My first Leone. Second watch.
Imagine if any one of the three is replaced with someone else: Leone, Eastwood or Morricone. Does the movie hold up? Highly doubtful. While it might seem like a no brainer that you could do that mental exercise with any movie, A Fistful of Dollars would be particularly impacted; it is a testament to the scrappy aesthetics feeling so epic.
A Few Dollars More is slicker, with more star power (shout out to Lee Van Cleef), bigger sets and more flute. But it isn't as interesting.