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The Cranberries:
No Need to Argue (The Complete Sessions 1994–1995)

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Island Records
Released: 1994.10.03
Time:
 73:50
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Stephen Street
Rating: ********.. (8/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.cranberries.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 2,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Ode to My Family (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 4:30
[2] I Can't Be with You (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 3:07
[3] Twenty One (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 3:07
[4] Zombie (D.O'Riordan) - 5:06
[5] Empty (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 3:26
[6] Everything I Said (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 3:52
[7] The Icicle Melts (D.O'Riordan) - 2:54
[8] Disappointment (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 4:14
[9] Ridiculous Thoughts (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 4:31
[10] Dreaming My Dreams (D.O'Riordan) - 3:37
[11] Yeat's Grave (D.O'Riordan) - 2:59
[12] Daffodil Lament (D.O'Riordan) - 6:14
[13] No Need to Argue (D.O'Riordan) - 2:54

Re-release bonus tracks:
[14] Away (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 2:38
[15] I Don't Need (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 3:32
[16] (They Long to Be) Close to You (B.Bacharach/H.David) - 2:41
[17] So Cold in Ireland (D.O'Riordan/N.Hogan) - 4:45
[18] Zombie [Camel's Hump mix] (D.O'Riordan) - 7:54

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Mike Hogan - Bass Guitar
Noel Hogan - Acoustic & Electric Guitar
Fergal Lawler - Drums, Percussion
Dolores O'Riordan - Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals

Stephen Street - Engineer, Producer
Cally - Cover Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1994 CD Island
1994 MC Island
1994 Digi Island
1994 CD [Japan] Island
1995 CD Island
1995 CD [Bonus Live Disc] Alex
1995 CD [Bonus Live EP]
1999 CD Mercury
2002 Digi Island
2002 MC Island
2002 CD Mercury
2002 CD [The Complete Sessions 1994-1995] Universal Distribution
2002 CD [The Complete Sessions 1994-1995] Island

No Need to Argue is the second studio album by Irish rock band The Cranberries, released in 1994. It was the band's most successful album, and has sold about 17 million copies worldwide. It contains the band's most successful single to date, "Zombie". The album's mood is darker than that on Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?. It shows a more mature performance by lyricist and vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, writing about war, death, love and disappointment. Her voice is clearer, without the previous album's double and triple voice layering. In some of the songs, the band decided to take on a rockier and heavier side, using distortion and increasing the volume. The song "Yeat's Grave" [sic] is about William Butler Yeats, and quotes one of his poems, No Second Troy. The hit song "Zombie", written by lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, is according to her about the IRA bombings in 1993 that resulted in the death of two children.

The album was re-released in 2002, under the title No Need to Argue (The Complete Sessions 1994–1995). This version of the album featured bonus tracks as well as B-sides from the singles that lifted off the album.



With their surprise success behind them, the Cranberries went ahead and essentially created a sequel to Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We with only tiny variations, with mixed results. The fact that the album is essentially a redo of previously established stylistic ground isn't apparent in just the production, handled again by Stephen Street, or the overall sound, or even that one particularly fine song is called "Dreaming My Dreams." Everybody wasn't a laugh riot, to be sure, but No Need to Argue starts to see O'Riordan take a more commanding and self-conscious role that ended up not standing the band in good stead later. Lead single "Zombie" is the offender in this regard -- the heavy rock trudge isn't immediately suited for the band's strengths (notably, O'Riordan wrote this without Noel Hogan) -- while the subject matter (the continuing Northern Ireland tensions) ends up sounding trivialized. Opening cut "Ode to My Family" is actually one of the band's best, with a lovely string arrangement created by O'Riordan, her overdubbed vocals showing her distinct vocal tics. Where No Need succeeds best is when the Cranberries stick at what they know, resulting in a number of charmers like "Twenty One," the uilleann pipes-touched "Daffodil's Lament," which has an epic sweep that doesn't overbear like "Zombie," and the evocative "Disappointment."

Ned Raggett - All Music Guide



A number of good bands came out of Ireland in the middle of the nineties. Some, such as Whipping Boy, never really got the attention they deserved. Some, such as the Cranberries, achieved some sort of status but never really sustained it. I guess that far too many people thought all Irish bands should sound like U2 and when they didn't they grew disillusioned and disappointed and then tried to ignore the band.

The Cranberries brought with them a fresh take on what is often, erroneously in my opinion, called Celtic Rock. Now this is a term I loathe and despise for a more inaccurate and woolly term you could not hope to find. Most so-called Celtic Rock is in fact traditional Irish music played with the addition of some modern instruments, such as Clannad or Cowslips. Occasionally, it is given to people of Scottish or Irish descent who cannot be pigeonholed - Mike Scott and the Waterboys is the classic example - and for whom it is too much of an exercise to appreciate genius to allow it to stand alone. At its worst, the term is applied to any band or individual who emanates from Ireland.

This term therefore downplays the best features of bands like the Cranberries and plays up to their worst. The problem with the Cranberries was that I could never figure out if the band wanted to be rockers or balladeers. This album is easily the best of their output because it combines both to good effect. Ultimately, however, they continue to fall between those two stools and the album loses some direction because of that.

"Zombie" and "Ridiculous Thoughts" are the outstanding tracks on the album which has a uniquely Irish lyrical flavour about it - you can even hear the thickness of Dolores O'Riordan's accent on many of the songs. That voice is probably the biggest selling point the Cranberries have, and it is complemented by some insightful and personal lyrics. "Zombie", which was a minor hit, was a criticism against the violence in Northern Ireland blasting both sides for their rooted-in-the-past philosophies and solutions to a problem which required a present-day resolution and indeed would get one within a few years of its release.

Sadly, O'Riordan's voice is far from perfect and she is unable to carry the whole of the album through on the strength of it. She lacks range and really struggles at the higher end when her voice becomes thin and reedy. In places the music seems to take a back seat and, when this happens, the effect of the lyrics and music combined is somewhat lost and the tracks dissolve into a continuum. It is only occasionally that a song breaks through to shake you out of that feeling you may be listening to wallpaper music. "Ridiculous Thoughts", "Zombie" and "Ode to My Family" are three such tracks which break through and do manage to make an impact on the listener.

Overall, this is a good album and one that has several points to recommend it. Just don't expect an easy ride. You will never truly know in which direction you are going.

Rating: 7/10

Charles Marte - 2011-03-31
Music Emissions



When a successful band releases a brand new album, the critics will always compare it to what has so far been the band's maximum opus. This will continue for the rest of the band's career until they top that one album. Now, I'm not too familiar with the Alt. Rock scene of the 1990's, so I'm not going to try to think up some half-assed examples, but you most likely have an idea of what I'm talking about. For Irish alternative rock band, The Cranberries, this album is their second release, No Need to Argue. To this day No Need to Argue is The Cranberries most successful album with over 16 million copies sold. Released in 1994, the album also contains some of the band's most well known work, with songs like Zombie and Ode to My Family. In 2002, No Need to Argue was re-released with several bonus tracks (that I have not yet had the chance to hear).

Many of No Need to Argue's 13 tracks are emotional, mellow affairs with the listener. Songs such as Twenty-One, Dreaming My Dreams, Empty, and Everything I Said show The Cranberries at their softest. The focal point of these ballad-esque songs is obviously vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, as the other members of the band tend to not stick out, with rather simple rhythms. Other songs, such as the opener, Ode to My Family, the epic Daffodil Lament, and I Can't Be With You are also pretty mellow themselves, however, the rest of the band generally participates and stands out more in these songs, giving them an extra edge energetically. Of course, the band changes things up with the atypical Zombie, and the mid paced rocker, Ridiculous Thoughts. With 13 tracks, there is surprisingly very little filler. In fact, the only track that could be considered filler, is the title track, No Need to Argue, as it is just features Dolores speaking over a quiet tune. Through the several varieties of songs, No Need to Argue flows perfectly with little, if any, awkward moments. The result is about 47 minutes of enjoyable music.

A very large part of No Need to Argue's appeal comes from the pipes of singer Dolores O'Riordan. Her singing doesn't vary as much as in the band's next release, but she does a beautiful job on songs like Ode to My Family and I Can't Be With You. Aside from the aforementioned tracks, Delores does a superb job on both Zombie and Ridiculous Thoughts. The former is one of the band's most well known songs, and for good reason. Among the album's highlights is O'Riordan waling out the song's chorus, which is perhaps the most memorable moment in the band's history. The later song shows off Dolores with an energetic feeling present in her vocals. Like with Zombie, the result is very catchy and will be remembered even several days after listening to the song. No Need to Argue is arguably Dolores' finest effort, surpassing all that came before and after.

With twelve strong songs, The Cranberries second album, No Need to Argue, is definitely the band's essential album. Some of the band's most memorable outings can be found on the album, with the likes of Zombie, Ode to My Family and Daffodil Lament taking the lead. There will be no sophomore slump in The Cranberries' camp, as No Need to Argue is a very solid effort from the Irish band. If you're looking to pick up an album from this band, I would definitely recommend this album to those try to get into the band, as it shows the band at its best and does not disappoint.

Mike Stagno - August 25th, 2006
Sputnikmusic.com
 

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