30 years ago exactly, on April 4th, 1991, Veronica/Nederland 2 broadcast the TV special "Luv' In Thailand" to promote the album entitled "Sincerely Yours". The CD included the singles "Hasta Mañana", "Jungle Jive", "The Last Song" and "He's My Guy" (a minor hit song). This opus was recorded by Luv's line-up consisting of Marga Scheide (the only original member) with Diana van Berlo and Carina Lemoine. Let's celebrate the 30th anniversary of this underestimated album.
History
In the summer and autumn of 1990, Luv' went through a line-up change: 21-year-old Carina Lemoine replaced Michelle Gold (see article posted on September 26th, 2020)
The announcement of Carina as a new Luv' singer coincided with the end of the trio's contract with Dureco Records and the signature of a deal with RCA Records/BMG.
The renewed Luv' group recorded a Latin pop single entitled "Hasta Mañana" written and produced by Marga Scheide and her partner, Jacques Zwart (aka E. Mergency). During the autumn of 1990, Luv' promoted this record in the media (including TV performances on Sportgala (Veronica), Tineke (Veronica) and 5 Uur Show (RTL 4). Despite this exposure, the single didn't enter the hit parade.
As the girl group was experiencing changes, the world was facing a major crisis: the Gulf War. Among the countries involved in the coalition against Saddam Hussein's army: the Netherlands. The Luv' girls were officially invited by the Dutch community-based in Dubai in association with Joop van de Ende productions and the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy) to entertain the marines. On December 14th, 1990, Luv' gave a memorable show for the Dutch boys at the Hyatt Hotel in Dubai. The three singers expressed satisfaction about this performance in the press. The icing on the cake was the front page of De Telegraaf (see news posted on December 15th, 2020)
After this unique show, Marga Scheide announced the release of the Sincerely Yours album in an article published in Algemeen Dagblad on January 21st, 1991. "We're going to Thailand for a TV special on Veronica. We're going to perform material from our new LP. In late March, this record will hit the stores," she told.
Luv's album was named after a cover version of a US Top 20 hit originally performed by the American girl group Sweet Sensation in 1988.
The songs on this record were influenced by pop music (Sentimental Fool, The Last Song), dance music (2am Saturday Night, I Wanna Make Love To You), flamenco and Latin American sounds (Hasta Manana, Sincerely Yours, Canta De La Luna) as well as Jazz (He's my guy). These tracks were recorded at Hit Jam Studios, Dureco Studios and Wisseloord Studios. They were produced by Jacques Zwart. Holland's best session musicians were recruited for the recording sessions. Among them were Bert Meulendijk, Eddie Conard, Hans Jansen, Lex Bolderdijk, Omar Dupree and Ton op 't Hof. Previously they collaborated with artists like Bolland & Bolland, Paul de Leeuw, Gordon, Lee Towers, Herman Brood and Dolly Dots.
Prior to the release of this promising album, RCA/BMG put out the single entitled Jungle Jive as a foretaste in March 1991.
Luv' Fanzine conceived by Martin Vink & Arnold Kroone including the lyrics of Jungle Jive
Sincerely Yours was released in late March 1991.
To promote the LP, Veronica/Nederland 2 broadcast the TV special "Luv' in Thailand". Marga, Diana and Carina lip-synced their songs in beautiful Thai settings.
This beautiful TV show generated lots of publicity in the press. The ladies even graced the cover of Veronica Magazine.
Leeuwarder Courant - April 4th, 1991
Click here to read the article online
Advertisement published in De Telegraaf on April 5th, 1991
Photography & Styling
Patricia Steur took a beautiful picture of the girls for the cover of the Sincerely Yours album. She photographed the Who's who of pop-rock artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rod Stewart, Debbie Harry, Willy Deville, Anouk, Ben Harper, Bono and Herman Brood.
The styling was supervised by Marga Scheide and the former Luv' singer Ria Thielsch (who was part of the 1981-1981 line-up and who would join the group again in 2016). At the time, Ria was working in the fashion industry and was the right person to choose the right outfits for the ladies.
Commercial response and chart performance
Sincerely Yours failed to make any chart impact and just delivered a minor hit: He's my guy which peaked at #75 on the Dutch singles chart (Nationale Top 100) in October 1991. Although mainstream success was a distant memory for Luv', the ladies often toured the club circuit and performed on television.
Track listing
- "Jungle Jive" (G. Thé, Marga Scheide, E. Mergency) – 3:23
- "Sincerely Yours" (Ricardo Pagan, Joseph Malloy) – 4:25
- "Sentimental Fool" (E. Mergency, Scheide) – 4:17
- "Canta de la Luna" (E. Mergency, Scheide) – 4:15
- "2am Saturday Night" (F. Rampen, E. Mergency) – 3:10
- "Hasta Mañana" (E. Mergency, Scheide) – 5:33
- "He's My Guy" (E. Mergency) – 3:44
- "Live or Die" (A. Hol, Scheide, E. Mergency) – 3:32
- "I Wanna Make Love to You" (Lion Keezer) – 3:26
- "The Last Song" (E. Mergency, Scheide) – 4:31
Credits
Marga Scheide – vocals
Diana van Berlo – vocals
Carina Lemoine – vocals
Musicians
Jacques Zwart – keyboard/arranger
Hans Jansen – keyboard
Bert Meulendijk – guitar
Lex Bolderijk – guitar
Ton op 't Hof – drums
Eddie Conard – percussion
The Styluss Horns – horn section
Omar Dupree – background vocals
Production
Producer: Hit Jam - Jacques Zwart
Recorded at Hit Jam Studios, Dureco Studios and Wisseloord Studios
Recording engineers: Sytze Gardenier, Erroll Lafleur, Margret van den Heuvel and Jacques Zwart
Photography: Patricia Steur
Design: Meter
Four songs from Sincerely Yours came out as singles:
- Hasta Mañana
- Jungle Jive
- The Last Song
- He's My Guy
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