40th anniversary of Patty Brard's solo career

February 1981 saw the debut of Patty Brard's solo career. The beautiful Indo-Dutch entertainer was the first ex-Luv' singer to go solo. Musically speaking, she chose an adult contemporary repertoire which was different from her Luv' recordings. She hoped that she would be as big as female pop-rock stars who were globally popular at the time (Olivia Newton-John, Kim Carnes, Kate Bush, Sheena Easton, Kim Wilde or Pat Benatar).   

History

In the summer of 1980, Patty took everybody by surprise when she left Luv' unexpectedly (see article posted on July 26th, 2020). The group's latest single "One More Little Kissy" was still on the charts (see news posted on May 31st, 2020). Just before the release of this record, the ladies went on a memorable promo tour in Mexico (see article posted on May 10th, 2020). On this occasion, Patty met Italian record producer and music publisher Carlo Nasi (heir to the FIAT empire). It was love at first sight. At the time, Patty was divorcing Dutch TV star Ron Brandsteder. Rapidly, the enfant terrible of Luv' was not motivated to fulfil her commitments. She was fed up with the hectic schedule of the group. Tensions within the members of the pop trio appeared. 

On July 9th, 1980, Patty decided to be on sick-leave for a month. She escaped from Holland to go to Los Angeles where Carlo lived.

La Brard was rapidly replaced by photo model Ria Thielsch. In the autumn of 1980, Luv's new line-up released the single entitled My Number One (see article posted on October 30th, 2020) and The Forever Yours album (see article posted on December 3rd, 2020). These records were successful in the Netherlands and Belgium. Luv' seemed to be back for good. But in December 1980, Marga Scheide fainted during the rehearsals for the TV show Popcorn. The blonde singer was overworked and suffered from a burn-out. Luv' had to stop all their activities once again. Holland's greatest girl group was in danger (see article posted on January 16th, 2020). 

Patty Vs InterLUV'

Meanwhile, Patty was not on speaking terms with her former colleagues and only communicated with them through her lawyer. The problem was that she was still a shareholder in Luv's limited company (InterLuv' B.V) and thus earned money from the record sales of the group. A clause in the contract with InterLuv' said that as long as Patty was legally linked with Luv' she was not allowed to make negative comments about the group in public. Otherwise, she had to pay a fine of 10.000 Dutch guilders. The dispute was eventually resolved years later when her shares were purchased for 400.000 Dutch guilders. This lawsuit generated lots of bad publicity in the media. 

De Telegraaf - November 4th, 1980

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Het Vrije Volk - February 6th, 1981

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De Telegraaf - February 6th, 1981

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De Telegraaf - February 10th, 1981

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Hitkrant - February 12th, 1981

Het Vrije Volk - February 14th, 1981

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De Telegraaf - February 16th, 1981

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Het Vrije Volk - February 17th, 1981

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Leeuwarder courant - March 3rd, 1981

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Limburgsch dagblad - March 7th, 1981

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De Waarheid - March 17th, 1981

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Patty's solo plans 

The larger than life celebrity gave an interview to Dutch teen magazine Hitkrant published on November 6th, 1980 to explain her situation as the Luv' girls were busy promoting My Number One. "I hope to get my money because I've been working for it for four years. I think they are going to sell my shares so I am out of Luv'. I don't know what I'm going to do next. A solo record is not planned yet. I hope to enjoy life here (in Los Angeles) and I'll spend the Christmas holidays with my parents. Then we'll see what we can do in the future," Patty said. 

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Hitkrant - 6 November 1980

On December 20th, 1980, De Telegraaf published another tell-all interview with Patty. The young woman explained why she left Luv'. She gave the impression that she was bitter. She could not stand the fact that she was not free during her Luv' years. This article was illustrated with photos with Carlo Nasi. It was bad publicity for the group that didn't need that.

De Telegraaf - December 20th, 1980

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In the December 20th edition of Algemeen Dagblad, Patty confirmed that she was working on a solo career. "After my departure from Luv', a lot of crazy things were said and written about me. I was fed up with the show business. During the months I was in Los Angeles, I weighed up the pros and cons. I've decided to go on as a solo singer," she told. "If I'm going to make music in Luv's style? I don't think so. Luv' was good for a while but I appreciated the group's music less and less," she added. 

Algemeen Dagblad - December 20th, 2020

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On December 23rd, 1980, Dutch newspaper Het Vrije Volk mentioned Patty who attended a showbiz event (organized by Hitkrant) during which she presented an award to the girl duo  Maywood. 

Het Vrije Volk - December 23rd, 1980

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In January 1981, Hitkrant published an article about the same party. It was Patty's first public appearance since her departure from Luv'. 

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On December 28th, 1980, Patty was invited on Jaaroverzicht Journaal 1980, a retrospective program broadcast on NOS which focused on the greatest media events of 1980. Dressed in a strict trouser suit, she looked different from her usual sexy image. She expressed her feelings in a short interview. She told that she left Luv' without anger. She wished Marga all the best.

Patty later gave details about her solo project in the press. Carlo Nasi could afford the crème de la crème of sessions musicians in the best studios in LA for his lover.  Among these sought-after professionals were:

• Richard Page who later formed the rock band Mr. Mister (known for the world hit Broken Wings) and who recorded background vocals. 
• Keyboard player Billy Preston who worked with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
• Percussionist Paulinho da Costa who later collaborated on Michael Jackson's Thriller (the best-selling album of all time) and Madonna's True Blue (Miss Ciccone's most popular LP).

"My friend Carlo Nasi is a record producer and a music publisher. One day he asked me if I wanted to sing on a track he was recording. His intention was to realize the potential of the song. But when I was in the studio, I was excited. The musicians were very enthusiastic and in the evening at home, Carlos asked me if I wanted to put out a solo record. At first, I said no. But that night I couldn't sleep well. When Carlo went to the studio the next morning, I said: "I follow you", she told Hitkrant. "It was a hard decision. I wanted to make a record on one condition: I wanted people to listen to my voice. I've been heard that only one girl was singing on Luv' records and it wasn't me. We were looking for tracks for a couple of weeks and we got in touch with songwriters. Two months later we had thirteen songs. We recorded for one month. I co-produced the LP. I was very impressed during the first recording session. Carlo recruited top musicians from Los Angeles. These people only work with you if they believe in your project. I was very humble next to these famous musicians. I took singing lessons. My American vocal coach gave me confidence. Billy Preston was recording in the studio next to us and he came to listen to our songs. After listening to three tracks, he wanted to play keyboards on one of the songs. After the album was mixed, everybody in Los Angeles was happy about it but what matters the most to me is what people will think about it in the Netherlands," Patty added. 

The January 17th, 1981 edition of De Telegraaf featured an article about Patty's debut album. 

De Telegraaf - January 17th, 1981

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Between January 23rd and January 29th, 1981, Patty and Carlo took part in the MIDEM (the leading trade fair for the music business in Cannes, France) to find labels that could distribute their album. Record deals were signed with Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Panamanian, Mexican, Argentinian and South African record companies. According to Hitkrant, Patty's LP caused a sensation during this music event. 

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Hitkrant - February 5th, 1981

Patty & Carlo in Cannes during the MIDEM 1981

In early February 1981, the soft pop-rock song Hold On To love came out as a single. The track (written by Barry Richards and Bobby Hart of the Boyce and Hart duo that wrote hits for The Monkees) was the lead single from the album All the Way which was released later. Hold On To Love premiered on Mies Bouwman's TV show Telebingo and AVRO's TopPop on February 6th, 1981. During a brief interview, Mies asked Patty if the Luv' ladies had really sung on their records. The sexy Indo-Dutch singer answered that they were the actual vocalists but that their voices had been enhanced.

Leeuwarder Courant - February 7th, 1981

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Limburgsch Dagblad - February 7th, 1981

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Muziekparade - February 1981

Hitkrant - February 12th, 1981

Hold On To Love was chosen as Alarmschijf (record of the week or hit tip) by Dutch station Radio Veronica on February 13th, 1981. It was played in heavy rotation on Veronica to make it a hit record. Hitkrant gave it a good review and also chose it as the "single of the week". On March 3rd, 1981, the teen magazine organized a Q&A phone event during which the readers could call Miss Brard to ask her questions. 

Hitkrant - February 1981

Hitkrant - February 26th, 1981

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Hitkrant - March 1981

Hitkrant poster - March 12th, 1981

The February 27th, 1981 broadcast of AVRO's TopPop featured Patty performing four tracks from the All The Way album: Hold On To Love, All This Way, Survivor and Sambaman/Brazilian Love Song. Never in the history of TopPop had an artist been able to perform several songs. It was widely rumoured that Carlo spent huge amounts of money on the promotion of Patty's records. The ex-Luv' girl also sang her debut solo single on other TV programs (including Nederland Muziekland on Veronica and Star Club on TROS). 

Hold On To Love on AVRO'sTopPop 

February 27th, 1981

ALL This Way on AVRO'sTopPop 

February 27th, 1981

Survivor on AVRO'sTopPop 

February 27th, 1981

Brazilian Love Song/Sambaman  on AVRO'sTopPop 

February 27th, 1981

Hold On To Love on Star Club (1981) 

This strategy to conquer the media paid off: Hold On To Love became a hit single on the Dutch, Flemish and South African record charts. However, it never achieved the level of success of Luv's classic hits (like You're the Greatest Lover and Trojan Horse). 

Carlo had a surprise for Patty on her 26th birthday on March 25th, 1981: 2000 posters that said "Happy Birthday Patty and Hold On To Love" were hung in Amsterdam, The Hague and Hilversum. 

Hitkrant - April 2nd, 1981

Joepie - 1981

In May 1981, a second single from All The Way came out: Brazilian Love Song / Sambaman. But this South American summer record didn't enter the charts. 

In the May 14th, 1981 edition of De Telegraaf, Patty said that Carlo and she wanted to marry. Carlo proposed to her as the lovebirds were on holidays in Bart van der Laar's house in Portugal. Patty wanted record producer Van der Laar to be a witness at her wedding. Patty and Carlo got married two years later. Van der Laar did not attend their ceremony as he was murdered in November 1981 (see article posted on November 11th, 2016). 

De Telegraaf - May 14th, 1981

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In the May 17th, 1981 issue of the Flemish teen magazine Joepie, Patty explained her financial problems with Luv'. 

Joepie - May 17th, 1981

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During a party, Patty met the girl group Babe (Luv's rivals). Gemma, Rita and Margot wanted Miss Brard to supervise their styling. Patty couldn't as she was busy with their own career. Actually, Marga Scheide collaborated with Babe. 

Hitkrant - June 4th, 1981

After Europe, Patty planned to conquer America and Japan but she never succeeded. 

Hitkrant - June 18th,  1981

Chart performance

"Hold on to love" peaked at #19 on the Dutch Top 40 and #14 on the Nationale Hitparade (currently Single Top 100) in the Netherlands. It reached #4 on the BRT Top 30 and #7 on the Ultratop in Belgium as well as #12 on the South African charts.

The "All This Way" album reached Nr. 35 on the "Nationale Hitparade LP Top 50" in Holland.

Release

Patty Brard's first solo single "Hold on to love" and debut album "All This Way" came out in various editions - all depending in which countries the release took place (Philips Records in the Netherlands and Belgium, Metronome in Germany, F1 Team in Italy, RCA Victor in Argentina, CBS/Sony in Japan...). 

The Japanese edition of Patty's LP included two bonus tracks: "Forever" and "When I'm Gone". 

All This Way was never released on CD but is available on Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer.

Track listing

* Hold on to love (single) released in February 1981.

• A side: Hold On To Love (Barry Richards, Bobby Hart) - 3:40
• B side: Love Keeps Knockin' (Richard Gibbs) - 3:15

* Sambaman (single) released in May 1981

• A side: Sambaman (A. Testa, C. Conti, D. Pace) - 3:35
• B side: Radio (Don't Take The Music Away) (Barry Richards, Bobby Hart) - 3:05

* Forever (single) released only in Japan, Mexico and Argentina in 1981

• A side: Forever
• B side: When I'm Gone

* All This Way (album) released in February 1981

Original Dutch front cover

A side

1. Hold On To Love 3:40
2. Radio (Don't Take The Music Away) 3:05
3. The Survivor 3:43
4. All This Way 3:56
5. Brazilian Love Song / Sambaman 5:20

B side

1. Love Keeps Knockin' 3:51
2. The Loneliest Night 3:26
3. Was I Good 3:40
4. Only Back For The Night 3:49
5. Down On Your Knees 3:15

Credits:

Produced by Carlo Nasi & Patty Brard

Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Doug Norwine

Arranged by Richard Gibbs

Art Direction, Illustration – Linda Harris

Backing Vocals – Freida Woody, Mark Stevens, Richard Page, Steve George, Tom Kelly

Baritone Saxophone – Kurt McGettrick

Bass – Kerry Hatch, Reginald McBride

Design – Lauren Garza

Drums – Rick Schlosser, Vincent Colaiuta

Electric Guitar – Jamie Glaser, Paul Jackson Jr.

Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Lee Ritenour

Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals – Michael Levin

Engineer [Assistant] – Jeff Borgeson, Phil Moores

Engineer [Assistant], Mixed By [Assistant] – Joe Benechi

Engineer, Mixed By – Brian Levi

Mastered By – Brian Ingoldsby

Organ – Billy Preston

Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa

Photography by Dennis Finn

Photography [Cover] by Gianni Bozzacchi

Lead Vocals – Patty Brard

Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Carlo Nasi

Tenor Saxophone – David Woodford, Lawrence Williams

Trombone – Bruce Paulson

Trombone, Horn [Baritone] – William Reichenbach

Trumpet – John Liotine, Steven Madaio

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Charles Findley

Mastered at Cybersonics Lathes

Recorded at:
Excalibur Studios, North Hollywood
Davlen Sound Studios, Universal City
Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood
Sound Master Recording Studios, North Hollywood

Mixed at Sound Recording Studios

Japanese edition

Argentinian edition

*Bibliography:

Top 40 Hitdossier 1956-2005 (9e editie) by Johan van Slooten, publ: Gottmer Bech

The Story Of Luv' by Peter Boonstra

*Source: Luv' weblog archives, Delpher.nl, ANP Archief, Dutchcharts.nl,Top40.nl, BRT Top 30 and South African Charts, Discogs, YouTube...