Murple - Io Sono Murple

Jesus Christ! It’s an Italian tour de force! It’s been a while since I’ve done an Italian Prog review since il Balletto Di Bronzo, Metamorfosi, and The Top 5 Italian Prog Rock albums included on the Prog Blog review site. Since I don’t know a little bit of Italian, but we can always find someone interesting to make a concept album that is 17 and 16-minutes long on two tracks for 33 minutes which in English means, I Am Murple. It’s definitely a positive idea throughout a narration and set to the music of Murple, who were a cross between ELP, Genesis PFM and Banco, appeared almost like shining stars that burned brightly to make Italian Rock music. The concept album of their only debut album released in 1974 which are written in Italian, tells the story of a Penguin named Murple leaves his home in the Icy Home of Antarctica as he encounters the terrifying Evil Man as he kidnaps him and makes him his slave inside a circus and then taking him into the devilish nightmare of the Zoo called Antarplastic. The story might be strange and odd, but the music itself, is a quantum leap of epic proportions.
For me, this is a good idea because along with other tracks that remain to be in suites along with; Tarkus, Thick as a Brick, A Passion Play, Tales From Topographic Oceans, and Echoes, it all fits like a diamond in the Smithsonian institute instead of being tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4 that are 3 minutes and 33 seconds and make them look like Singles. This one didn’t. They did it exactly right on the money with this album from beginning to end. Examples including the first track which begins as a guitar tapping and then going into a sonic territory and very Moog like atmospheric beauty in the Ice land goes into the African tribe on the percussion and then all of a sudden becomes flourishing organ sound which is very Floyd-like sequel to A Saucerful of Secrets whilst it goes into the cabaret drum roll. And then, KAPOW! It becomes a hard rockin’ take of early King Crimson with the gong and back into the mourning sounds of the organ, back into the attack mode and you got to ask yourselves ‘How the fuck can a short-live band be so goddamn good?! Why aren’t there any other bands doing this sound?!” well the evidence is right here is in the tapes themselves.
The memorable pieces including the piano ballad turned classical baroque Italian music with Senza Un Perche and Nessuna Scelta has some magnificent dynamic improvisations, also it has this angelic choir and then it becomes an homage to Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso’s Darwin! album it starts off with the bass doing some interesting notes and then the keyboards and drums hitting the right patterns at the same time as it moves into a pastoral rocker that would have made the Mars Volta very happy with to croon over with as if they imagined they’ve listened to this before going experimental on the punk’s asses. Also, the glorified piano beginning on side two, is an homage to Keith Emerson and Dave Brubeck ala Classical Piano technique on Preludio E Scherzo while it goes into Chopsticks routine and then goes into ELP ballad mode with the heavy guitar solo and the Moog and vocals fit the goal on Tra I Fili while it goes into 4/4 time signature as it becomes more of a waltz and lukewarm sunrise beauty like if the Penguin is singing about being trapped in this hellsome prison rock opera style. The band split up after the release of this album, but then came back in the 21st century in the year 2007 and released their first album in over 33 years with Quadri di un’esposizione. Madagascar and Happy Feet bombastic talking animals, eat your fucking hearts out! Because there's a new penguin in town along with a band that knows to make you bow down on your knees!