…Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo!
Artists: Guido And Maurizio De Angelis
Altrimenti ci arrabbiamo (1974) was directed by Marcello Fondato and starred Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, two very popular artists who worked together many times both before and after this production.
Ben (Bud Spencer) is a mechanic who works in a shop in front of a Luna Park, and Kid (Terence Hill) is a truck driver. Both love cars, and at the beginning of the story they race a Puma Dune Buggy at a sort of rally. They try to decide the owner of the prize in a heat featuring beer and sausages, but soon after, they lose their car, which is destroyed by the gang of a ruthless businessman played by John Sharp. The latter is assisted by a sort of German doctor (Donald Pleasance) who wants to get rid of the aforementioned amusement park in order to build a skyscraper. In an act of intimidation, the Dune Buggy is set ablaze as collateral damage. So, the destiny of our two heroes will be bound to the aim of getting back their red car, with yellow roof, while resisting and reacting to every malfeasance. The story comes to a close when, after the umpteenth riot, the evil businessman tries to end the discussion by offering the duo not one but two dune buggies.
Shot in Madrid, Spain, Ben’s workshop is located near the exotic location of Vincente Calderon stadium–more precisely, on it’s south side, where a wide esplanade leads to Puente de Toledo, the bridge on the Manzanarre River which crosses Madrid. The entrance of Hotel petit Palace Posada del Peine, at Calle de Postas 17, not far from Plaza Mayor, was the set for the external shots of the gang’s headquarters. Aside from two other Italian locations, all indoor shooting was accomplished in De Paolis studios. In the two actors’ discography, we dare say that this is undoubtedly the movie that gave us the greatest number of iconic scenes ever, earning its admittance into the contemporary Olympus of cinematic cult status for movies of that era. The red Dune Buggy with yellow roof, the rally, the strength show-off game at the amusement park with the toy missile, the firemen choir, the killer violin player, the motorbike chase, the final riot in the colored balloons, the heat featuring beer and sausages, and, most importantly, the scene which gave the movie its title. In that sequence, we have Ben and Kid asking for a Dune Buggy from the gang’s chief, who incredulously replies, “Otherwise?,” to which the two heroes goofily reply, “Otherwise… otherwise… otherwise we’ll get angry!” Words sculpted into the foundation of cult cinema.
From a visual perspective, the Dune Buggy immediately garnered its own cult status, becoming the symbol of Guido & Maurizio De Angelis’ tribute to that era of cinema during their concerts, with the apparition of the car projected in front of theaters, if not on the stage itself during the show. The affection of the two artists for Bud Spencer is also evident by the choice to replicate the firemen choir scene with the two musicians infiltrating the singers, just like in the movie. In that scene, we have a powerful representation of our benevolent giant, again engaged with the actual score from the movie and not just acting, showing a enviable musical vein. The image of Ben performing the solo voice in the choir while putting his fingers on his lips between stanzas is the most vivid memory his fans have. What are we thinking about when we remember him if not that sequence?
Now we reach our favorite topic, the soundtrack. To have the possibility to present the first official release of this score is more than a dream, it’s a turning point; it represents the finding and sharing of that Holy Grail whose traces were followed by many people, for far too long, and we do not exaggerate in revealing to you that the story of this musical research has even been painful at times, but thanks to the efforts of Maurizio De Angelis, who conducted in-depth research into his huge personal archive, it has been possibile to retrieve this material.
So, the countdown for this release had begun, thanks to the joint forces of Cabum, Beat Records and Digitmovies, which made this album possible. We saw that at the time speaking a would-be LP had been planned but never brought to life, so why not, let’s start from that project, from which you will enjoy this world-premiere release. In this lost ark, now found, we can finally listen to “Dune Buggy” in all its glory, a real Ode to Joy 2.0 of the ’70s, that genial cue that animates the firemen choir, an absolute musical icon of Italian cinema, but also other astonishing cues that were perhaps just mixed under dialogue and effects in the movie, such as “Altrimenti ci arrabbiamo sequenza due,” a real stylistic exercise, jazzy with both sax and guitar solos, or the cue that is synched with the arrival of the violinist, a dangerous killer hired to get rid of Ben and Kid, a character obviously scored through violin with a melody that, on stage, during the two artists’ concerts, is mixed with the firemen choir.
But there is much more in this release, such as the wonderful Latin music for the dance floor, the adrenaline provided by the rally music, the score for the sequences at the Luna Park or the beer and sausages heat. It will be easier to play this CD and understand how much of a milestone it is. As far as we are concerned, there are no words to describe what this album means to us–it’s like finally driving that shining red Puma, with the happy eyes of a boy who has tried many times to do it, sometimes getting close to the goal but without success. It’s that marvelous image of Bud and Terence on their Dune Buggies, driving them just before one of the two cars breaks down again. At that moment, they understand and accept their destiny. It doesn’t matter how circumstances try to divide them, their fate is to stay together, among our heroes, embraced with good feelings, like brothers, and don’t try to take this image away from us, otherwise… we’ll get angry!
I feel like a king in my buggy!
2 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 1 - Ball Room Dance) - 2:21
3 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 2 - Discoteque) - 3:13
4 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 3 - Mariachi Dance) - 3:49
5 - Dune Buggy (Intrumental) - 3:43
6 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 4 - Beguine) - 2:11
7 - Il Coro Dei Pompieri - 1:58
8 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 5 - Love Scene) - 3:25
9 - Across The Fields - 4:08
10 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 6 - Paganini The Killer) - 1:34
11 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 7 - Mariachi Dance 2) - 2:13
12 - …Altrimenti Ci Arrabbiamo! (Seq. 8 - Car Chase) - 1:10
13 - Il Ballo - 3:44
14 - Dune Buggy (Off-Vocal Version) - 2:52