The Corrs Full Album

[Alice Palecek]

The Corrs are an Irish folk rock/pop band consisting of siblings Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, vocals), Caroline (drums, piano, bodhrn, percussion, vocals) and Jim Corr (guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals). Formed in their hometown of Dundalk, Ireland, in 1990, the band's discography includes seven studio albums, three live albums and three compilation albums, as well as six video albums and twenty-six singles. This list does not include material recorded by The Corrs as solo artists.

Their debut album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten, was produced by David Foster and released in 1995 by Atlantic Records in conjunction with 143 Records. Preceded by debut single "Runaway", the album was an immediate success in both their home territory and Australia. Commercial success elsewhere was initially modest, however. Their 1997 follow-up, Talk On Corners, once again found the band receiving little attention outside Ireland and Australia. Meanwhile, the group had contributed a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" to Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. On 17 March 1998, they performed the song at London's Royal Albert Hall alongside Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood as part of the BBC's televised coverage of St. Patrick's Day. This event did much to raise the band's profile. Following this, Talk On Corners was re-released to include their cover of "Dreams", along with new single versions of "What Can I Do?", "So Young" and "Runaway". Selling almost 3 million copies in the UK, the album was the highest-selling release of 1998 and ninth highest-selling of 1999,[1] and remains the nineteenth best-selling album of all time in British chart history.[2] The album is also the twelfth highest-selling album of all time in Ireland.[3]

Their first live album, Unplugged, was released in 1999 and was followed ten months later by In Blue. Dedicated to the memory of their mother Jean, who died during production of the album,[4] it went straight to number one in Ireland with the third highest opening week sales in the history of the chart.[5] Lead single "Breathless" gave them their first and only UK number one,[6] while the album also attained platinum status in the United States for shipments of over one million units.[7] The set also topped the charts in seventeen other countries.[8]

The Corrs have released seven studio albums and numerous singles, which have reached Platinum in many countries, and have sold 40 million albums worldwide.[1] Talk on Corners, their most successful album to date, reached multi-Platinum status in Australia, and in the UK it was the highest selling album of the year. The band is one of only a handful of acts who have held the top two positions simultaneously in the UK album charts, with Talk on Corners at number one and Forgiven, Not Forgotten at number two. The latter was the year's third highest selling album in Australia. Their third studio album, In Blue, went to number one in seventeen countries.[2]

The Corrs have received two Grammy Award nominations, one BRIT Award, and were awarded honorary MBEs in 2005 for their contributions to music and charity.[3] They have also been actively involved in philanthropic activities, performing in numerous charity concerts, such as The Prince's Trust event in 2004 and Live 8 in 2005.[4]

The band was inactive for almost ten years because Jim and Caroline were raising families, while Andrea and Sharon were pursuing solo careers while raising families of their own. According to Sharon, it was uncertain if and when the Corrs would reunite.[5] Rumours of a reunion sparked in early 2015 and in a radio interview with Chris Evans in June 2015, Andrea confirmed that the Corrs were working on a new album and would play the BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park festival.[6] Their sixth studio album, White Light,[7] was released on 27 November 2015, and was accompanied by a European tour. After two years, their seventh studio album, Jupiter Calling, was released on 10 November 2017.

The Corrs are from Dundalk, County Louth, in Ireland.While Caroline and Andrea were still attending school, Jim and Sharon began playing as a duo, often at McManus's, their aunt's pub.[8] In 1990, Jim and Sharon added their younger siblings, to form a quartet.[9] Their career took off in 1991 when they auditioned for the film The Commitments. Jim, Sharon and Caroline each had small parts as musicians, while Andrea had a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte.[10] John Hughes noticed them when they auditioned for the film and agreed to become their manager.[11]

In 1994, the USA ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, invited them to perform at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Boston after seeing them play a gig at Whelan's Music Bar in Dublin.[12] After an appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States,[13] The Corrs joined Celine Dion's worldwide Falling into You Around the World Tour as a supporting act.[14]

Jason Flom, Atlantic Records's head of A&R, recommended that they meet David Foster,[15] a Canadian musician, producer, composer and arranger.[16] The Corrs played live for Foster and he agreed to sign them to Atlantic Records. They extended their stay in the US for over five months to record their debut album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten.[12] It featured six instrumental selections among its Celtic-influenced tracks. The album sold well in Ireland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway and Spain. Major success in the US and the UK, however, was not immediately forthcoming. Eventually, the album reached Platinum status in the UK[17] and Australia,[18] and 4 Platinum in Ireland,[13] making it one of the most successful debuts by an Irish group.[14]

The Corrs' next album, 1997's Talk on Corners, was produced by Glen Ballard, who was respected for his collaboration with Alanis Morissette.[19] The Corrs also collaborated with Carole Bayer Sager, Oliver Leiber, Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg.[20][21] It was successful in Ireland and the UK and entered the Australian album charts at number 3.[20]

After the band recorded a version of "Dreams" for a Fleetwood Mac tribute album, they re-released Talk on Corners, with new remixes of "What Can I Do?", "So Young" and "Runaway".[21] The special edition topped the charts worldwide and again reached multi-Platinum status in the UK[22] and Australia.[23]

In June 1998, the Corrs participated in the Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia charity concert. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and was hosted by Luciano Pavarotti.[24] The concert aimed to raise money to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village, to provide refuge for children in Liberia.[25]

The following year, the Corrs received a BRIT Award for Best International Band.[26] They performed live on MTV's Unplugged on 5 October 1999 at Ardmore Studios, County Wicklow, Ireland.[27][28] The resulting CD and DVD sold 2.7 million copies and featured live performances of previously released songs, plus a new song, "Radio", later featured on their third album, In Blue.[26]

In 2000, the Corrs returned to mainstream success with their third album. Unlike their previous albums, In Blue moved towards mainstream pop. In Blue hit number one in its first sales week in, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and debuted at No. 2 in France and Norway. It climbed to the top spot during its second week in Sweden and Spain.[29]

During the production of the album, the Corrs' mother, Jean, died while waiting for a lung transplant.[40] She was buried at St. Patrick's cemetery in Dundalk.[41] "No More Cry", written by Andrea and Caroline Corr for the album, was written to help their father get over his grief.[42]

In 2001, the Corrs released their first compilation album, Best of The Corrs. The album featured previously released songs and new tracks, such as the singles "Would You Be Happier?", "Make You Mine" and "Lifting Me".[43] The album did not chart highly in Ireland but reached Platinum status in Australia.[44] The Corrs collaborated with Josh Groban, recording "Canto Alla Vita", for his eponymous debut album.[45][46]

When the band returned to Ireland, they hosted another live concert at Ardmore Studios, where they previously performed for the MTV's Unplugged series.[27] Guest performers included Bono from U2 and Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones. During the concert, Bono joined Andrea Corr for a duet of Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine" and a performance of Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue". Ronnie Wood joined the band onstage to play guitar on their version of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday".[47] These performances were recorded and compiled on a live album, VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin, which was released in the UK.[48]

In 2003, Andrea Corr recorded "Time Enough for Tears", written by Bono and Gavin Friday[49] for the film In America.[50] This track was featured on the Corrs' 2004 album, Borrowed Heaven. Recorded over an 18-month period in Dublin and Los Angeles, Borrowed Heaven was produced by Olle Romo, who previously worked with Melanie C and Kelly Clarkson.[51] The album marked the Corrs' return to the folk rock genre with a slightly heavier emphasis on guitars.[52] Nevertheless, the album was not as successful as their predecessors, but at least successful enough to enter at No.2 in both the UK and Germany and reach silver status in the UK as well as gold in Germany.[53] Jason Duffy temporarily joined the band as drummer,[54] filling in for Caroline while she was pregnant with her second child and unable to tour.[55] Borrowed Heaven was dedicated to the band's parents.[56]

The band also dedicated their 2005 album Home to their late mother.[57] It is regarded as a traditional Irish album as the band covered traditional Irish songs[58] taken from their mother's songbook to commemorate their 15 years as a band.[59] The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and featured the BBC Radio 2 Orchestra.[60] The songs on Home spanned the history of Irish music.[60] It also included two songs in Irish, "Brd g N Mhille (Brigid O'Malley)" and "Buachaill n irne (Boy from Lough Erne)".[61] Home had success in Ireland, France (reaching No. 5) and Germany (reaching No. 12) and was certified silver in the UK.[62]

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