side F (Bonus Tracks) R&B Album. My Life was also nominated for Time. TIME deemed it one of their ALL- 1. Ode to My Family a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 1995. TIME 100 Albums, declaring that it has an Be Happy (Bad Boy Butter Remix) 2. I Can’t Be with You “instant intimacy that cleaner singers never Be Happy (Ron G Remix) My Life is considered to be Mary’s approach.” (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural 3. Twenty One Woman 88 Rock and Blues International • December 2020 December 2020 • Rock and Blues International 89