Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (The Complete Sessions 1991-1993) [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]

At this stage in their career, the Cranberries were one of the archetypical student bands, fusing the dream-pop influence of bands like Ride and Cocteau Twins, with the lovesick and literary influences of indie-acts like The Smiths and The Wedding Present. There's also a hint of U2 style bombast, particularly on that perennial classic, Dreams, which takes the elements noted above, alongside a hint of traditional Celtic instrumentation and Dolores O'Riordan's banshee like vocal flourishes, to create a prevailing pop-classic that has even overcome the indignity of becoming the official soundtrack to all those Irish "tourist-board" commercials. Much of the success of this album rests with guitarist and co-writer Noel Hogan, who proves himself to be a completely versatile performer; able to move seamlessly from acoustic strumming, folk-like finger-picking, heavy distortion, lead and rhythm etc, in a way that seems to reference everyone from The Byrds, to The Smiths, to U2... all the while retaining a shard of individuality to make the overall sound more distinctive.

The tracks cover a lot of ground, from more abrasive tracks, to slow lingering pieces that build momentum through subtle changes of instrumentation and O'Riordan's glacial voice; as well as more melodic indie-pop moments and the more traditionally structured ballads. The most famous song on the album, apart from Dreams, is probably the ballad-like Linger, which is a fine song, if somewhat overly familiar. It's also a surprisingly sweet-sounding song, at odds with the subtle angst and melancholy interwoven into other tracks, like the slowly menacing Pretty, and the more abrasive Not Sorry.

There's no definite standout, as such, with this album really standing as a cohesive mood piece best listened to from beginning to end... which I always prefer. The later albums would suffer from too many stylistic changes and, as a result, ended up sounding like a singles compilation, which is fine, if that's what you're into, but I prefer something much more mysterious that presents a sort of journey from start to finish. Still, that doesn't mean that this album doesn't contain a fair few moments that stop you dead in your tracks... often, it's one of O'Riordan's commanding vocal flourishes, or Hogan's multi-faceted guitar playing, with both voice and guitar often being layered four or five times to creates a multitude of melodies, inter-melodies and counter-melodies. The rhythm section is more than competent, keeping up with Hogan's dense song-structures and those cascading vocals, all of which are recorded perfectly by producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Morrissey, Blur... a good choice, really), who manages to capture the band at their most raw and unhinged (before the need for success would become more apparent).

The original twelve-track album winds down to a sombre and reflective close, with the percussion-heavy How (a real standout for drummer Fergal Lawler and bassist Mike Hogan) and the sweet-sounding Put Me Down, the latter of which has a lulled sound pitched half-way between the Cocteau Twins' Victorialand album and one of the more morose tracks from The Queen Is Dead (Never Had No One Ever or I Know It's Over spring to mind). It ties in nicely with that gorgeous opening track, I Still Do, creating a nice circular feeling before the bonus tracks kick in... The six tracks added as extras all stem from the same era (1991-1993) and continue the sound and style of the overall album perfectly.

Standouts for me would include the ballistic banshee-rock of Reason, and the more pop orientated sound of Liar, which is as fine a pop song... the kind of which you could imagine being played in Student's Union circa '92 (but don't let that put you off!!). Personally, I'm surprised to see so many lukewarm comments on this album, with most fans seemingly in awe of the more grunge-like No Need to Argue, which is fine, but lacks the ethereal Celtic edge and 4AD allusions of this little gem... the greatest thing they ever recorded, in my own personal opinion. Some critics at the time argued that the album was lyrically naive, but that's fine with me... I'll take opaque references to dreams and metaphorical allusions to wayward emotions over the cod-political sloganeering of their second and third album, any day of the week.

For me, Everybody Else Is Doing It... remains a joy from start to finish, falling into that wonderful place between the ethereal nonsense of the Cocteau Twins and The Sugarcubes, the melancholic beauty of The Smiths and Felt, and something that just can't help conjure the spirit of '93 (I was only ten at time... so I didn't actually get this album until 1997. But you know what I mean). The bonus tracks add value to an already perfect work, whilst at a budget price, this album is crying out to be experienced. It stands as a testament to a highly creative and intelligent young band, before the pressures of fame and celebrity started to take hold.