Burning The Ground Exclusive

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:

• Producer – Daniel Lanois (tracks: B2), Narada Michael Walden (tracks: A, B1)
• Remix – Francois Kevorkian* (tracks: A, B1)
• Written-By – G. Lyle* (tracks: A, B1), Luba (tracks: B2), T. Britten* (tracks: A, B1)

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

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