Soundtrack Apocalisse

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis are probably the most prolific songwriting duo in Italian cinema; the two brothers have worked on over 160 movies throughout their career under several deferent guises (mostly as Oliver Onions). They are probably most famous for their work on the Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill buddy films of the 70’s and 80’s, and their film themes were incredibly popular in Italy. The two not only had pop sensibility, but also knew how to make the perfect musical backdrop for whatever movie they were scoring.

The De Angelis brothers composed music for almost every kind of genre, but arguably their work for poliziotteschi movies are some of their best work. And possibly their best score for that genre was for Enzo Castellari’s 1974’s Il Cittadino Si Ribella (aka Street Law). The soundtrack truly only has three themes with each theme having several variants, but never gets dull and is a great, solid album.

The first of the themes is the title theme, which is a crawly bluesy track complete with harmonica, wah guitar, and a really great bass groove. Although it’s the weaker track of the three, it is has a great 70’s cop movie feel to it, and is perfect for the mood of the overall record.

The theme that appears the most is the amazing composition “Goodbye My Friend,” the track that opens and closes the movie, and appears in all the moments that have high tension. The main version of the theme features screaming vocals by Guido De Angelis and is also sung by a woman simply known as Suzy (who also sings on some other De Angelis scores), and it is easily one of the most memorable songs in poliziotteschi films. A booming vocal chorus (probably made with a mellotron) accompanied by a whirling Hammond organ and distorted adding dense layer and creating a great feeling of tension. Some of the versions of the song are instrumental, and the different versions include added synth or flute lines that mimic the lyrics.

The third theme is another great De Angelis composition simply titled “Driving all Around.” This song has a great police film feel, complete with synth stabs and tight drum beats. The main version of the song is sung once again by Guido, and like most of the songs he sings on, the lyrics are nearly incomprehensible due to his accent (which ultimately gives it a certain charm). I think in one part he says “traffic light sweat,”but honestly I can’t really tell. Two instrumental versions are also included with either a bass or guitar mimicking the vocal line.