For those unaware, The Cranberries’ third album To The Faithful Departed has just been reissued as an expanded 3CD and vinyl editions this past October.

The 1996 album features the singles ‘Salvation’, ‘Free to Decide’ and ‘When You’re Gone’. The original CD ran for nearly an hour and featured 15 tracks, while in the USA, a slightly shorter 13-track version omitted ‘Intermission’ and ‘Cordell’. This same 13-track version was released on vinyl at the time (1LP set).

To The Faithful Departed was a significant success and lead single ‘Salvation’ topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks alternative chart, just as ‘Zombie’ had a couple of years earlier.

With Bruce Fairbairn (best known for working with rock bands such as Aerosmith, AC/DC and Van Halen) being eventually chosen as the producer and giving The Cranberries the “big, live sound” they were looking for, the original album of 17 tracks is an honest work of musical art.

The words/lyrics harmonize with the tunes perfectly. You’ll learn there are wars in the world (eternal to Ireland), in such places as Russia and Bosnia. You’ll hear a reflection of meeting a homeless in New York who was wounded in Vietnam. You’ll see it was because of someone’s political pride, because of territorial greed.

From NY, another sickening experience is communicated, depicting the killer of John Lennon. You can share the worries of parents whose kids are on heroin. The group has depicted the frustration of the world around them. They admit that when they were teenage hairy rebels with black nails, they did not, however, fight too much - but they ask whether they are any better now as more mature (self-reflection is always what I value).

There are some pieces from private life (loneliness being the major theme), emancipation (I’m Free to Decide), and also, belief in God. Not extremely crude, rather elegant and intelligent, yet still authentic. If I omit that the many times noted Bosnian capital Sarajevo is always misspelt (as Sarejevo), one would say, credible. Interestingly, in the end of the original record, Bosnia, Rubinstein’s classical lullaby is used.

An impressive arrangement strikes you in the opener, Hollywood, with the distorted guitar tones. A handful of then popular radio hits appear on the disc, the major of all being the slow-pacing When You’re Gone (the others are Salvation and I’m Free to Decide).

To me, and especially Forever Yellow Skies is delightful, and pretty fast, too, which I have no problem with. It presents a fantastic rhythm section (bass/drums), and a surprisingly very much U2-like re: rhythm-guitar playing.

The disc rounds out with tracks that are good also, of course, and not mere appendices for collectors having little to do with the content of the original recording. Although they represent divergent genres, for me the stand-out is their cover version of Fleetwood Mac’s hit Go Your Own Way.

CD 1: Original Album
Hollywood Salvation When You’re Gone Free To Decide War Child Forever Yellow Skies The Rebels Intermission I Just Shot John Lennon Electric Blue I’m Still Remembering Will You Remember? Joe Cordell Bosnia The Picture I View Go Your Own Way

CD 2: Unreleased Demos & Outtakes
When You’re Gone (Paris demo) I Just Shot John Lennon (Paris demo) Free To Decide (Paris demo) The Rebels (Outtake) Hollywood (Outtake) Cordell (Early mix) Bosnia (Early mix) Salvation (Early mix) When You’re Gone (Early mix) Electric Blue (Early mix) Intermission (Early mix) Joe (Early mix) Free To Decide (Alternate mix)

CD 3: 1996 Free to Decide Tour
Intermission + Forever Yellow Skies (Live in Toronto) Sunday (Live in Toronto) Linger (Live in Toronto) The Rebels (Live in Toronto) Waltzing Back (Live in Toronto) I Can’t Be With You (Live in Toronto) Free To Decide (Live in Detroit) Dreams (Live in Detroit) Hollywood (Live in Detroit) Zombie (Live in Detroit) Dreaming My Dreams (Live in Detroit) The Icicle Melts (Live in Detroit) Salvation (Live at Milton Keynes Bowl)