Yesterday, Luv' singer and media personality Chimène van Oosterhout hosted a benefit gala in Eindhoven organized by the Goede Mensen Foundation in aid of social and educational projects for South African children. The aim of this fundraising event was to collect money to build schools, classrooms and playgrounds. Information about the "Goede Mensen" projects: https://goedemensen.nl/
Source: Facebook, Instagram (Chimène van Oosterhout)
This article is dedicated to the fabulous Pim Koopman, his son Jasper and anyone who keep his spirit alive!! I would like to thank Co Rnz for his support.
Photo credits: Pimkoopman.com
Today is the 10th anniversary of the passing of the great Dutch drummer, record producer and songwriter Pim Koopman.
This multi-talented member of progressive rock bands Kayak and Diesel produced the crème de la crème of Dutch acts from the 1970s and 1980s including Maywood, Pussycat, Time Bandits, Sandy Coast and...José Hoebee. His son Jasper does a great job to pay tribute to his timeless legacy. Click here to visit Pim Koopman's website to see his impressive back catalogue.
Thanks to her collaboration with Pim, José scored her biggest solo hits on the Dutch and Flemish charts: the #1 single "I Will Follow Him" and the smash hit "Secret Love" in 1982 as well as lesser-known songs "I'm So Sorry" (1981), "The Good Times" (1982) and "I Can Hear Music" (1983). These tracks appeared on José's solo album entitled "The Good Times" (click here to read an article about this record).
Montage by Co Rnz
I Will Follow Him by José (1982)
José and Pim celebrating "I Will Follow Him" as a #1 single
Pim with his two most popular productions: Maywood and José (1982)
I Will Follow Him: #1 on the Dutch Top 40!!!
Article about José's solo LP (1982) - click on the image to enlarge it
Review of José's LP (1982)
Pim later produced two other singles by José: "Hey Now Watcha Gonna Do" (1983) and "Time Goes By". On November 22nd, 2010, a tribute concert to Pim Koopman took place at Paradiso in Amsterdam. In addition to Kayak, other artists (including Pussycat, Alides Hidding, Caren Maywood, Michael Robinson, José Hoebee and Okkie Huysdens) took part in this show.
Front cover of the DVD "Kayak & Guests with a tribute to Pim Koopman" (2011)
Source: José Hoebee blog archives, Co Rnz, Pimkoopman.com, Dutchcharts, YouTube...
Yesterday, Luv' singer and media personality Chimène van Oosterhout gave an interview on the radio show "NH Gooi In Business" on NH Gooi. She explained how she became a member of Holland's greatest girl group. "Marga Scheide called me last year in December. She asked me: "do you want to join Luv'?". At first, I was surprised. It only took me five minutes to accept her offer," Chimène said.
The beautiful brunette told that she always had the ambition to sing despite her hectic life in the media. "As a teenager, I listened to Luv' songs. You don't need to have the vocal range of Pavarotti to sing these catchy tracks. Last year, I spent Christmas with the girls to rehearse. Our first performance was in January. We sing eight songs on stage during our shows. Each song has specific dance routines. We've been touring through the Netherlands and Belgium. We have performed in festivals in front of thousands of people but also during private parties. The Luv' ladies have never stopped singing," she explained.
Chimène also mentioned former Luv' singers: "Patty Brard was the first exotic lady of Luv'. When she left the group, she was replaced by Ria Thielsch. That's how the trio went on".
"Since my recruitment in January, we have been experiencing a new hype. Every week we had lots of publicity in the media," she added.
In addition to Luv', Chimène has her own PR office and is busy writing a book. "The book will deal a bit with my life. I'm usually good at making the right choices but when it comes to love, I often choose the wrong man. I started to ask myself why I was attracted to the wrong lovers. Due to my studies in psychology, I found out that I was often interested in narcissist men. I decided to write about this issue," she asserted.
The multi-talented lady also talked about her love for motorcycling. An excerpt of Luv's latest single "With Him Tonight" was played.
When asked what her future projects were, she answered: "at the moment, we put Luv's career on hold due to one of our members. We hope to be back for good in 2020 and to be as busy as we used to be earlier this year!".
In November 1989, Luv's mini-album "For You" was released by High Fashion Dance Music/Dureco. It was recorded by the line-up consisting of Marga Scheide (the only original member), Diana van Berlo and Michelle Gold. It included four dance-pop songs released as singles: the chart hit Welcome To My Party (read my article about this track), I Don't Wanna Be Lonely, Girl Like Me and Medley (also entitled Luv Hit-Medley). Let's celebrate the 30th anniversary of For You!!!
History
In the fall of 1989, Luv' made a comeback more than eight years after a first break-up. Original Luv' members José Hoebee and Patty Brard were replaced by Diana van Berlo and British singer Michelle Gold. Marga Scheide (who trademarked the group's name) and her partner, record producer Jacques Zwart (aka E. Mergency) supervised Luv's return.
The release of Luv's single "Welcome To My Party" in early October 1989 was a foretaste of "For You". This song was written by John van Katwijk (who worked previously with Patricia Paay), Marcel Schimscheimer (who collaborated with René Froger) and Ronald Sommer. It was produced by Nigel Wright (an English sought-after professional famous for his productions (including Shakatak, Mirage, Jack Mix and Debbie D) in association with John Smits. Luv' were aiming to match their big Continental European chart success in the late 1970s but they didn't succeed. Welcome To My Party (which sounded like a Stock, Aitken & Waterman single) reached #22 on the Dutch Top 40 and #28 on the Flemish BRT Top 30.
The next logical step was to put out the six-track mini-album "For You". Nigel Wright was in charge of the production of the CD. Most of the work was done at Wright's Skratch Studios in London while the vocals were recorded at Dureco studio in Weesp, Netherlands.
For You featured three cover versions:
* No Cure No Pay - a track from Jacques Zwart's back catalogue and originally performed by Dutch singer Florence in 1988. Written and produced by E. Mergency and mixed by Nigel Wright. The original Luv' trio recorded a version of it. After José and Patty left the group, the "new" Luv' re-recorded it.
* Naughty Boy - originally performed by Italo-house girl group "Macho Gang" in 1988.
* I Don't Wanna Be Lonely - originally performed by R&B and gospel singer Joan Orleans in 1989. A track written by Nigel Stock and produced by Nigel Wright.
Four songs from For You came out as singles:
- The above-mentioned "Welcome To My Party" in early October 1989 in Benelux.
- I Don't Wanna Be Lonely - released in December 1989 by Dureco in Benelux and in 1990 by Spanish label Clash.
Dutch front cover
Spanish front cover
- Girl Like Me which only came out in Japan in 1990. This track was licensed to Toco/Beaver Records/Alfa International. It was promoted as a Eurobeat song (this style of music was very popular back then on the Asian archipelago). It also was included on Japanese compilations. This strategy to adapt to the Land of the Rising Sun didn't succeed. Nowadays, this single is a rare collector item among Luv's fans.
- Hit-Medleycomposed from parts of Luv's greatest hits (You're the Greatest Lover, Trojan Horse, Ooh, Yes I Do, Casanova and U.O.Me) re-recorded by Marga, Diana and Michelle. It appears on the B-side of some pressings of "Welcome To My Party" and was licensed to RCA/BMG in Germany in 1990.
The release of "For You" was announced on the November 11th, 1989 issue of the Pan-European trade magazine "Music & Media":
Another article was published on December 2nd, 1989 in "Music & Media":
Photography
Govert de Roos (who photographed the who's who of Dutch and international pop-rock artists) took beautiful pictures for the album cover.
Tracklisting
For You - released in November 1989 by Dureco/High Fashion Dance Music
1."Welcome to My Party" - 3:00
written by R.Sommer, M. Schimscheimer, J. van Katwijk
2."Girl Like Me" - 4:12
written by Nigel Stock
3."I Don't Wanna Be Lonely" - 4:07
written by Nigel Stock
4."Naughty Boy" - 3:58
written by M. Farina and G. Crivillente
5."No Cure No Pay" - 3:39
written by E. Mergency
6."Medley" (12" Version) - 7:14
written by Janschen & Janschens To know details about the album: click here
Album credits
Marga Scheide, Diana van Berlo and Michelle Gold - vocals recorded at Dureco Studio in Weesp, Netherlands
Nigel Wright, Nigel Stock, John Smits, E. Mergency - synthesizers, keyboards, sequencing, programming at Skratch Studios in London
Welcome To My Party, Naughty Boy and No Cure No Pay - co-produced by Nigel Wright and John Smits
Girl Like Me and I Don't Wanna Be Lonely - co-produced by Nigel Wright - arranged by Nigel Stock - engineered by Robin Sellars in London
Medley - co-produced by Margret - arranged by E. Mergency
Design: Bart Falkmann
Photography: Govert de Roos
Back cover of For You
High Fashion/Dureco released a limited edition of For You as a box set including a CD and a cassette:
Currently, theFor You mini-album is available on the major digital platforms (including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, YouTube and Spotify).
Source: Luv' blog archives, Discogs.com, YouTube, Music & Media archives (https://americanradiohistory.com)
Here is the latest news of the eclectic Luv' singer:
* On November 1st, Chimène van Oosterhout attended the launch party of the latest issue of Nicole des Bouvrie's magazine "Nicole's Gooisch Blad - Code Wit". The event took place at Het Arsenaal in Naarden, Netherlands. Many celebrities were present. Among them were the new Mayor of Laren Nanning Mol, Ljoedmila Van Vyve, Miss India Holland Farisha Abdoelrahman and pop singer Mick Harren.
* The latest episodes of "Op naar 2050" (a series of round-table talks about the environment hosted by Chimène) were posted recently on YouTube in association with Dutch company Feenstra (specialized in heating and insulation). Chimène interviewed youngsters who try to follow in the footsteps of the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
Op Naar 2050 - The youth and the energy transition - posted on October 30th
Op Naar 2050 - Youngsters: what are they doing? - posted on November 13th
* On November 3rd, Chimène attended the premiere of the play "Mijn man begrijpt me niet" (featuring her friend, media personality Tanja Jess) at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam.
Chimène, Tanja & friends
Source: Chimène van Oosterhout on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)
Last weekend, the world celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. On November 9th, 1989, this pivotal event in history marked the falling of the Iron Curtain. The fall of the inner German border took place shortly afterwards. An end to the Cold War was declared at the Malta Summit three weeks later, and the reunification of Germany took place during the following year.
In 1977, twelve years before the collapse of the German Democratic Republic, the Luv' ladies went on a promo tour in East Berlin. On June 13th, 1977, East German state TV channel "Fernsehen der DDR" broadcast Luv's performance of their debut single "My Man" and its B-side "Don't Let Me Down" on the music show "Rund". In addition to Holland's greatest girl group, other Western pop bands and artists (including ABBA, Status Quo, Bonnie Tyler and Gianna Nannini) also sang on this program.
My Man
Don't Let Me Down
Because of the inoffensive content of their songs, Luv' were allowed to perform in the socialist dictatorship.
Here's what Marga Scheide told about a special backstage moment when she was interviewed by Peter Boonstra for his book "The Story of Luv" (2015):
"I remember that an old male make-up artist was in charge of us. He only had a small box with eyeshadow and two lipsticks whereas I had a whole bag full of cosmetic products. I wanted to give him my stuff but I didn't dare to do it. I was afraid he would have been embarrassed."
With the East German money they earned, the Luv' girls went shopping in East Berlin to buy clothes. But the choice was very limited. Because East German currency was worthless in Western countries, they decided to buy teddy bears and to distribute them in the streets.
Promo picture of Luv' in East Berlin in June 1977 (courtesy of Co Rnz)
Source: Luv blog archives, YouTube (Karin Angeleyes), The Story Of Luv' by Peter Boonstra
The latest issue of Dutch celebrity gossip magazine Party features an umpteenth sensationalist article about José Hoebee's health. It is entitled "big worries about critically ill José Hoebee". Two months ago, Luv' announced an interruption of their activities due to the singer's burnout (see news posted on September 15th, 2019). A string of articles was published in the Dutch tabloid press. Last week, the publication of an alarmist item in De Telegraaf was much discussed (see news posted on November 9th, 2019).
Brigitte Vis (of the Jan Vis booking agency in charge of Luv's live shows) was interviewed by Party. "Currently José undergoes medical exams to know exactly what is going on," the manager told.The Luv' singer has lost 20 kilos and feels a sharp pain in her mouth. Brigitte lunched with José a couple of weeks ago. "She ordered carpaccio. José only ate a quarter of it," Brigitte said.
Yesterday, the Luv' lady reacted on her Facebook page. "José critically ill? Very exaggerated. OK...I'm going through a hard time. A lot of people think I should not justify myself. That's right! Because of all the shit some naysayers tell about me, I think it's my right to answer. I do my best. Shit happens...I want to overcome this shit... so...leave me alone!", she wrote.
Click on the image to enlarge it and to read the article.
Luv's great career move: transfer to CNR/Carrere Records
After a succession of hit songs, Luv's ninth single entitled "Ooh, Yes I Do" entered the Dutch Top 40 forty years ago on November 10th, 1979. It later became popular in Europe (especially in Benelux, Denmark, Germany, Austria and France). Luv' even received a gold record for the Spanish version of this single ("Si, Que Si") in Mexico. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, here's the story of this classic pop song.
History
In the summer of 1979, Luv's producer Hans van Hemert decided to leave Philips/Phonogram Records (the company which had released the group's records for two years). Van Hemert was not satisfied by the way the label promoted the girls abroad though they had big export hits (such as "You're the Greatest Lover", "Trojan Horse" and "Casanova"). Prior to that, the Luv' trio, Van Hemert and his partner (Piet Souer), as well as their manager Pim ter Linde, formed a limited company (InterLUV) to control every aspect of their career.
On October 7th, 1979, the ladies and their team signed a 750.000 Dutch guilder deal with CNR/Carrere Records (see Chapter III of Luv's biography). This contract was considered as "the show business transfer of the year" by Holland's most successful newspaper De Telegraaf.
De Telegraaf, October 8th, 1979
Luv's first single released by CNR/Carrere in late October 1979 was "Ooh, Yes I Do", a track written and produced by Van Hemert. The song used a melody highly inspired by the flute theme of ABBA's Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight). Behind Luv's back and without their consent, their former label Phonogram put out "Who Do You Wanna Be" (a track from their debut LP "With Luv'") as a single at the same time. Moreover, the pop trio had to face competition with other Dutch girl groups (especially Dolly Dots and Babe). Fortunately, the Luv' girls were more popular than their rivals on the international marketplace.
Hitkrant - November 1st, 1979: Luv' talking with Babe. Ooh, Yes Do by Luv' and Wonderboy by Babe came out simultaneously!
Ooh, Yes I Do became an instant hit in Benelux, German-speaking countries and Denmark.
Luv' on Musikladen (1979)
In the Spring of 1980, the single even was a Top 10 hit in France where it sold 200.000 copies (see my article posted on January 27th, 2019). Unlike some territories, the land of cuisine, wine and haute couture was a difficult market for Luv'. When it was announced that Ooh, Yes I Do entered the French Top 10, Marga Scheide had a party to celebrate this good news. Patty Brard and José Hoebee were not present but Dutch media tycoon John de Mol (who was romantically involved with Marga) was there.
Hitkrant - Spring of 1980: Marga celebrating Ooh, Yes I Do on the French Top 10
Dutch singer Dave presenting Luv' to the French public on TV (1980)
Luv' performing Ooh, Yes I Do on "Numéro Un Sacha Distel" (TF1, 1980)
Luv' recorded a Spanish version of the single (Si, Que Si) for the Latin American market and conquered a new territory: Mexico. In May 1980, the singers and their crew flew by Concorde to Mexico City.
Diploma received by Luv's manager Pim ter Linde as he flew by Concorde - Luv' also got it
Luv' in front of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico (May 1980)
Si, Que Si was released by Discos Musart in Zapata's country. Luv' took part in a press conference, in the taping of a couple of TV programs, radio interviews and photoshoots. Moreover, a special party was organized. The girls received a gold record for "Si, Que Si".
Mexican gold record for Si, Que Si
Hitkrant - May 22nd, 1980
From left to right: Patty Brard, Manager Pim ter Linde, Record executive Bart van de Laar, Mexican director of Discos Musart, José Hoebee and Marga Scheide
Chart performance & certification
"Ooh, Yes I Do" entered the Dutch Top 40 on November 10th, 1979. It also peaked at #4 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands), #5 on the BRT Top 30 and #7 on the Ultratop in Flanders (Belgium), #27 on the Musikmarkt/Media Control Charts (Germany), #2 on the BT Hitlisten (Denmark), #10 on the SNEP singles chart (France), #13 on the Ö3-Hitparade (Austria) as well as #10 on the Europarade (a compilation of European charts). The icing on the cake: it went gold in Mexico.
TV performances
Luv' took advantage of a big exposure on major European TV shows (AVRO's TopPop, TROS Top 50, Musikladen, Disco, Les Rendez Vous Du Dimanche, Midi Première...) and Mexico.
* November 5th and 19th/December 3rd, 1979:AVRO's TopPop, Netherlands
* November 8th, 1979:TROS Top 50/Rockplanet (first taping on TROS), Netherlands
* November 22nd, 1979: TROS Top 50/Rockplanet (second taping on TROS), Netherlands
* November 30th, 1979:Op Volle Toeren(TROS), Netherlands
* November 30th, 1979:Si, Que Si, Luv' as Zwarte Pieten and Jos Brink as Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) on TV Privé (TROS), Netherlands
* December 13th, 1979:Musikladen (Radio Bremen), West Germany
* Unknown broadcast date: ZDF Drehscheibe, West Germany
* December 31st, 1979:Jetzt Geht Die Party Richtig Los!(ZDF), West Germany
* January 12th, 1980: Die aktuelle Schaubude(NDR), West Germany
* February 17th, 1980: Heute hau'n wir auf die Pauke (ZDF), West Germany * February 25th, 1980: Disco (ZDF), West Germany
* March 7th, 1980: Midi Première (TF1), France
* March 23rd, 1980: Ooh, Yes I Do on Les Rendez-Vous Du Dimanche (TF1), France
* March 28th, 1980: This is True Luv'(TV special) on NCRV, Netherlands
* Unknown broadcast date:Ooh, Yes I Do and Boys Goodnight on Aplauso (TVE), Spain
* Unknown broadcast date: Musik und Gäste (Schweizer Fernsehen), Switzerland
* May 3rd, 1980: Medley (Ooh, Yes I Do, Boys Goodnight, Ann-Maria, Rhythm 'n Shoes) on Stuif es uit (AVRO/Nederland 1), Netherlands
* May 17th: Ooh, Yes I Do on Numéro un Sacha Distel(TF1), France
Tracklisting & release Ooh, Yes I Do 7" vinyl single (45 rpm) - original release by CNR/Carrere Records in October 1979
A side: Ooh, Yes I Do (Hans van Hemert) - 2:57
B side: My Guy (Janschen & Janschens) - 3:49
Click here to see different versions of the single.
Dutch cover
German cover
Carrere France released some pressings of the single with My Guy as the A-side and Ooh, Yes I Do as the B-side
Italian cover
Spanish cover
Mexican edition
South African pressing
Cover versions
Franz Lambert – Pop-Orgel Hit-Parade 6 (featuring an organ version of Ooh, Yes I Do) - 1980 - Germany
Ooh, Yes I Do by Lola Lee - 2006 - Netherlands
Lola Lee singing "Ooh, Yes I Do" at a private party in 2011
* Bibliography: · Hit-Lexikon des Rock und Pop Vol. 1 by Frank Laufenberg, publ: Verlag Ullstein · Top 40 Hitdossier 1956-2005 (9e editie) by Johan van Slooten, publ: Gottmer Bech
Source: Luv' Blog archives, Wikipedia, Discogs.com, 45cat.com, Dutchcharts.nl, YouTube....
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