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 ...