LORETTA, Du allein

PARTY!  Now, that´s a cool name for a label.  With a name like that you´d expect full colour picture sleeves, but unfortunately the ones I´ve seen  have plain type-only designs.  All Party releases seem to feature Loretta, so likely the label was a vehicle for her career. Local budget-stars Bob Gerry (Werner Hass), the Moonlights and the Columbinos also appear on Party releases. Günter Pätzold, who backs Loretta with his orchestra, began recording for Odeon in the late 1940s. He co-wrote Küß Mich Heiß (as Petzold) for the Heinz-Becker Barquintett for the Amiga label, incidentally, a group Fritz Wölffer played guitar in. Pätzold also recorded for the local cheapo flexi disc-label Okay.

Du allein was written by  Pätzold, Loretta and a certain van Holsten, while Frage nicht nach meinen Traeumen was written for Loretta by Bruno Balz and Heino Gaze, two very successful German songwriters. Heino Gaze (1908-1967) wrote the music to around 600 German hit songs, like La-Le-Lu, Kalkutta liegt am Ganges, and Shake Hands, a hit for Drafi Deutscher. Bruno Balz (1902-1988) wrote the lyrics to more than a thousand hit songs, a lot of them together with Michael Jary. He especially wrote for Zarah Leander, but carried on until the mid-60s with such hits as Mäcki Boogie, Berlin bleibt doch Berlin! and Mama for child star Heintje. Bruno Balz was a very interesting character and I recommend to read his full story on Wikipedia.

Both songs have a pretty big production for a small label, that contrast with Loretta´s unique voice.

Now, who is this mysterious Loretta?

LORETTA, Du allein

LORETTA, Frage nicht nach meinen Tränen

Party PD 2713, A-Side: Loretta (Günter Pätzold mit senem Tanzorchester und die Moonlights) – Quando… Quando… / B-Side: Bob Gerry und die Moonlights – Luana (Komm heute Nacht zu mir)

Party PD 2714, A-Side: Loretta – Eine Insel für zwei/  B-Side: Günter Pätzold – Paris (Guenter Pätzold mit seinem Tanzorchester und die Moonlights)

Party PD 2715, A-Side: Loretta – Frage nicht nach meinen Tränen/ B-Side: Lotetta- Du allein (Guenter Pätzold mit seinem Tanzorchester und die Moonlights)

Some more Party label images from ebay: