Razorback
Released in 1984
13 Tracks with a total running time of 38 min.
Music Composed and Performed by Iva Davies

Sometimes it is these smaller movies that you don’t really think about that can really impress you when it comes to simple things like the soundtrack. We picked up a copy of this one at a convention, not remembering if it was any good or not, but since I’m a sucker for soundtracks and the price was right, I figured I’d give it a try. Composed and performed by Iva Davies, who is most well known for being in a band called Icehouse, being one of the biggest rock stars in Australia. This film was the first time he worked on a soundtrack, only doing a couple more throughout his long career in the music business. But that didn’t stop him from creating a wonderful score here.

Right from the first notes, Davies’ score hooked me. He developed a little theme right there and draws in the listener. It’s a simple score, sounding like it was done on a keyboard or two, but he is still able to come up with some great sounds and themes throughout the score. There are some great cues that mesh perfectly into the film, helping create suspense, terror, and action, which is exactly what a good score should do.

After he gets us with the main theme, the second track, Sarah’s Theme, is a beautiful and sad little piece of music, with an almost dreamy feel to it. But when you get to tracks like Saltlake Walk, he creates some strange and bizarre sounds, like some sort of electronic feedback that then moves into a rhythm.  Strange, but it works. While he does hit a few different kind of mood pieces, like action or suspense, it is the slower pieces of music where Davies really shines.

Might be a little tough finding a copy of this score, but if you can, I would definitely consider adding it to your collection.