The Best of 2017

What happened in 2017?

• Luv' continued to tour the nostalgia circuit through the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) between April and November. More live shows were scheduled in 2017 than the previous year. 

• A new official page was launched on Facebook in early April (including the latest news, pictures and videos).

• On July 9th, the group celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Quatre Bras in Best, NL with fans. A fabulous event to pay tribute to Holland's greatest girl group. It generated publicity in the media.

• In August, Luv' announced that they wanted to go on, one year and a half after their comeback. The ladies expressed satisfaction about their friend/tour manager David Hay Gibson and the Jan Vis talent agency which is in charge of their bookings.

• Luv' joined forces with Ger Valkenburg and Dyon Hagenaars (of DC Models) in order to improve their public image and to take part in glamorous events. 

Public events and promotion

• José's party at Quatre Bras - see news posted on February 4th
• Ria @ "De 5e van Vuile Huichelaar" - see news posted on February 6th
• José @ Lotusbeurs - see news posted on March 13th 
• The Luv' ladies promote the Shield of Genesis - see news posted on March 22nd
• José @ Paranormaal Alternatief - see news posted on April 10th
• Pics: Ria Thielsch with Mister and Mississippi - see news posted on May 16th
• Luv' @ De Sauteuse & Boutique Mademoiselle - see news posted on June 5th
• Luv' latest news - see news posted on September 8th
• Luv' @ Goes Couture by Ronald Kolk - see news posted on September 23rd
• José @ Dutch Diana Ross Show - see news posted on October 20th
• José & friends at the release party of Astrid Nijgh's book - see news posted on November 2nd

Luv's new Official Facebook Page - see news posted on April 17th

Luv' in the press

• José Hoebee: latest news - see news posted on February 26th
• Ria Thielsch: keep it in the family! - see news posted on February 26th 
• Interview with José Hoebee in "Story" - see news posted on April 29th 
• José in "ParaVisie" - see news posted on April 18th
• Patty Brard in "Nieuwe revu": "Who does she think she is?" - see news posted on May 18th
• Marga Scheide in Story: "Since Jacques' death I'm not afraid anymore..." - see news posted on June 12th
• Throwback Thursday: Luv' in Libelle - see news posted on June 20th 
• Patty & José in "Party" - see news posted on July 3rd
• José on Bonnie in "Nieuwe Revu" - see news posted on July 23rd 
• Marga and Michiel in "Privé": "We haven't been to Yolanthe's lounge café yet!" - see news posted on July 30th 
• Foutezomerfeest recommended by De Telegraaf- see news posted on August 22nd
• Article in Privé: José & Marga at Peter and Johan's wedding - see news posted on September 13th 
• Marga, Ger & Dyon in Privé - see news posted on September 16th 
• Goes Couture in De Telegraaf - see news posted on September 27th
• Ria @ premiere of "Vamos!" - see news posted on October 2nd
• José in "Party": "Nothing or no-one spoils my good mood" - see news posted on December 8th 

Luv' on the radio

• José on "Avond Cafe" (Omroep Best) - see news posted on January 31st
• Interview with Marga Scheide on "Arbeidsvitaminen" - see news posted on February 10th
• José on "Arbeidsvitaminen" (NPO Radio 5) - see news posted on May 18th 
• Interview with José Hoebee on Volgspot (NPO Radio 5) - see news posted on May 23th
• Interview with José Hoebee on RietmanShow - see news posted on July 30th
• Marga on "Tijd voor MAX Radio" - see news posted on August 9th 
• José on Harderwijk FM - see news posted on August 28th 

Luv' on TV

• Luv' on Musikladen extra - see news posted on January 19th
• José @ 50 Jaar ABTT - see news posted on February 13th
• Luv' on "Gaat U Mee TV" - see news posted on June 2nd
• Pics and videos: Luv' @ Yesterdayland - see news posted on August 28th
• Marga and José on "Onschuldig?! - see news on October 29th
• José & Marga's appearance on "Onschuldig?!" - see news posted on November 1st
• My Man by Luv' on "De Wereld Draait Door 1977 Special" - see news posted on November 21st

Live performances

• Luv' rock the stage at "The Big Revival"!!!! - see news posted on April 3rd
• Luv' celebrate King's Day (Koningsdag) in Arnhem!! - see news posted on April 29th
• Pics: Luv' @ Koningsdag 2017 (Pinksquare) in Arnhem - see news posted on May 1st
• Luv' show @ De Els Walwijk -  see news posted on May 20th
• Luv' @ De Els Waalwijk (Part 2) - see news posted on May 23rd 
• Luv's show @ "Smaak zit tussen je oren" - see news posted on May 28th
• Luv's show @ Sluze Kermesse - see news posted on June 3rd
• Pics: Luv' @ Goud - Fout Partyzone (90's Forever Outdoor) - see news posted on June 18th
• Luv's extravaganza @ Pretty In Pink XL - see news posted June 24th
• Pics and videos: Luv' @ Disco-Train Open Air Festival - see news posted on July 3rd
• Pics: Luv' @ Beemster Feestweek & Kermis - see news posted on July 31st
• Pics: Luv' @ Dicky Woodstock Popfestival - see news posted on August 5th
• Pics: Luv' @ Foutezomerfeest - see news posted on August 26th
• Videos: Luv' @ Foutezomerfeest - see news posted on August 27th
• Pics and videos: Luv' @ Yesterdayland - see news posted on August 28th 
• Luv' @ Vreeswijks Kolkfeest - see news posted on September 3rd
• Luv's show @ Banne Bruist - see news posted on September 11th
• Pics and videos: Luv' @ Back to 538 - see news posted on September 17th
• Pics and videos: Luv' @ Hollands Glorie - see news posted on September 30th
• Disco Fever: Luv' play to a full house!!!! - see news posted on November 4th
• Pics: Luv' @ Disco Fever (part 2) - see news posted on November 5th
• Luv' @ 5e Hams Schlagerfestival - see news posted on November 11th
• Luv' @ Moonlight Dinner Cruise - see news posted on November 19th
• Luv's show @ Saturday Night Fever XXL - see news posted on November 26th
• José's solo performances @ Tina Trucker & Friends Artiestenreis Sauerland - see news posted on December 15th

Preparation and promotion of Luv's 40th anniversary

• Get ready for Luv's 40th anniversary!!!! - see news posted on April 9th
• Luv's 40th-anniversary party: official announcement!!! - see news posted on April 11th
• 40 Jaar Luv': special Facebook page - see news posted on April 17th
• Article about Luv's 40th anniversary on Maxazine.nl - see news posted on April 19th
• José and Anton discuss the latest details for Luv's 40th-anniversary party!!  - see news posted on June 5th
• Luv's 40th-anniversary party: the definitive program (incl. one-hour extension) - see news posted on June 8th
• Luv' in "Behind The Stars" - see news posted on June 16th
• Luv's 40th anniversary: José & Anton on Omroep Brabant TV - see news posted on July 5th
• José & Anton on Brabants Bond - see news posted on July 7th 
• Lammens op Zondag: special tribute to Luv' - see news posted on July 8th

Luv's 40th-anniversary party

• Luv's wonderful 40th-anniversary party - see news posted on July 9th
• Luv's 40th-anniversary party: media coverage - see news posted on July 11th
• Luv's 40th anniversary in Dutch celebrity gossip magazines - see news posted on July 12th
• José Hoebee in Party: "We feel like we are sisters!" - see news posted on July 20th
• Pics and videos: Luv's 40th-anniversary party (Part 2) - see news posted on July 24th

Luv' goes on!!! - see news posted on August 18th

Luv' @ Jan Vis agency - see news posted on October 31st

José & Marga's Christmas

The Luv' ladies celebrated Christmas with friends and family.

José Hoebee posted yesterday a message on Facebook to tell that she enjoyed the presence of her son Tim and his girlfriend Carlotta as well as Hans van Barneveld and Rutger van Oldenbeek. Even her long-time friend, the iconic songstress Bonnie St. Claire accompanied by Hans Van de Eerenbeemt and his partner came to visit José.

Marga Scheide was invited to the house of her sister Hannie to spend the second day of Christmas (which falls on December 26th and is observed by the Dutch) with her partner Michiel Gunning and other friends (Silvia Moos, Petra van Dinteren, Gerrit Rigter and Gowan Genis):

Source: Facebook

Ria Thielsch's Christmas Eve with her family

Yesterday, Luv' singer Ria Thielsch celebrated Christmas Eve with her family at her brother's house in Alphen aan den Rijn, NL. She spent a good time with her children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews and nieces (including the talented lead singer of the pop-rock group "Mister and Mississippi" Maxime Barlag):

Source: Facebook

Hans van Hemert: The Phoenix of Dutch pop music

Hans and his partner Willy Betist

Legendary record producer and songwriter Hans van Hemert is like a Phoenix. 2017 has been a special year for Luv's father. On December 23rd, the Maestro gave an interview on "Tune-In To The 80's" (a program on Radio Beverwijk). Click here to listen to the radio show (the interview with Hans starts at 38:14). 

Hans discussed his ups and downs. He has been through bad moments (including cancer, an ice skating accident and serious injuries after falling from a tree). The doctor (who healed him) told that "it was a wonder that he was still alive and that he could count his blessings". Hans also mentioned the good moments of the year: the Buma Lifetime Achievement Award in March ("I could not believe it when I received it," he said) and the invitation to a luncheon with the King and the Queen of the Netherlands in October. 

When asked what his musical projects were for 2018, he answered: "I can't help being creative whether it's a hit or not. I often go to my studio to create new sounds. No matter if what I produce is released or not."

When asked what he wished for 2018, Hans said that he would like Dutch people to "come together more often and to communicate for real rather than using social media". 

Moreover, the talented songwriter was also interviewed by freelance journalist Martin Reistma who works for the publishing company "De Persgroep". Here are pictures of the two gentlemen posted on December 20th on Facebook:

Hans regularly keeps his Facebook friends posted on his latest news:

Hans with his two daughters, his two grandsons and his son in law yesterday at the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam attending the performance of "Wereldkerstcircus"

He also writes about his houses in Marthomis, France and Bali, Indonesia. In late October and early November, he reassured his friends that he and his partner Willy were safe during the recent eruption of Mount Agung, a volcano on the island of Bali.

Hans relaxing in Marthomis, France

Hans chilling out in Bali, Indonesia

I've always admired this wonderful man not only because he gave the Luv' ladies the chance of a lifetime" but also because of his overwhelming oeuvre and his positivity.

Source: Facebook, Radio Beverwijk

José's latest lunch with fans/friends

José Hoebee's latest lunch with fans/friends took place two days ago at the restaurant "Ambacht" in Best, NL. The Luv' singer spent a good time with David Hay Gibson, Marco Rens, Rien Houet, Jos Theuns and Martin Vink. 

Photo courtesy of Jos Theuns & Martin Vink:

 Rien, David, Jos & José

 Jos & José

Rien, David, Marco, Jos & José

José & Martin

Source: Facebook

Patty Brard's latest news

*  The Roy Donders Show (featuring Patty Brard's guest performance) was scheduled for December 15th (see news posted on November 19th, 2017) but it was cancelled due to the recent death of Roy's grandmother.

Source: Omroep Brabant

* Yesterday, Patty posted a picture of herself with a funny wig on social media. She took part in the filming of a music video for a Carnival song (recorded with Roy Donders) that will come out in January. 

Source: Patty Brard on social media

* Patty's latest column for Weekend magazine deals with RTL 4's reality show "Gordon Gaat Trouwen... Maar Met Wie?" (featuring Dutch pop singer Gordon).  During eight episodes, several preselected candidates were presented to the extravagant entertainer. One of them was supposed to marry him. At the end, Gordon chose no-one and remained single. 

Click here to read the column.

Source: Weekend

* Yesterday, the latest episode of RTL 5's reality show "Celebrity City Trip" featured Patty Brard and media personality and DJ Dave Roelvink (son of the singer Dries Roelvink). The two celebrities spent a good time in Ibiza and Rimini, Italy. The TV program drew 243.000 viewers (market share: 4.2%). 

Source: Patty Brard on social media, RTL 5, SKO

40th anniversary of Luv's cult record "Dream, Dream"

40 years ago exactly, on December 17th, 1977 "Dream, Dream", Luv's second single, entered the Tipparade which listed the singles below number 40 that did not enter the official Dutch charts. Though the record was not a success it achieved cult status among the fans.

History

The second record in the career of any band or singer is a challenge, especially when the debut single has been quite successful on the charts.

In May 1977, Philips/Phonogram Records put out the ABBA-esque single "My Man" recorded by a then-unknown girl group named Luv'. It was the first time in the history of Dutch pop music that such a manufactured female pop formation was launched (see article posted on June 11th, 2017).

Well established record producer Hans van Hemert (assisted by songwriter-arranger Piet Souer and manager Han Meijer) took the initiative to recruit three young and charming ladies (Patty Brard, Marga Scheide and José van de Wijdeven) in late 1976. 

"My Man" was a promising start for the trio. It peaked at #12 on the Nationale Hitparade and the Dutch Top 40 as well as #10 on the Flemish BRT Top 30 in 1977. The girls enjoyed a moderate success but they were far from being the pop stars they would become the following year. 

November 1977 saw the release of the follow-up single "Dream, Dream", a track penned by Janschen & Janschens (the pseudonym of Hans van Hemert and Piet Souer). Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf announced this release in its November 4th edition. 

A few days before the single came out, Luv' and Hans van Hemert attended a party held in honour of Dutch singer Corry Konings:

De Telegraaf - published on October 31st, 1977

Unlike "My Man" who had a dramatic side due to the lyrics that dealt with the death of a railroad man, "Dream, Dream" had a happy sound inspired by ABBA's music. The first sentence of the song contains a big mistake in English. It says: "When I turn over the "leaves" of this book". The word "leaves" should have been "pages". But it didn't bother the songwriters who only focused on the efficiency of the track. 

Lydia van Wooning did the choreography for the song. Her mother even designed the outfits used by the singers for the front cover of the single and shows. 

The ladies performed "Dream, Dream" only twice on television. On November 17th, 1977 they appeared on the NCRV program "Dik Voormekaar Show" to present their new song. 

Luv' on "Dik Voormekaar Show"

On February 4th, 1978  German viewers could watch Luv' sing Dream, Dream on the NDR show Die aktuelle Schaubude.

Despite this exposure on the small screen, the record flopped and it seemed that the future of the group was uncertain. At that time Luv' was considered an "one hit wonder". 

De Telegraaf - December 2nd, 1977

Although there was a dark cloud on the horizon, José remained optimistic and gave a positive interview to Dutch local newspaper "De Eindhovens Courant" in December 1977 to preserve the good image of Luv'. She even announced that the trio was busy with the follow-up record to "Dream, Dream". 

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Though the pretty girl group Luv' hasn't appeared much on national television after the success of "My Man", José Andreoli, one of the beautiful members of the trio, is hopeful about 1978. Though Dream, Dream has flopped, Luv' has remained active the past months. 

"We give performances twice or three times a week. We do photo shoots and interviews and we are busy with our third single," José tells. It's going to come out in early 1978 and according to José, it's going to be different from what the group has already released. Performances are scheduled in the Netherlands and Belgium. Many hours out of home, lots of travel and sometimes "we're happy that we are still alive". Because three attractive ladies in overcrowded discos can excite some men. "Fortunately our manager and some clubs owners are there to protect us against insistent clients". Luv' released their first record in May of this year. The producers of the group wanted the girls to look good and to sing well...."We have big plans for 1978," José says. She is optimistic despite the hard competition on the Top 30 and other charts. José has decided to take it easy and not to pay attention to what's written about groups like Luv'. She is sure about one thing: "Some journalists write that we cannot sing and this isn't true. We sing everything by ourselves. They should listen to us." 

Moreover, the December 21st, 1977 edition of De Telegraaf featured a short article about Marga illustrated with a sexy picture of the blonde. Her last name was even misspelt (Scheider instead of Scheide). Actually, it was an excuse to show the charm of the Luv' singer who posed in a leopard-print swimsuit and to hide the fact that the days of the group were numbered. 

Translation in English: "The 23-year-old Marga Scheider from Amsterdam took part in the Miss Holland contest as a joke. "I've been elected "Miss Teenager" to my great surprise," Marga says. That's why I went to Japan for the Miss Young pageant. Then I could travel all over Europe where I participated in other beauty contests. I even became Miss Grand Prix 1976. Marga is not only beautiful but she has a quite good voice. In January, Hans van Hemert was looking for a third girl for his group "LUV". Via a modelling agency, I had the opportunity to audition. "I thought it was scary and I was terribly nervous but finally I was chosen. Fortunately, I have a hobby which is very relaxing. Sometimes I fly to Corsica or Ibiza to snorkel. The photo of Marga shows that this sport gives a good appearance."

Luv' ended 1977 without knowing that they would make history the following year. But that's another story...

Chart performance

The single failed to break into the Dutch Top 40 and the Flemish BRT Top 30. However, on December 17th, 1977, it entered the Tipparade at #28. Two weeks later, it peaked at #16 and then it disappeared from the list. 

Tracklisting & release

Dream, Dream

7" vinyl single (45 rpm) - original release by Phonogram/Philips Records in November 1977

• A side: Dream, Dream (Janschen & Janschens) - 3:29
• B side: Hang On (Janschen & Janschens) - 3:09

Produced by Hans van Hemert - Arranged and conducted by Piet Souer 

Original Dutch cover

Front and back covers of the German 7" vinyl pressing, 

British demo copy - released by Harvest/EMI

* Bibliography: 

The Story of Luv' by Peter Boonstra

Source: Wikipedia, YouTube, Luv' blog archives, Discogs.com, Delpher.nl, anp-archief.nl ...

Patty and José's reaction to "Gordon Gaat Trouwen"

Dutch pop singer Gordon has recently caused a sensation with his reality show on RTL 4 entitled "Gordon Gaat Trouwen... Maar Met Wie?" (Gordon is going to marry....but with whom?). During eight episodes, several preselected candidates were presented to the extravagant entertainer. One of them was supposed to marry him. The two finalists were Rogier and an Italian man named Manuel. 

At the end, Gordon chose no-one and remained single. The last episode (broadcast two days ago) drew 2.154.000 viewers (market share: 32,3%) despite strong criticism. It was the most-watched TV show in the Netherlands on December 14th and reached Nr. 1 on SKO's Dag Top 25 (the daily list of the 25 most popular programs conceived by Dutch audience measurement company Stichting KijkOnderzoek).

Patty Brard and José Hoebee reacted separately to this sensationalist TV program before Gordon's choice was announced.

"I don't follow "Gordon gaat trouwen" but because of the fanfare of publicity about this show, I'm going to watch it a bit...He's doing well as a program maker. I don't know who the two remaining candidates are but I don't care...Do I have to take it seriously? We'll see...I wish Gordon all the best...really...but a wedding is a serious matter...Well...maybe I'm old-fashioned...Good luck Gordon...I really mean it," José wrote on her Facebook page. 

As for Patty, she expressed her opinion on AD.nl on December 14th:

"These two candidates are not a good choice. Gordon is too sensible to choose between the two of them...Look, this Italian man is nice for an evening, for one time in the jacuzzi. By the way, they've already been to the jacuzzi. As for the other guy (Rogier)...you don't take risks with him. He's too soft, kind and a too normal boy with a child. Too sensitive. Gordon will never choose him. I know him very well. Actually, Gerben (who didn't go through to the final) was the perfect chance for a normal life but Gordon is not ready for that."

Source: RTL 4, SKO, Facebook, AD.nl