Luba – The Best Is Yet To Come (Extended Dance Mix) (US 12″) (1986)

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Yesterday we were chasing a gopher around the golf course.

Today, we are moving on to 9½ Weeks.

Nobody can accuse this series of lacking variety.

For our next Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition selection, we turn to Canadian singer and songwriter Luba and “The Best Is Yet To Come,” from the 1986 film 9½ Weeks.

Directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke, 9½ Weeks certainly was not Caddyshack II. The film became one of the most talked-about movies of the decade, following the intense relationship between New York art gallery employee Elizabeth and mysterious Wall Street broker John.

And like so many memorable films from the 1980s, it came with a terrific soundtrack.

John Taylor opened the album with “I Do What I Do… (Theme For 9½ Weeks),” followed by Luba’s “The Best Is Yet To Come.” The soundtrack also featured Bryan Ferry’s “Slave To Love,” Dalbello’s “Black On Black,” Corey Hart’s “Eurasian Eyes,” Joe Cocker’s unforgettable “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” Devo, Eurythmics, and Stewart Copeland.

Luba actually appears twice.

The album closes with “Let It Go,” a song that originally appeared on her 1984 album Secrets And Sins. “The Best Is Yet To Come,” however, was not taken from one of Luba’s regular studio albums. It was recorded for the soundtrack and later appeared on her 1987 compilation Over 60 Minutes With Luba.

That makes this one especially interesting for soundtrack collectors.

“The Best Is Yet To Come” was written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle and produced by Narada Michael Walden.

That is already quite a pedigree.

Walden surrounds Luba’s powerful voice with the kind of glossy, dramatic production that seemed made for the middle of the 1980s. Big drums, keyboards, atmosphere, and a vocal that keeps building as the song moves forward.

And then François Kevorkian gets hold of it.

Now we are really talking.

The US 12-inch takes the track onto the dance floor with an Extended Dance Mix and Dub Version remixed by François Kevorkian, one of the most important names in club music. The record also includes “Let It Go,” giving us both of Luba’s contributions to the 9½ Weeks soundtrack on one 12-inch.

The Extended Dance Mix gives the production room to breathe. Kevorkian stretches out the rhythm, lets the percussion and keyboards take a larger role, and builds an arrangement that feels much more spacious than the soundtrack version.

Then comes the Dub.

And you know I love a good dub.

This is where the record gets stripped down and opened up, allowing the production itself to become the star. Vocals move in and out, instrumental pieces suddenly jump forward, and all those little details hiding underneath the original mix finally get their turn.

It is exactly the kind of remixing that made the 12-inch format so much fun.

There was also an official music video made for “The Best Is Yet To Come,” another reminder that Capitol was giving the song a genuine push beyond its soundtrack appearance.

Despite that promotion and an international single release, “The Best Is Yet To Come” does not appear to have reached any of the major national singles charts.

That is a little surprising.

Here we have a major motion-picture soundtrack, production by Narada Michael Walden, remixes by François Kevorkian, an official music video, and a singer who was already a major star in Canada.

And somehow, the single slipped through the chart cracks.

Luba became one of Canada’s most successful female vocalists of the decade and won the Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year three years in a row.

Yet in the United States, she remained something of a discovery.

That makes “The Best Is Yet To Come” perfect for this series.

Here we have a great female vocalist, a major motion-picture soundtrack, production by Narada Michael Walden, remixes by François Kevorkian, and a US 12-inch that brings both of Luba’s soundtrack contributions together.

And still, the record is easy to overlook.

Not anymore.

From golf courses and gophers to Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, Week Four continues to take us to some interesting places.

But that is the fun of soundtrack collecting.

You never know where the next record is going to take you.

And judging by this one…

The Best Is Yet To Come.

SIDE A:
The Best Is Yet To Come (Extended Dance Mix) 6:37

SIDE B:
The Best Is Yet To Come (Dub Vs.) 5:53
Let It Go 3:41

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Capitol Records – V-15231
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, SRC Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
This is a Specialty Records Corporation (SRC) pressing as indicated by E A S T embossed on side A label.

(from the LP “9 1/2 Weeks” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack SV-12470)

Housed inside a company die-cut sleeve

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND


THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal.

I appreciate your help.

 

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force – Go For Yours (US 12″) (1988)

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For today’s Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition, I’m going to gopher it.

Yes, I went there.

This one was originally scheduled for last Friday, but I decided to put Ladies Of The 80s on hold for the day to remember William Orbit. Today we are picking up right where we left off, and after a more reflective Friday, I think we could use a little Lisa Lisa, Full Force, and one very persistent gopher.

Our next selection is Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force and “Go For Yours,” recorded for the soundtrack to the 1988 comedy Caddyshack II.

By 1988, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam were hardly strangers to the charts. With Full Force behind them, they had already given us “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” “Can You Feel The Beat,” “All Cried Out,” and the back-to-back number-one pop hits “Head To Toe” and “Lost In Emotion.”

Their combination of freestyle, R&B, pop, and hip-hop had become one of the defining sounds of mid-1980s New York.

Then came Caddyshack II.

Released in July 1988, the sequel attempted to follow the enormously popular 1980 original. Chevy Chase returned as Ty Webb, while Jackie Mason, Dan Aykroyd, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Randy Quaid, and Jonathan Silverman joined the cast.

The movie did not exactly receive a hero’s welcome.

In fact, Caddyshack II developed a reputation as one of those sequels most people would rather forget.

Fortunately, we are here for the music.

And once again, the soundtrack was much better than the movie.

The album included Kenny Loggins’ “Nobody’s Fool,” Patty Smyth’s “I Run Right Back,” the Pointer Sisters’ “Power Of Persuasion,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Turn On (The Beat Box),” Cheap Trick, Eric Martin, Full Force, and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.

“Go For Yours” was written and produced by Full Force, who had been central to Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam’s sound from the beginning.

The result is unmistakably late-1980s Full Force.

The drums hit hard. The keyboards bounce around the rhythm. Lisa’s vocal moves between attitude and playfulness, while Full Force surrounds her with vocal interjections and enough energy to keep everything moving.

The message is simple.

Stop waiting.

Go after what you want.

Go for yours.

It is a fun, confident record that fits Lisa Lisa perfectly, but it arrived at an awkward point in her release history. The massive success of Spanish Fly was winding down, and “Everything Will B-Fine” had already been released earlier in 1988.

“Go For Yours” existed outside a regular Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam studio album and was tied instead to a movie that quickly disappeared from theaters.

That probably did not help.

The single was released only in the United States and reached number 19 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart in 1988. It did not cross over to the Billboard Hot 100.

As far as I have been able to determine, there was also no official music video made to promote the single.

By 1988, that was a real disadvantage. MTV, BET, and other video outlets had become an important part of pushing a record beyond its established audience. A colorful Lisa Lisa video tied to Caddyshack II might have helped the song reach a much larger audience.

We will never know.

For collectors, however, the US 12-inch is where things become especially fun.

Full Force clearly decided that if they were going to make a record for Caddyshack II, they might as well commit to the golf theme. That brings us to the wonderfully titled “Gopher Yers (F.F. Hole In One Mix).”

Yes.

“Gopher Yers.”

You have to admire the commitment to the joke.

The mix stretches the song out and gives Full Force more room to play with the rhythm, vocals, and production. Instead of simply making the track longer, they lean into its playful personality and turn it into something even more suited to the dance floor.

The 12-inch also gives us an Instrumental, which lets the busy Full Force production stand on its own. Without Lisa’s lead vocal, you can really hear how much rhythmic detail is packed underneath.

There is also “I Promise You,” taken from the 1987 Spanish Fly album, making this a particularly generous 12-inch for Lisa Lisa collectors.

“Go For Yours” is not one of the Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam singles that immediately comes to mind when people remember the group.

That is exactly why it belongs here.

Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition has been as much about rediscovery as it has been about the major hits. Sometimes the most interesting soundtrack records are the ones that slipped between albums, received limited promotion, and quietly disappeared while everyone was looking somewhere else.

The movie may not have scored a hole in one.

But Lisa Lisa, Cult Jam, and Full Force certainly gave it their best shot.

So grab your clubs.

Watch out for the gopher.

And Go For Yours.

SIDE A:
Go For Yours 4:37
Mixed By – Full Force, Tony Maserati

Gopher Yers (F.F. Hole In One Mix) 5:45
Mixed By – Full Force, Nick Delre

SIDE B:
I Promise You 4:41
Remix – Full Force, Tony Maserati

Go For Yours (Instrumental) 4:36
Mixed By – Full Force, Tony Maserati

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Chart (1988) Peak Position
US Billboard Hot Black Singles 19

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia – 44 07867
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop, Funk / Soul
Style: Freestyle, RnB/Swing

CREDITS:

NOTES:
From the Warner Bros. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “Caddyshack II”

Management for Full Force Productions
Printed in U.S.A.
Made in U.S.A.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal.

I appreciate your help.

 

William Orbit 1956-2026

Today, I am pausing the Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition series to pay tribute to British producer, remixer, and musician William Orbit, whose passing was announced today. The series will resume with the next post.

William Orbit died at his home on July 23, 2026, at the age of 69.

For many people, Orbit’s name will forever be connected to Madonna and her landmark 1998 album Ray Of Light. His production helped give that album its distinctive electronic sound and introduced his work to a much larger audience.

But those of us who spent our time digging through racks of 12″ singles knew the name William Orbit long before Ray Of Light.

Orbit began making music in the early 1980s as a member of the electronic group Torch Song. He later formed Bass-O-Matic, whose 1990 single “Fascinating Rhythm” became a club hit, while also building a reputation as a producer and remixer.

And what a remixer he was.

His early remix work included artists such as Prince, Peter Gabriel, Kraftwerk, and Madonna. In 1990, he provided remix and additional production for Madonna’s “Justify My Love,” including the fantastic Orbit 12″ Mix. Two years later, he returned for “Erotica,” once again taking Madonna’s music into a very different electronic space.

Those records make the eventual pairing of Madonna and William Orbit on Ray Of Light seem almost inevitable.

There was something unmistakable about an Orbit production. He could strip a track down, surround it with electronics, add unusual textures, and suddenly make a song feel as though it existed in a completely different place. His mixes could be atmospheric, hypnotic, beautiful, and occasionally downright strange.

That was part of the fun.

He wasn’t simply extending a record for the dance floor. He was rebuilding it.

Orbit eventually became one of the most sought-after producers in pop music, working with artists including Blur, U2, Pink, Beth Orton, Britney Spears, and Robbie Williams. He also produced All Saints’ brilliant “Pure Shores” and “Black Coffee,” two records that still sound remarkably fresh more than twenty-five years later.

Then, of course, there was his own music. The Strange Cargo series allowed Orbit to explore electronic music without the restrictions of a pop single, while his Pieces In A Modern Style project brought classical compositions into his electronic world. His version of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio For Strings” became one of his best-known recordings.

Still, when I think of William Orbit, I keep coming back to the 12″ single.

There was a time when seeing the words “Remix and Additional Production by William Orbit” printed on the back of a sleeve was enough to make you want to hear what was inside.

What had he done to the song?

Where had he taken it?

That anticipation was one of the great pleasures of collecting 12″ singles. The best remixers didn’t just give us a longer version of something we already knew. They gave us another way to hear it.

William Orbit was one of those remixers.

His career eventually took him far beyond the 12″ format, and Ray Of Light secured his place in pop music history. But his earlier work remains just as important. Those mixes, productions, strange sounds, and unexpected musical turns helped shape the electronic and dance music landscape of the late ’80s and ’90s.

Thankfully, we still have all of those records.

And I suspect quite a few of us will be pulling some of them from the shelves today.

Rest in peace, William Orbit.

1956-2026

-DjPaulT

Cyndi Lauper – The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (Japan 12″) (1985)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

After beginning week four with the Pointer Sisters and Beverly Hills Cop, Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition continues with another movie song that became inseparable from its film.

Today’s selection is Cyndi Lauper’s “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” from the 1985 adventure classic The Goonies.

This is also a completely new 2026 meticulous audio transfer and restoration.

I previously posted this record in 2020. For this edition, I returned to the vinyl and recorded it again from the beginning using my current equipment and restoration process.

This is not a remaster of the files shared in 2020.

It is a new transfer from the Japanese 12-inch pressing.

The Goonies was directed by Richard Donner from a story by Steven Spielberg. The film follows a group of children who discover an old treasure map and set out to find the lost fortune of the pirate One-Eyed Willie. Along the way, they encounter underground tunnels, elaborate traps, a pirate ship, and the criminal Fratelli family.

It is one of those movies that could only have come from the 1980s.

The children are allowed to disappear for hours without mobile phones, tracking devices, or adults hovering over them.

They simply find a treasure map and go looking for a pirate ship.

Cyndi Lauper was asked by Steven Spielberg to serve as musical director for the soundtrack. She helped assemble a varied collection that included the Bangles, REO Speedwagon, Philip Bailey, Teena Marie, Luther Vandross, and the Goon Squad. The Bangles were still early in their career when Cyndi brought them into the project.

“The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” was written by Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Broughton Lunt, and Arthur Stead. It was produced by Cyndi and Lennie Petze. The song was reportedly written under the simpler title “Good Enough” before the movie’s name was added for promotional purposes.

The finished record sounds unmistakably like Cyndi at the height of her early success.

The synthesizers are bright, the drums are enormous, and the melody rises with the same colorful energy that made She’s So Unusual such a sensation. Cyndi’s voice moves from playful and vulnerable to powerful and determined, often within the same line.

The lyrics are not really about pirates, treasure maps, or underground caves. Instead, the song deals with expectations, self-doubt, and the feeling that something must be real before it can be good enough.

That gives it a life outside the film.

At the same time, the chorus fits the Goonies perfectly. These are young outsiders constantly being underestimated, yet they refuse to give up on one another.

Goonies are good enough.

The single became another major hit for Cyndi, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It was her fifth solo Top 10 single in the United States and also reached the Top 10 in Australia and Canada. Surprisingly, it did not enter the UK Singles Chart.

The music video may be even more excessive than the movie.

Directed by Richard Donner, it was presented as a two-part mini-adventure lasting roughly thirteen minutes. Cyndi attempts to save her family’s business while crossing paths with pirates, professional wrestlers, and members of the Goonies cast.

The wrestling lineup includes Captain Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, Wendi Richter, the Fabulous Moolah, the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Freddie Blassie, and André the Giant. Steven Spielberg appears, while the Bangles turn up as a group of female pirates.

Cyndi’s mother even joins the adventure.

It is part music video, part wrestling event, part movie trailer, and completely over the top.

In other words, it is perfect.

Cyndi’s relationship with the song was complicated. She kept it out of her concerts and off her major compilations for many years. Fan demand eventually persuaded her to bring it back, and it finally appeared on The Essential Cyndi Lauper in 2003.

Sometimes an artist’s audience hears something in a song that the artist cannot immediately hear.

For many fans, “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” was never simply a soundtrack assignment. It became tied to childhood, friendship, adventure, and the belief that being different could be a strength.

For this post, I am featuring the Japanese 12-inch pressing, complete with its colorful cover artwork and obi.

Side one contains the “Dance Re-Mix,” running approximately 5:26.

Side two contains the “Dub Version,” running approximately 5:36.

Both versions were remixed by Arthur Baker, one of the most important producers and remixers of the decade.

The Dance Re-Mix expands the rhythm while keeping the song’s pop structure intact. The percussion hits harder, the instrumental passages are extended, and Cyndi’s vocal is given more space to build toward the chorus.

Arthur Baker does not remove the song’s personality.

He makes everything larger.

The Dub Version travels further into the production. Vocals appear in fragments while the synthesizers, drums, effects, and backing voices take control. Without the full lead vocal guiding the arrangement, it becomes easier to hear how much detail is packed beneath the surface.

The two mixes make a perfect pair.

The Dance Re-Mix gives us the adventure.

The Dub Version lets us explore the hidden tunnels underneath it.

For this new 2026 transfer, I wanted to preserve the excitement of the Japanese vinyl while bringing out the weight of the drums, the layers of synthesizers, and the full character of Cyndi’s vocal.

This record is loud, colorful, slightly strange, and overflowing with personality.

Just like Cyndi.

Just like The Goonies.

I may have first posted it in 2020, but some treasures are worth digging up again.

After all, Goonies never say die.

SIDE A:
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (Dance Re-Mix) 5:26
Edited By –The Latin Rascals

SIDE B:
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (Dub Version) 5:36
Edited By –The Latin Rascals

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI: Near Mint

Chart (1985) Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 8
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 9
West Germany (Media Control) 49
New Zealand Singles Chart 22
US Billboard Hot 100 10
US Cash Box Top 100 14

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Portrait ‎– 12·3P-647
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: Aug 1, 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Taken from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP: “The Goonies”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

PLEASE READ

There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other

**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal.

I appreciate your help.