Purple Overdose

Purple Overdose were founded in Athens, Greece in 1987 by Costas Constantinou (vocals, guitar, and only constant member).

The band seeked to recreate the psychedelic atmosphere of the mid 1960's while blending hard rock, jazz, oriental and even some folklore into their music. The lyrics were written in English by Constantinou, and can be described as poetic and somewhat sentimental, while also drawing inspiration from the flower power movement of the 1960's. They embraced ideals of nature, and freedom of spirit. They are similar in style to Smell Of Incense.

The first album Exit 4 was released in 1988, to critical acclaim. Members of fellow Athenian Psych band No Man's Land also played on the album. The arrangements on it are slightly simpler than on later albums, incorporating elements of hard rock. The second LP, Indigo (1990) marks a move towards more complex compositions. Their next eponumous album, introduced the flute (Vasilis Kapanikis) and elements of jazz, and a further move towards more progressive compositions. Their fourth album, Solemn Visions (1996) continued in the same vein, and experimented in places with a curious mixture of blues and oriental influences. The fifth studio album, Reborn, released in 1999, is arguably the pinnacle of their career. It features longer and spacier compositions, and again a variety of styles, showing the band at their most mature.

From live releases, of particular note is The Salmon's Trip whose title is taken from the track "Reborn", a track which describes the life cycle of the salmon fish. There is also a compilation album, Painting The Air which consists of tracks from the earlier years, as well as three previously unreleased compositions.

The band gave its farewell performance in Sept 9, 2005. Constantinou died in May 2020, at the age of 60.

Musicians:
Costas Constantinou (lead guitar, cymbal, effects, vocals), Christophoros Triantophilopoulos (drums, percussion), Andreas Andriopoulos (bass), Vasilis Kapanikis (keyboards, organ, mellotron, flute S.&T. recorders), Stavros Eleftheriou (Congas, jug, assorted percussion)

Other contributors: Stelios Drisis, Aris Christou, Aris Kontoangelos, Tolis Labouris, Mihalis Vasiliou, Giorgios Papageorgiadis, Giorgos Nikas, and Makis Mpellos