Until September

1984

LP: Varese Sarabande STV-81226
CD: Silva FILMCD 085

Main Title (1:17)
It's Love (0:56)
Not Again (1:32)
Second Spat (1:50)
He Catches Her (5:45)
Candle Light (2:27)
Seine (1:43)
Foreplay (2:48)
One More Time (2:41)
Waiting (1:27)
Memories (3:25)
The Morning After (2:09)
End Title (2:32)

The Movie

Karen Allen is an American tourist in Paris who misses her flight out. So what do you do when you have a few days to kill? Hop into bed with some Frenchman, of course.

The Music

I think this is one of Barry's most under-appreciated scores. I blame it on the Charles-in-Charge factor.

In 1984 there was a tv show that ran a single season called E/R--not to be confused with the hit show that runs now. This was a half-hour sitcom with Elliot Gould and Mary McDonnell. It started off rough but it got better as it developed. It was a bit like the tv show MASH in that it tried to fuse some drama in with the comedy. And it was a cut above most of the same-old-crap that was on tv at the time (or now). And it had great potential.

But it followed Charles in Charge, a vertible Starcrash of tv shows. Of course nobody watched E/R because nobody was watching CBS by the time Charles in Charge was over. It was like asking people to sip a fine brandy after they'd just chewed a mouthful of human remains. Both shows got yanked off the schedule. Then they re-appeared again, and once again E/R followed Charles in Charge. And it died.

Silva Screen did something great with a couple of their CD releases--they came up with double-soundtrack CDs. But they got the pairing wrong. They took two action/adventure films that belong together, Game of Death and Starcrash, and paired them with two quiet romances that belonged together, Night Games and Until September. The result is a first-class train-wreck, particularly when the quiet music ends and the racket begins. I think people miss the greatness of Until September because they don't want to be near Starcrash (and who can blame them?)

But Until September is worth a listen. I think it stands alongside Somewhere in Time as a great score. If you like Somewhere in Time, then try Until September. I think you'll be pleased with this overlooked gem.

Release Notes

This one never got an original LP release, which was a shame. It wasn't until Silva released it on CD that it saw the light of day as a soundtrack. Barry himself thought enough of it to include it on his compilation Moviola II, and Nic Raine performs it on his CD Walkabout.