Ria Thielsch to Luv's rescue (Part 2)

Anniversary Milestone: Ria Thielsch’s 45 Years as a Permanent Member of Luv’

Photo courtesy of © Official Luv' Fan Page and Ria Thielsch Fan Zone : Forever Yours (Facebook)

Luv' in 1980: José Hoebee, Marga Scheide & Ria Thielsch

Last month, I published the first installment of my two-part feature "Ria Thielsch to Luv’s Rescue", revisiting a pivotal moment in the group’s history. The piece marked the 45th anniversary of Ria Thielsch’s debut performance with Luv’, when she stepped in as a stand-in for Patty Brard. That night signaled a promising new chapter alongside Marga Scheide and José Hoebee, though it would take several weeks before Ria was confirmed as a full-fledged member.

Today, in part two, we return to that decisive moment: exactly 45 years ago, on September 16, 1980, the country’s leading daily, De Telegraaf, ran the front-page announcement that Ria Thielsch would officially replace Patty Brard as Luv’s permanent new member.

De Telegraaf - September 16, 1980. Click on the image to enlarge it

Click here to read the article online. Ria Thielsch's name was misspelt.

De Telegraaf ("Privé" - entertainment section) - September 16, 1980 (part 2). Click on the image to enlarge it. Click here to read the article online.

In July 1980, Luv' found themselves in disarray following Patty Brard's sudden departure, as they were busy promoting their latest single, "One More Little Kissy." They had ambitious plans for the future, including a promotional tour in Russia, participation in the Yamaha Music Festival in Japan, the filming of a TV series, and various stage and TV performances. Unfortunately, all these projects had to be canceled due to Patty's exit.

The remaining Luv' members and their team were hopeful for Patty's return and communicated with her through lawyers. Meanwhile, Luv's manager, Pim ter Linde, decided to recruit a Patty lookalike, photo model Ria Thielsch, to fill in. This decision came after a club owner in Zevenhuizen, the Netherlands, threatened to sue Luv' if they did not perform at his venue. To avoid legal penalties, Ria rehearsed with Marga and José.

Ria Thielsch's first show with Luv' on August 22, 1980, in Zevenhuizen, the Netherlands

The new line-up's first performance was a success, but Ter Linde continued to hold auditions for other candidates. At one point, Luv's team even considered bringing in Dutch pop singer Anita Meyer and male singer-actor Rick Luyckx. However, this decision would likely have harmed the trio's concept, and the public might not have accepted it.

Anita Meyer is a fantastic solo singer, but her style and repertoire didn't fit with Luv'

Luv's manager and producers considered recruiting Rik Luyckx to replace Patty Brard. Fortunately, it didn't happen.

Patty’s exit from Luv’ quickly became the talk of the town, dominating headlines and gossip columns — including one published in De Telegraaf on September 3, 1980.

Leo Derksen's column (including Luv' and Patty Brard) published in De Telegraaf on September 3, 1980

Click here to read it online

Hitkrant, September 4, 1980: Patty remains ill

The stakes were high: Luv’ was a cash machine, and any disruption had immediate financial consequences. It was during this tumultuous period that De Haagse Post published a detailed feature examining the inner workings and commercial empire of the Dutch girl group on September 20, 1980. The article opened with a controversial comparison between Luv’ and rival girl groups Babe and the Dolly Dots. Producer Peter Koelewijn’s comments reflected the era’s pervasive sexism: according to him, the challenges of managing a girl group were biological—members’ moods and vocal consistency were supposedly affected by their menstrual cycles. Even shopping for outfits posed logistical headaches. The underlying message: too many girls or too much sex appeal could be a problem.

Despite such clichés, the magazine acknowledged the undeniable media dominance of these groups. In early July 1980, television shows featured simultaneous performances: Babe sang 'The Drunken Sailor' on Veronica TV’s Vakantie in Nederland, while Luv’ performed "One More Little Kissy" (Patty Brard’s last TV appearance with the group). The Dolly Dots broke into the Dutch Top 10 with "Hela Di Ladi Lo". Sensationalist tabloid headlines followed, chronicling personal lives and love affairs, from Patty Brard’s romance with Carlo Nasi to Babe’s Gemma dating a UN soldier, and playful stories about the Dolly Dots.

The feature then focused on Luv’ and their manager Pim ter Linde, the husband of singer Ciska Peters. Ter Linde ran Interlinde Management—dubbed the “House of Dutch Stars”—which handled Luv’ along with acts like Lee Towers, Bonnie St. Claire, Saskia & Serge, and Ronnie Tober. Ter Linde disclosed that a 45-minute live performance of Luv’ cost 5,000 Dutch guilders net in the Netherlands, with German shows commanding triple that fee. A month-long hiatus in July and August 1980 had cost the group 100,000 guilders, equivalent to 20 live shows.

Television remained the group’s top priority. At their peak, Luv’ performed on 22 TV shows in a single month. Though TV appearances were not always lucrative—each costing 200 guilders plus first-class travel and hotel—they drove record sales, the most profitable segment of Luv’s business. Ter Linde and the three Luv' ladies operated through a limited company, "InterLUV’ BV", with Ter Linde as CEO and the singers as directors. For tax purposes, the members were employees of their own company, while royalties and catalog ownership were shared between Ter Linde’s management and Hans van Hemert’s production company.

Van Hemert, who launched the group, noted that international success lagged. Phonogram’s worldwide distribution meant sister companies often received Luv’ material cheaply, reducing their promotional incentive. Germany, despite being Luv’s largest export market and thus a success, underperformed, and attempts in the US and UK yielded limited results, even with Billboard magazine station calls promoting "Trojan Horse". Mexico, however, delivered a gold record in the spring of 1980.

Ter Linde’s strategy included licensing deals with Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain. Luv’ drew inspiration from ABBA and Boney M., aiming for synchronized global releases, though in practice, promotion often occurred in overlapping markets, like Spain for "Trojan Horse" while "One More Little Kissy" climbed the charts in the Netherlands and Germany.

Commercially, Luv’ dwarfed rivals. In three years, they sold four million records worldwide; Babe’s sales amounted to just one-fortieth of that figure, according to Hans van Hemert. By that time, the Dolly Dots had already sold 350,000 records in the Netherlands, with a one-hour performance commanding a fee of 3,700 Dutch guilders. Ter Linde, as CEO, earned a quarter of InterLUV’s revenues, while foreign income was routed through tax havens, such as Jersey.

The feature also revisited the group’s origins with the first manager, Han Meijer, who claimed credit for the “formula”: a blonde, a brunette, and a dark-skinned member. Early struggles included a boycotted single ("My Man" in 1977) and hostile male live audiences in small cafés, but national success arrived with "U.O.Me", the theme song for the TV series "Het is weer zo laat" (also known as Waldolala). By summer 1980, Luv’ had already cemented their status as the Netherlands’ most successful girl group, a commercial empire still expanding despite internal turbulence.

Finally, in mid-September 1980, when it became clear that Patty would not come back, Ria was allowed to be a permanent member of Luv'. This line-up change generated a lot of publicity in the media. Even the notorious American music industry trade magazines Billboard and Cashbox mentioned it. The tabloid press published articles about her background. Ria was born in Manokwari, West Papua/Indonesia, on August 25, 1951. She started her modeling career in the late 1960s. In 1978/1979, she was part of "Ricardo & The Flames", a group that released a single that failed to gain traction.

Ricardo & The Flames in 1979 (including Ria Thielsch) - photo edited by Marco Rens

Press clippings (click on the images to enlarge them):

Hitkrant - September 11, 1980

Hitkrant - September 11, 1980 (part 2)

Muziek Parade - September 1980

Limburgsch dagblad - September 17, 1980

Click here to read the article online

Algemeen Dagblad - September 17, 1980

Click here to read the article online

Nieuwsblad van het Noorden - September 18, 1980

Click here to read the article online

Hitkrant - September 18, 1980: Luv' in Japan. The group was supposed to represent the Netherlands at the World Popular Song Festival (aka Yamaha Music Festival) in Tokyo with the song "Be My Lover Tonight" but they eventually canceled their participation.

Hitkrant - September 25, 1980: Ria stays - Luv' supposed to sing "Be My Lover Tonight" at the international song festival in Japan

Hitkrant - September 25, 1980 (part 2): No one understands Patty's intentions

Joepie, September 28, 1980

Hitkrant - October 2, 1980

Joepie - October 5, 1980

Hitkrant - October 9, 1980: Patty is not coming back

Billboard magazine - October 11, 1980

Click here to read the article online

Weekend - October 11, 1980

Mix - 1980: Ria Thielsch, the new star of Luv': "I don't look like Patty"

Joepie - October 26, 1980: "Ria: I'm happy I can be part of Luv'"

Cashbox - November 1st, 1980

Click here to read it online

Ria's recruitment announced in the German magazine Bravo (1980)

Ria's true assessment as a performer occurred when her charisma was put to the test on television. Viewers got their first glimpse of the new Luv' girl when she performed "One More Little Kissy" alongside her colleagues on the Flemish TV program "Boemerang," which aired on the BRT channel on September 27, 1980.

This marked Ria's first TV performance with José and Marga.

Luv' (featuring Ria Thielsch) on Boemerang - photo montage by Marco Rens

Generated by Remini (AI) - Marco Rens

Photo edited by Marco Rens

Additionally, Luv' planned to represent the Netherlands at the World Popular Song Festival, also known as the Yamaha Music Festival, with their track "Be My Lover Tonight" in November 1980. However, the group ultimately decided to withdraw from the competition.

Ria quickly won over the fans. Following her introduction to the media and the public, the next step was the release of a new single and an album. The big question was whether Luv' could maintain its popularity without Patty. The answer was a resounding "yes." But that's another story...

Bibliography:

The Story of Luv' by Peter Boonstra, 2015

Source: Luv' weblog archives, Ria Thielsch Fan Zone : Forever Yours (Facebook), Delpher.nl, YouTube, Toen gisteren nog vandaag was...