Burning The Ground Exclusive
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:
- Engineer – Tony “The Extra Mile” Maserati*
- Engineer [Assistant] – Vicki Nemarich
- Management – Full Force, Steve Salem
- Mastered By – Howie Weinberg
- Photography By [Full Force Photo] – Timothy White (3)
- Photography By [Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam Photo] – Maureen Lambray
- Producer, Written-By, Arranged By – Full Force
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
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