Cromwell - The Singles (2010)

An Irish hard rock band whose swaggering but melodic sound was informed by blues, boogie, and psychedelia, Cromwell were formed in Drumcondra, a suburb in the north side of Dublin, in 1970. The band's original lineup featured lead singer Mick O'Hagan, lead guitarist Patrick Brady, bassist Michael Kiely, and drummer Derek Dawson. Cromwell made their live debut in 1970 with an outdoor gig in Swords, County Dublin, and by 1972 they had established themselves enough to land a tour opening for Irish blues icon Rory Gallagher. However, the band found O'Hagan difficult to work with, and by the time Cromwell released their first record in 1973, he was out of the lineup, and from then on Kiely and Brady took turns singing lead. Cromwell's vinyl debut was a self-released 7" single, "Guinness Rock" b/w "You Hate It to Turn." Two more singles followed in 1974 -- "Stomp Stomp Stomp" b/w "Nothing Left to See" and "Deal Me In" b/w "Hoodwinked" -- as they gigged frequently and struggled to make a name for themselves on the still burgeoning Irish rock scene. In 1975, Cromwell self-released their first full-length album, At the Gallop, which earned positive reviews, while a single drawn from the album, "First Day" b/w "Down on the Town," was picked up for distribution by CBS. However, At the Gallop failed to become the commercial breakthrough Cromwell hoped for, and by the end of 1975, the band broke up, and Brady and Kiely formed a duo act, the Establishment. In time, Cromwell were rediscovered by fans of rare Irish rock and hard rock arcania, and in 2017 At the Gallop was reissued by the archival label Got Kinda Lost Records. ~ Mark Deming