Marc Carroll (born 25 January 1972) is an Irish musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released 13 albums. He is currently signed to One Little Indian Records, who released his most recent studio album, Love Is All Or Love Is Not At All on 6 November 2015. The label also released remastered and expanded editions of his first 4 albums in February 2014.One Little Indian – Marc Carroll Remasters He has received considerable critical acclaim for his recorded output but has never reached any significant level of mainstream success. The Irish Times newspaper have called him "One of Ireland's great lost songwriters, touched by genius and whose dealings with the music industry have become the stuff of legend",Clayton-Lea, Tony. The Irish Times (Dublin) 28 February 2014 "Marc Carroll -World On A Wire & Ten Of Swords" and British rock critic Fred Deller wrote in Mojo Magazine that his work was "deserving of a far wider audience."Deller, Fred. "Dust of Rumour Review" Mojo Magazine (London) 2009
Early years/influences Carroll was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1972. Aged 15 he moved to London. He played in several punk bands during this time.
A 7" single was recorded in 1989 at a studio in Islington, London. 250 copies were pressed of this record but most were subsequently destroyed. A test pressing of the record is the only known copy to exist. In an interview with Uncut magazine he said "The Sex Pistols and Buddy Holly were the two things that changed my life."Hughes, Rob. "Almost Famous" Page 24 Uncut Magazine (London) 2005 Carroll has cited Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson among his inspirations. In an article for the US magazine, American Songwriter in 2013, Carroll spoke about the diversity of his influences, "All through my life I have been drawn to melodies and so often these melodies were delivering urgent, savvy messages and stories. Frequently these tales and stories came from so-called outsiders. The voices that sang these songs were distinct and unique. They filled your heart and refreshed your soul. From Chuck Berry to Chuck D. Anything was possible. From the Sex Pistols to Captain Beefheart. There are no rules. From Crass to Bob Dylan. There is no authority but yourself."
Rough Trade Returning to Dublin in 1990, Carroll was a founding member and the sole songwriter of Dublin three-piece power/punk band, Puppy Love Bomb. The band recorded several radio sessions for the Dave FanningPuppy Love Bomb 1993 Session 29 August 2013 "Fanning Sessions Archive" show and were courted by record labels, notably Warner Brothers, before eventually signing with the UK independent label Rough Trade and releasing 3 singles. Two EPs were produced by Martin Carr of The Boo Radleys. The band toured across Europe with Bob Mould's post Hüsker Dü outfit, Sugar. Mould joined the band on the last night of the tour to play a version of The Beatles classic song, Ticket To Ride.Hot Press Magazine 16 November 1994 "Interview Quote" No album ever materialised as the label fell into financial difficulties and the band split acrimoniously after a final show at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. Carroll returned to London where Rough Trade took over his management. The group's official recorded output has been out of print since 1994. Although the band only released 10 songs commercially, outtakes, radio sessions, demos and unreleased material have surfaced on several bootleg CDs originating from Japan. The recorded output and copyright is now under the ownership of One Little Indian Records.
1996–1999 The Hormones were a rock band formed in London in 1996. Carroll was the sole songwriter for the group, whose sound was described as a mixture between Teenage Fanclub and Stiff Little Fingers.Irish Music DB July 1998 "Singles Review" Carroll was a founder of the band, who released their debut single in 1996 as part of the Trade2/Island records singles club. The band members were Jez Housden on Bass and former Guns n' Wankers and Wildhearts drummer, Pat Walters. The group eventually signed to Richard Branson's V2 label and released 5 singles. The third single "Mr. Wilson" was Carroll's tribute to Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, the lyrics almost entirely consisting of Beach Boys song titles. Brian Wilson heard the track and Carroll was invited to the legendary songwriter's birthday show at New York City's Beacon Theatre in 1999. An album, Where Old Ghosts Meet (a reference from On Raglan Road by Patrick Kavanagh), was released in 1998 but deleted the same week. It has been listed in a book 101 Irish Records You Need to Hear Before You Die.Clayton-Lea, Tony. 101 Irish Records (You Need To Hear Before You Die) Page 106, Liberties Press 2011
The band featured in the wedding episode of US TV show Friends - a track written by Carroll and originally issued as a B-side, "Tired Old Souls", was featured. The band toured consistently throughout the UK and Europe. Carroll also performed with the Scottish Poet/Songwriter Eric Bogle at the Weavers Club in London in 1996 and the band opened for The Cranberries on a European tour in 1999. A 2-CD edition of the album was issued in Japan on the Excellent label in 2002 in a limited run of 1000 copies. The bonus disc featured B-sides and unreleased material. A second pressing of the vinyl edition was issued on the Velvet label in Japan in a pressing of 500 copies. The group split in 1999 after a show in Madrid, Spain and the recorded output remains out of print. A multi disc (6CD) bootleg set was released on the Last Waltz label in Japan in 2003; it included demos, outtakes, alternate mixes, radio sessions and unreleased material. The group released 5 singles from the Where Old Ghosts Meet album, with each single featuring 3 exclusive non-album B-sides, which added up to 15 extra songs that were not included on the original album.
Solo period (1999–present)
Universal Music/Evangeline Recorded Works/High Noon Recordings Carroll signed to Universal Music in 1999 and recorded his first solo album, Ten of Swords later that year. 3 singles were released in Ireland only. Carroll played all of the instruments himself as well as taking on co-production duties with longtime recording partner, Adi Winman.Adi Winman "AllMusic" 2014 Former Smiths Guitarist, Craig Gannon played on several tracks. Gannon also toured the album with Carroll across the UK and Japan in 2002. The album was hampered by further record company problems. The UK label refused to release the record. In an interview with The Irish Times in 2005 Carroll said, "Sometimes record companies will sign you up so no-one else can, and that happened to me. I was left dangling at Universal for two years of my life so I had no hesitation in saying goodbye."Clayton-Lea, Tony. 31 March 2005 Interview. The Irish Times (Dublin) The Irish division of Universal pressed the album and sent it to media but it was withdrawn a week before its scheduled release date. Legendary UK A&R figure, Andrew Lauder eventually released the album on his Evangeline label in 2002 and the record was met with critical acclaim with UK music magazine Uncut awarding it a 4 star review and calling it "One of the finest debuts of recent times."Hughes, Rob. 2003 Reviews Uncut Magazine (London) "All Wrongs Reversed"
The album received mainly positive critical feedback. Mojo magazine's review of the album stated "A soul full of Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds and The Buzzcocks...he could move to Nashville and become a millionaire."Black, Johnny. February 2003 Reviews Mojo Magazine (London) The Village Voice in New York said "He sounds like a jacked up Wilco."30 April – 6 May 2003. "Review" Page 96 The Village Voice (New York) Ireland's Hot Press ran a poor review under the heading "Blunt Sword" and criticised Carroll's version of the traditional song "Row the Boat Ashore", noting that its inclusion was a "blunder of Spinal Tap proportions, it's not funny and it's not clever."Robinson, Stephen. September 2001 Review. Hot Press Magazine (Dublin) The Independent wrote "His dealings with the record industry are fast becoming stuff of legend but he delivers a wide range of musical goods with palpable passion."Meagher, John. February 2003 The Irish Independent (Dublin) The Irish Times in an interview with Carroll in 2005 wrote that "those who skipped over 'Row The Boat Ashore' on Ten of Swords and worried about the inclusion of 'On Raglan Road' on All Wrongs Reversed were missing the point and the music."Clayton-Lea, Tony. 31 March 2005 Interview The Irish Times (Dublin) The cover of the album is a homage to the infamous bootleg label, 'Trade Mark of Quality'. It was reissued again with different packaging by High Noon Recordings in 2006. In 2014 One Little Indian released a remastered and expanded edition of Ten of Swords as part of a comprehensive overhaul of Carroll's back catalogue.One Little Indian, 20 January 2014 "Marc Carroll Reissues"
Evangeline released All Wrongs Reversed, a compilation of B-sides and rarities in 2003. The original album contained 11 songs including a cover of Bob Dylan's "Gates of Eden". Later that year the song appeared as a download on the official Bob Dylan webpage. The album also included another Dylan song, "Senor, Tales of Yankee Power". Marc Carroll has also recorded Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" as a B-side on the UK single "Crashpad Number" and "Tombstone Blues" for Uncut Magazine's Highway 61 Revisited...Revisted tribute CD. Rock critic and author, Johnny Rogan reviewed the album for Mojo saying "A classy compendium of lost songs and rarities, as ever, his pop sensibility is positively tangible, permeating almost every track."Rogan, Johnny. July 2003 Reviews Page 100, Mojo Magazine (London) The Album was reissued again in different packaging by High Noon in 2006. In 2014 One Little Indian released a remastered and completely revised edition of the album that duplicated only 5 songs from the original while adding 10 previously unreleased tracks, including "2541", "The Main" and "Now That You Know Me", all of which were written by former Husker Du drummer and songwriter, Grant Hart. Carroll's first show as a solo artist was with Hart in 1995. All Wrongs Reversed also featured a cover version of the Buffalo Springfield song, "For What It's Worth".