Artist

MURPLE

Pino Santamaria (guitar, vocals)
Piercarlo Zanco (keyboards, vocals)
Mario Garbarino (bass, percussion)
Duilio Sorrenti (drums, percussion)

Another band that deserved much more consideration than they got, Murple released a lonely beautiful album in 1974 on the german Basf label, one of very few italian releases on this label, that didn't cared to promote the group at all and issued the record long after its recording. It's a shame, because Io sono Murple is a very regarding album, well presented in a fantasy cover and with lyric insert, and very well played by this experienced four-piece from Rome.

The album contains a long suite divided on the two sides, based on the story of a penguin ,and even if the lyrics are somehow naive, the music is very good, with classical inspirations especially in the keyboard playing and nice guitar parts.

The LP was not successful, obviously, even due to the unfavourable press reviews, and the band collaborated with some other artists, like singer Gianfranca Montedoro (previously in Living Music) on her Donna circo 1975 album, but though they were ready to record a second album, decided to split. Bass player Mario Garbarino had been replaced by Roberto Puleo after the album release.

In 2007 three of the original members, Zanco, Garbarino and Sorrenti, reunited to record a new album, Quadri di un'esposizione, to be released in 2008.

Another very rare and highly regarded item, Io sono Murple suffered from bad distribution by a foreign label, Basf, not particularly active in Italy. Gatefold cover is fully laminated and a foldout insert is included, printed on thin brown paper. The album has recently been reissued on vinyl by Akarma with the same gatefold cover and insert as the original.

No counterfeits nor foreign issues exist.

The website dedicated to Murple is www.murple.it