Equipe 84

{{short description|Italian beat band from Modena (1964–1977; 1984–2012)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Equipe 84

| image = Equipe84.jpg

| caption = Equipe 84 in the 1960s (left to right): Franco Ceccarelli, Victor Sogliani, Maurizio Vandelli, Alfio Cantarella

| image_size =

| genre = {{hlist|Beat|pop}}

| origin = Modena, Italy

| years_active = 1964–1977
1984–2012

| label = {{hlist|Vedette|Ricordi|BMG|Ariston}}

| website =

| associated_acts =

| current_members =

| past_members = {{ubl|Maurizio Vandelli|Franco Ceccarelli|Victor Sogliani|Alfio Cantarella}}

}}

Equipe 84 ({{IPA|it|eˈkip otˌtantaˈkwattro}}) were an Italian beat band formed in 1964 in Modena.{{Cite web|url=http://www.italianprog.com/a_equipe84.htm|title=Equipe 84|website=Italianprog.com|accessdate=2020-06-11}} The name was originally suggested by a friend of the band, Pier Farri. Equipe was thought to be a word that would resonate more easily outside of their home country, and though the origin of 84 is unclear, it is presumed to have been the total age of the members of the band at the moment of its inception.

Originally formed by {{ill|Maurizio Vandelli (singer)|lt=Maurizio Vandelli|it|Maurizio Vandelli (cantante)}} (vocals, guitar), {{ill|Victor Sogliani|it}} (bass), {{ill|Alfio Cantarella|it}} (drums) and {{ill|Franco Ceccarelli|it}} (guitar), Equipe 84 recorded their debut album in 1965 with the label Vedette, before signing a more lucrative agreement with Dischi Ricordi. From 1966 Equipe 84 scored a number of hit singles in the Italian charts, including "29 settembre" and "Io ho in mente te" (an Italian rendition of the folk duo Ian & Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind"). In 1967, the band was featured in Mariano Laurenti's film I ragazzi di bandiera gialla.

In 1970, Ceccarelli left the band to pursue a solo career. In the same year Cantarella was charged with possession of illegal drugs – a predicament that would keep him away from the band for two years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.larena.it/territori/villafranchese/artisti-sul-palco-del-ferrarini-per-l-amico-alfio-cantarella-1.6243281|title=Artisti sul palco del Ferrarini per l’amico Alfio Cantarella|first=Società Editrice Athesis|last=S.p.A|website=Larena.it|accessdate=2020-06-11}} After hiring temporary replacements in the form of keyboardist Dario Baldan Bembo and PFM drummer Franz Di Cioccio, Vandelli and Sogliani embarked on an ambitious project, recording the strongly influenced prog-rock album ID and briefly changing the name of the band to Nuova Equipe 84.{{Cite web|url=https://biografieonline.it/biografia.htm?BioID=3203&biografia=Maurizio+Vandelli|title=Maurizio Vandelli. La biografia.|date=June 14, 2017|website=Biografieonline.it|accessdate=2020-06-11}} In 1973, with the return of Cantarella, the band left Dischi Ricordi and signed for Alfredo Rossi's label Ariston Records, returning to a more conventional sound with the album Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. The band, however, stirred further controversy with the single "Clinica Fior di Loto", a blatant invitation to vote for the Italian Socialist Party at the upcoming general elections.

Following a decline in popularity, Equipe 84 officially disbanded in 1977. In the mid-1980s, Sogliani and Ceccarelli attempted a short-lived reunion of the original members, which resulted in the band's final album, Un amore vale l'altro (1989).{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiomargherita.com/equipe-84/|title=Equipe 84|website=Radiomargherita.com|date=May 28, 2020|accessdate=2020-06-11}}