Barry's instrumentation for Peggy Sue Got Married includes a small orchestra with abbreviated woodwind and brass sections, as well as acoustic and electric guitars joining a saxophone for period reference. A piano provides typical Barry interludes of solace, and the only unique moment stylistically comes in "The Ritual," which offers an annoyingly stoic rhythm with metallic percussion and dissonant sax as the woman's grandmother humorously attempts to send her back to the future. Listeners expecting to hear the depth of the time-travel romance Barry wrote for Somewhere in Time will be disappointed despite fairly good sound quality in the mix, as the smaller ensemble doesn't allow for that kind of presence. But the same familiar territory is traversed, and the composer doesn't do much to spice up the sound. Sadly, distinct versions of themes for potential alternate futures are not clearly explored, a missed opportunity. As usual, the themes tend to repeat their phrases twice in prototypical Barry fashion, a possible annoyance for some listeners. More problematic is that he infuses absolutely zero passion to any of the thematic performances, a totally dull environment resulting. It's a score to sleepwalk through despite the relatively decent thematic identities explored. There's one dominant theme in Peggy Sue Got Married and a host of secondary ideas that never quite congeal, and your ability to attach to that main identity will likely determine your affection for the whole affair. The main theme is backed by waltz formations and represents the Peggy Sue's sense of home, introduced following its rhythmic piano introduction at 1:39 into "Peggy Sue's Homecoming." After delicately dancing through "Grandmother Calls" on piano and woodwinds with soft string backing, this idea quietly graces "Peggy Sue With Michael" on acoustic guitar and rolling string foundation. The length of that cue allows Barry to explore secondary lines freely, though the main melodic renditions do become redundant after a while given their repetition. The theme is melancholy in its rotation between flutes and strings in "Peggy Sue Visits Grandparents," emerges from the light suspense of the Charlie material in the middle of "Charlie's Proposal," and offers comfort on sax and strings in the latter half of "Charlie, I Had the Strangest Experience."

The secondary themes of Peggy Sue Got Married aren't as well defined, but a pair of them share phrasing as they relate to the suspense element and Cage's character, Charlie. Common to both are rising figures under shifting harmonies, the first one revealed for the concept of time travel mystery and sometimes joined by a descending answer in counterpoint. This material develops in "Blood Drive 1960," consolidating at 1:13 with counterpoint line on sax at 2:00. It meanders in the middle of "Peggy Sue's Homecoming," turns lighter in "Sleep, Baby," and continues its evolution in "The Silent Treatment." After revisiting its original form in "Time is Like a Burrito," Barry pushes it further towards its more optimistic and romantic version in "Date With Charlie." This mode vaguely guides "Did We Break Up" before light jazz travels in a new direction, and the melody continues that journey on guitar in "Charlie's Unplayed Guitar." Tentatively opening "Peggy Sue Visits Grandparents" on cyclical winds, the theme's brighter side finally reveals itself as a motif for Charlie in "Charlie's Proposal." The original mystery for the idea then recurs in "Charlie, I Had the Strangest Experience" for the shift back to modern times. Aside from these themes, Barry also briefly touches upon an underexplored motif of wonder that uses James Horner-like progressions of light drama with anticipation. Opening "Peggy Sue's Homecoming" nicely on strings, this idea returns in the first two minutes of "Charlie, I Had the Strangest Experience," perhaps solidifying it as a distinct time travel identity. In the end, the thematic core keeps things pleasant and extremely smooth on album. But it could definitely bore if you're not in the mood for this kind of Barry music. It lacks the passion of Somewhere in Time and most of the composer's equivalent dramatic works despite having little to offend. Four oddly selected cues from the score appeared on the original 1986 album from Varèse Sarabande, the product's emphasis clearly on the songs. That label expanded the presentation in 2014 to feature 45 minutes of Barry's score with another six minutes of alternate takes and the same set of songs. The alternate version on "Peggy Sue With Michael" pushes brass over woodwinds while a spirited moment in "Unused Fanfare" has more zest than anything else. That limited product is a decent presentation of Barry's music, but pitch distortions on strings at the end of "Did We Break Up" are a detriment. None of Barry's material survived in the 2001 musical adaptation for Peggy Sue Got Married, but given how nondescript his music tends to be for the picture, nobody should wonder why.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download