Customer Reviews

To the Faithful Departed

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

About a year and a half ago, I recieved the CD "No Need To Argue". At that time, I had very nearly no idea who the Cranberries were. Sure, like everyone, I had heard "Zombie" a few times, and i thought it was great, but i never gave it much more thought than that. To my shock, I could not bring myself to press the stop button. I listened wistfully to the crescendos of Dolores O'Riordan's voice, and floated about in another world during her softer moments. The album mesmerized me. Such is true with this album, which i purchased along with all the others soon after recieving my first. The upbeat, rocking songs "Hollywood", "Salvation", "Free To Decide", "The Rebels", and "I Just Shot John Lennon" are almost impossible to resist singing along to. The soft, melancholic tones of "When You're Gone", "War Child", "Electric Blue Eyes", "I'm Still Remembering", "Joe", and "Bosnia" are so powerful, you find yourself agreeing with Dolores. The lyrics are heart-wrenching in songs like "War Child," "Bosnia," and "Joe" (in which she remembers her deceased grandfather). Overall, my favorite Cranberries album, with the most range and beauty of them all.

A lot of people don't like this album because it's such a departure from the sound of their previous albums. To The Faithfull Departed has a very rock/punk sound, but still has the Cranberries feeling, unlike Bury The Hatchet. This album isn't perfect as No Need To Argue. There are some [bad] songs, like I Just Shot John Lennon, War Child and Bosnia. These songs bring a great vocal and musical performance, but the lyrics are a little to much war/suffering. I Just Shot John Lennon is lyricly almost horrible... that's why I give it four stars.
There are still some very memorable songs on this album, and some of the best work that the Cranberries have recorded so far. Hollywood seems like a Zombie ripoff, but it opens the album very loud. Track number two, Salvation is one of the highlights of the album. Although it's very short, it has a great punk-feeling and makes you want to jump around. Free To decide is also a good song. Dolores sings about all the press that surrounded her during their absolute topdays on the charts. The song ends with a strange haunting sound. The Rebels is also essential Cranberries, with great lyrics about the childhood of the Berries. Other highlights are I'm Still Remembering, Will You Remember?, Joe and Cordell (I have the international version, for in case you don't know the songs) This album is very diverse and I love to listen to it in the winter with the snow coming down, but also when I'm lying in the sun in the summer...Cranberries, thanx for the great music you make and hope you go on for a long time!

I carefully read reviews before I make a decision about whether to buy a CD or not...This time that was a mistake. Most of the reviews I read were putting down this album, stating it was their worst collection. Obviously I disagree with that remark.
Yes, some of the desperate political messages can get annoying, but if that is the worst thing about this album, that's not saying much. There are always going to be those few songs that you don't listen to as much, but in this case it isn't because they're bad, its just because you fall in love with the other ones.
'The Rebels' has got to be the best track on this album. Her loud, powerful voice just blows you away, plus the melody is great. 'Yellow skies' is brilliant. It's one of those songs that you just have to sing along with. 'Hollywood' and 'Salvation' really gives you a reminder of how hard they can rock, so if you like that style definately listen to those.
All in all, EVERY song is worth listening to. Even the intermission is beautiful. Ultimately, I read too much negative information about this album, costing me time that I could have used enjoying it's unique style.

To The Faithful Departed, the 3rd studio alblum from The Cranberries has often been panned as "one of the worst alblums of all times". I don't get it. The songs are produced wonderfully, paying special attention to the era of 90's alternative rock, and even a little ska. There is a lot of musical experimentation on this alblum that is very refreshing, and not the same as "No Need To Argue", where you tend to not know when the song is ending, and a new one is starting. You WILL know when tracks change on this alblum!
The start of the disc really grabs your attention with the hard rocking opener "Hollywood". It stays true to who The Cranberries are as a band, with the classic yodel of Dolores O'Riordan's beautiful voice.
"Salvation", the first radio single from this alblum, is a great anti-drug anthem, and with the help of a wonderful, yet creepy promotional video, moved this song to the top of the Modern Rock Charts in 1996. With ska music becoming ever popular in the early to mid 90's, this song contributed a wonderful brass section to the song, and makes it one of the best tracks on this alblum.
Other great songs on the alblum are "Forever Yellow Skies" with Dolores once again yodeling away to a hard rock beat. "I Just Shot John Lennon" is a wonderful rock song with hard guitar riffs, and Dolores pounding vocally away.
To make this alblum more diverse from there other 2 alblums before, The Cranberries decide to go a little more experimental, and in my opinion they do a wonderful job. It does sound experimental, and even a bit weird at some points, but what's wrong with that? I don't like it when reviewers say that "the alblum sounds just like their old stuff, why don't they do more experimenting", and then when the do experiment they pan saying, "a little too experimental, and not an accessible alblum".
This alblum is very accessible, and has wonderful sound. Give it a listen.

Christopher Sorick
Council Bluffs, Iowa

I have to say that although this album diverged from the more conventional sound of the group in the first two albums I really like this one the best. Not only does this album carry some of the sane style of tunes that are signature to the group I personally admire the majority of the album that tries to expands their horizons. I feel that this particular album is full of so much raw emotion that it is priceless for any fan. You get the anger to what was happening to the band plus the sorrow towards the current events. I like this album because it was so politically charged and affected by what was going on in the era it was made. Sure most of the songs aren't that great, they are a bit weird, but I think that it is albums like these that really make a group different and true artists.

Two years after the explosively successful 'No Need To Argue', Irish sweethearts The Cranberries released 'To The Faithful Departed' True to its title, the album pays tribute to casualities of war, dead singers, and just about anybody dear to somebody who had departed. This takes up the theme of most of the album: sad, emotional, and bittersweet. 'I Just Shot John Lennon' takes its title straight out of the mouth of the person who said it right after killing former Beatle Lennon, Mark Chapman. This track, like many others, is a dark and haunting song but moves by at a quick pace ending with the sound of gun shots. Yet on the other side, we get 'Hollywood', a Zombie-ish tune, turning Hollywood into a character in a gothic tale. 'Salvation' presents the dangers and ugliness of drug abuse. The highlight on 'To The Faithful Departed' has got to be 'When You're Gone' which is the soundtrack of the album's theme. The song can be related to just about anybody. And when Dolores croons the line '...but i miss you when you're gone...that is what I do...yeah yeah yea', it somehow makes up for most of the missing gaps and dullness of some of the other tracks on the album. Yet out of all the misery the album has to offer, we get one feel-good treat 'Free To Decide', a very good but typical Cranberries tune.

Somehow most of the tracks here are mostly forgotten. Unlike 'No Need To Argue' which is a compilation of memorable tracks, 'To The Faithful Departed' is at best a mediocre offering with outstanding tracks; When You're Gone, Free To Decide, Salvation, songs that shouldn't be missed out on a greatest hits compilation.

Good

C+

Well this album is different than the first two albums of the cranberries.Dolores' voice is much more stronger and I have to say that it works out very good.When I wasn't a fan of the cranberries I really didn't like the song Salvation.But now it's one of my favourites(weird hey).There are really good songs on it like Free to decide,Salvation,When you're gone,War Child,Joe and I'm still remembering(this one is a pretty sad song,but has beautiful lyrics).I think Dolores lost herself a bit in the whole War thing,she almost sings in every song about dying and deaths.I think she wanted to do more songs like their biggest hit Zombie,but this didn't really work out that well.The cd wasn't a great commercial succes.The cranberries lost themselves just a little bit in this album.Luckely they came back more happier with Bury the Hatchet.

This album wasn't a huge commercial success, but it was a critical one. This cd is really dark, and depressing, and she had some issues to deal with. If you are feeling blue, and want to be alone, put this on, and it will enhance your mood. There are a few up beat songs, but not many.

This album has some strange songs like "I just shot John Lennon" and that song that makes you feel like you're in a circus (forgot the name of it). I miss the old cranberries. Their latest album is even worse.. I don't know what's happening to them.. I wish they would come out with an album similar to "everybody else is doing it so why can't we?" Come back cranberries!!!

what an incredible voice she has. it is taunting. its an awesome cd and i especially love "salvation"