Say Goodbye To Riverdale Synopsis (Part One)

RETRO BOX SET COVER

Archie, Cantina Style!
An Alternate History of The Archies
Synopsis of the 2014 graphic novel 
"Say Goodbye To Riverdale"
A Cartoons + Castanets Production
Written by Hampton Jacobs
Illustrated by Stuffed Animal
Costumes by Henrietta la del Barrio
featuring pop art images based on 
ARCHIE COMICS characters

POP-ART-CHIE TIMELINE AD


A POP-ARCHIE TIMELINE:
(1987 - 2011)

1987 - Archie Andrews, Juggy Jones and Reggie "Gino" Mantle form a Punk/Rockabilly trio in Boston. They call themselves The Juggz; Juggy, who plays several instruments well, is lead singer and bass guitarist; Archie plays lead guitar; and Reggie plays drums. Dilton Doiley Briseño is their music director as well as a de facto fourth member.  Hoping to travel the same route to success as The Beatles, they travel to Germany to build a fan base.  Failing to land any gigs, they audition to sing and act in an indie film about the Fab Four.  The Juggz ace their audition but the producer subsequently judges them "too ugly" to portray The Beatles!  Professional actors are hired but Arch, Jug, Reg and Dilton are retained as soundtrack musicians. Upon release, the film Ringo, I Love You is critically panned and it tanks at the box office. Dejected, The Juggz return to New England.

50 AÑOS DE LOS ARCHIES AD50 AÑOS DE LOS ARCHIES INNER SLEEVE FLIP50 ANOS DE LOS ARCHIES POSTER50 ANOS DE LOS ARCHIES POSTER FLIPSIDEWHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 199150 AÑOS DE LOS ARCHIES

PROMOS FOR THE ARCHIES'
50th ANNIVERSARY ALBUM.


1988 - Juggy is uncomfortable being the band's focal point.  The Juggz become The Archies, and Archie battles Reggie for the leadership role. He wins, but their relationship remains tense.  With help from Archie's girlfriends Veronica Lodge (on keyboards) and Betty Cooper (on tambourine), The Archies cut a demo tape. Veronica asks her father, social media magnate Ram Lodge, to pass it along to his friend Don Kirshner, a powerful music publisher.  The demo tape is awful!  Mr. Lodge has no intention of playing it for anybody; but not wanting to disappoint Roni, he arranges to have Kirshner hear The Juggz's German soundtrack recordings.  Mr. K likes what he hears!  Subsequently, he auditions and signs the group, then launches the Calendar label to market their music.  At Kirshner's urging, Veronica and Betty are added to the band's lineup, Dilton bows out and Archie becomes lead singer. Juggy and Reggie switch instruments.

ARCH AND CHUCKII COSTUME TESTBETTY, JUGGY AND RONI COSTUME TEST

COSTUME DESIGNS FOR A 1990 ARCHIES
CONCERT @ THE APOLLO THEATER.

1989 - The Archies' recordings are heavily augmented with studio musicians.  The group isn't happy about this, but Don Kirshner is calling the shots!  Outside the studio, Archie's friend Chuck Clayton, a former Gospel singer, coaches Archie and Veronica on vocal techniques; Chuckii becomes touring music director for The Archies, but Kirshner bans him from record dates. After releasing two moderate hits, the band scores an international smash with "Sugar, Sugar".  They follow up with another American Top Ten single, "Jingle Jangle" and stage a successful summer tour.  Kirshner changes the name of his indie label from Calendar to Kirshner Records.

SUMMER TOUR 1989

THE ARCHIES' 1989 TOUR PROGRAM.

1990 - Although Archie and Veronica sing lead, The Archies aren't allowed to do their own vocal backgrounds. They lobby successfully to end this restriction; Juggy's friend Kevin Keller also starts singing backing vocals at their sessions. Touring music director Chuck Clayton becomes a substitute Archie on stage for anyone who misses a performance. "Sunshine" is the last Archies single to chart on the Kirshner label.  Slow ticket sales for a second summer tour reflects dwindling public interest.

ARCHIE RADIO BOOKLET PG 1ARCHIE RADIO BOOKLET PG 2ARCHIE RADIO BOOKLET PG 3ARCHIE RADIO BOOKLET PG 4ARCHIE RADIO BOOKLET PG 5ARCHIE RADIO BOOKLET PG 6

INSERT BOOKLET FOR A
TWO-RECORD SET OF
TRANSCRIPTIONS FROM
"ARCHIE RADIO."


1991 - The Archies begin recording a Soul album but Don Kirshner shuts down the sessions.  He sends them back into the studio to cut THIS IS LOVE, a Bubblegum Pop album the group dislikes.  It fails to sell. Kirshner and The Archies reach a creative standoff, during which time he records a group of Canary Islanders called Nothing Painted Blue. Their single, "Love Is Living In You" is marketed under The Archies' name. Claiming that the release was "a mistake," Kirshner withdraws the record but The Archies no longer trust him. Their relationship begins to deteriorate!   

SURF DISCOGRAPHY 1

SINGLES BY THE KIRSHER-ERA ARCHIES,
REISSUED ON THE AUSTRALIAN ARCHIE 
RECORDS LABEL IN 2091.

1992 - The Archies fund their own album session. They book a studio in The Bahamas and complete a new album of Soul music.  They present ARCHIE'S CHICANO OLDIES to Don Kirshner but he rejects it!  This second creative standoff proves to be the last straw for both parties: After cutting one last unsuccessful single for Kirshner Records, the group negotiates a release from their recording contract and disbands.  



THE ARCHIES CUT THEIR FIRST 
DEMO TAPE IN 1988!

1993 - 1999 - The members of The Archies pursue employment and business opportunities.  Juggy Jones marries up Betty Cooper and buys a fast-food chain from fellow musician Terry "Pop" Tate.  Together, he and Betty build the renamed Jughead's chain into a thriving restaurant brand.  Archie weds Veronica and they take executive jobs with Lodge Industries, the company Roni's father owns.  Reggie and Chuck struggle to launch solo music careers.  Kevin Keller serves a tour in the US Army and one term as a state senator.

45 DISCOGRAPHY PART ONE

ARCHIES SINGLES RELEASED
BETWEEN JULY 2002 AND AUGUST 2003.

2000 - Miserable as Lodge Industries executives, Archie and Veronica step down to found an indie label of their own.  Artistically as well as musically gifted, Chuck Clayton designs the logo.  Archie Records will never market compact discs; releases are restricted to vinyl and digital download formats.  Arch and Roni attempt to regroup The Archies and sign them up, but their former bandmates aren't interested. They open their own audio recording facility, ASS (Archie Sound Studios). Gangsta rapper Big Ethel is the first Archie Records artist, but her career is brief: After just one single, she marries a preacher and becomes a born-again Christian.

5 X 5 BOX SET PROMO

PROMO FOR A 2095 BOX SET OF
SOLO ALBUMS BY MEMBERS OF
THE ARCHIES.


2001 - The September 11 tragedy happens!  The Archies agree to regroup and play benefit concerts for victims and their families.  Crowds go wild when Betty Jones takes the stage with her new instrument: A hot pink saxophone that she plays surprisingly well!  Response to The Archies' new performances is so positive, Betty, Juggy and Reggie reconsider their decision not to regroup.  They are the second act to join the Archie Records roster.  Kevin Keller returns as an unofficial member, playing keyboards and singing harmony in the studio.  Legendary singer/songwriter Carole King agrees to produce The Archies' comeback album.  She insists that all five group members take turns singing lead. An album's worth of song demos are completed but King unexpectedly pulls out of the project.  Archie and Veronica search for a new producer. 



THE ARCHIES IN 1989 WITH THEIR FIRST
RECORD PRODUCER, JEFF BARRY.


2002 - On Reggie Mantle's recommendation, Archie and Veronica contact Ralfi Chingas; he's a Latin music arranger that Reg has worked with.  They audition and hire Chingas to be The Archies' new producer.  He urges the group to disregard stylistic restrictions.  He also concurs with Carole King's concept of five lead singers and suggests that they record a Country music album.  Tracking takes place in Memphis at the legendary Sun Studios! So many outstanding masters are cut, ARCHIE COUNTRY! is released as a double-length collection.  Despite little radio airplay, it becomes a Platinum best-seller!  Culled from the album, a cover of Charlie Rich's "Lonely Weekends" scores big as a single; Reggie sings lead.

BROADWAY BARES ARCHIE

THE ARCHIES TAKE PART IN
"BROADWAY BARES 2003", A
BENEFIT FOR AIDS RESEARCH.


2003 - Mick Jagger adores ARCHIE COUNTRY! and contacts The Archies.  Veronica convinces Mick to allow The Archies to cut a Rolling Stones tribute. The resulting ARCHIES GET STONED LP is another double-length set, and it wins the group their second Platinum record award.  A cover of "Happy" with Betty on lead vocals is the most successful single issued from this album.  Without Kevin Keller (who only works with them in the studio), The Archies stage a successful North American tour.  Their background singers are Big Ethel + The Vixens, who are actually Archie's office staff (and Ethel will soon become his private secretary).  They star in "US of Archie" a 4th of July TV special; ratings are dismal.  However, the USO concert that bookends the show becomes legendary. After it's made available on LP to Archie Fan Club members, US OF ARCHIE is hailed as The Archies' finest live album. Veronica launches the Archie Fan Club label.  This is a mail-order music service; in addition to The Archies, Chuck Clayton, Pop Tate, The Vixens, The Cochinada Brothers, Betty and Veronica (performing as a duo) and Midge Mercury's Gigolettes will cut masters for AFC.  Every release is a collector's item.  Cherry Vagina Music (so christened by Veronica, who thinks the name is "empowering to women") is launched as the publishing arm of Archie Records.  It's an outlet for original compositions by members of The Archies; Arch, Betty and Juggy are the most prolific songwriters.  Seldom will the group record these copyrights, but several will score hits for various Country and R & B acts.

45 DISCOGRAPHY PART TWO

ARCHIES SINGLES RELEASED
BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2003 AND MARCH 2005.

2004 - Big Ethel oversees the Archie Fan Club label.  Veronica dislikes the acoustics of Archie Sound Studios (ASS) and calls for extensive renovation.  While the upgrade proceeds, The Archies search out a new studio home.  They settle on Chapel of Rock in Santa Barbara, owned and operated by Jeff Barry; Barry was their main producer during the Kirshner Records era.  He executive-produces JEFF AND ELLIE SONGBOOK, a double-length collection of mostly Girl Group hits co-written by him with former partner Ellie Greenwich.  A third Platinum record results, accompanied by three best-selling singles:  "Hip Shaker" (led by Veronica), "He Ain't No Angel" (with Betty out front) and the mega-hit "Nobody But You", sung by Reggie.  Several years later, the album will be reissued under the title HITS OF THE SIXTIES, VOLUME TWO.  A second successful national tour follows, but the members decide that large-scale tours are too time-consuming.  In the future, only small tours will be undertaken.



THE ARCHIES MEET THEIR NEW 
RECORD PRODUCER, RALFI CHINGAS 
IN 2002.

2005 - HOT, SWEET + LIVE!, a live-in-concert album, is cut in New Orleans at the close of The Archies' 2004 tour.  Sales for the single disc LP are lukewarm.  While in The Big Easy, Juggy, Betty and Ralfi Chingas take part in jam sessions with Wynton Marsalis and other Jazz musicians.  They call on Kevin Keller to help them cut an instrumental Jazz CD.  The Peerless label markets it under the name Juggy's Jazz Excursion.  KING OF LATIN SOUL will become one of the rarest of Archies-related collector's items.  Juggy and Kelly occasionally perform as a duet act called Blue-Eyed Soul.  They co-star in a highly-rated cable TV special celebrating the music of Marvin Gaye.  Meanwhile, Archie prepares to star in an indie film called Black Belt Smackdown!  He will also write the music score.  The Archies cut an album tribute to songwriter Toni Wine, but it's never released.  The master tape is destroyed by a vengeful sound engineer who is caught bootlegging! The group travels to South America on a mini-tour and appears in "La Diosa del Aire", a musical telenovela; songs from their aborted album provide the TV soundtrack, which is successful.  In Medellín, Columbia, Arch and Roni sign a South American distribution deal for their label.  Their new distributor is Discos Fuentes, an iconic Latin music company.  They also purchase the Kirshner Records catalog. With help from Blue-Eyed Soul, Veronica cuts a solo album.  Her tribute to Olivia Newton-John fails to impress critics and generates little fan interest.  Roni is determined to promote it, but the sudden death of her father scuttles those plans.  Ram Lodge's grieving daughter goes into seclusion for the rest of the year.  Other group members occupy themselves with charity work for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

45 DISCOGRAPHY PART THREE

ARCHIES SINGLES RELEASED
BETWEEN JUNE 2005 AND OCTOBER 2006.

2006 - The Archies convene in London, where Archie is hard at work on the soundtrack for Black Belt Smackdown!  At Abbey Road Studios, they begin cutting a song tribute to Ron Dante, their one-time vocal coach and producer during the Kirshner Records era.  Veronica's extramarital affair with Jughead comes to light during the sessions, wreaking havoc in the studio!  The group splinters and work on the nearly-completed album grinds to a halt.  Flying back to the States with the session tapes, Reggie, Ron Dante and sound engineer Alan Mayberry finish the album.  GET IT ON TODAY! becomes The Archies' second consecutive LP to under-perform in sales, but the title track scores one of their biggest hits yet when released as a single.  Betty is involved in a serious auto accident and Roni miscarries Juggy's baby; the group rallies around both women as they recover.  At Ron Dante's suggestion, The Archies agree to regroup the following year and record a Christmas album.  Chuck Clayton and Alan Mayberry become unofficial A & R chiefs of the Archie Fan Club label.



MEDIA BLITZ FOR THE ARCHIES IN 2004!

2007 - While The Archies are still reeling from the events of 2006, Black Belt Smackdown is released.  Reviews are scathing!  Archie gives up on an acting career and busies himself with preparations for a special concert.  The Archies headline a show in Santa Barbara celebrating the music of Jeff Barry, and it is very well-received.  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JEFF BARRY is recorded and filmed but never released on DVD due to legal complications. Yet spirits are high when The Archies and Kevin Keller convene in Hollywood to cut their Christmas album.  Good feeling generated by the tribute concert and yuletide repertoire confirm the group members' commitment to continue working together.  By the time they meet in New Orleans later in the year to cut new tracks, Reggie "Gino" Mantle has become a top demo singer in Nashville.  He demands a larger share of lead vocals, which becomes a source of increasing tension between him and Archie!  The new tracks feature on GREATEST HITS OF ALL-TIME, the first Archies hits compilation since the Kirshner era.  It drops simultaneously with the Christmas album; both LPs win Gold record awards.  The New Orleans sessions yield several hit singles, the biggest of which is the Rock ballad "Lady Jane".  Veronica plays lead guitar and Juggy sings lead.  Other hits include "Soul Deep Ska"(lead vocals by Archie), the country rocker "Hill Underground" (a showcase for Betty), Roni and Kelly dueting on "Reach Out In The Darkness" and a Reggie-led medley of Neil Diamond tunes.  Reg begins his transition from bass to keyboard player. Touring music director Dilton Doiley Briseño begins taking an active role in Archies recording sessions, and session bass player Trevor Santiago works with them for the first time.

US OF ARCHIE

PROMO FOR THE 2003 4TH OF JULY CABLE
TV SPECIAL "US OF ARCHIE."


2008 - Archie and Veronica launch the Cherry Vagina label in order to market a Reggie Mantle solo single.  The spicy lyrics of "Eunice Danvers" stall airplay, but several Country artists cover the Veronica-Kevin Keller murder ballad.  Archie, Betty, Veronica and Juggy collaborate on the follow-up single, "Ain't Nothin' Like A Heartbreaker".  It generates some airplay but after clashing anew with Archie, Reg refuses to promote it.  Chuck Clayton, whose status with the Archie organization has so far been unofficial, hires on as a song plugger for Cherry Vagina Music.  Josie + The Pussy Cats sign with Archie Records.  With Josie's nemesis Alexandra acting as producer, they record SOUL GALORE, a best-selling comeback album.  Dilton Doiley Briseño approaches Archie with a new arrangement for "Sugar, Sugar".  He loves it, and The Archies cut the remake in New Orleans.  Archie and Veronica sing the lyrics in Spanish.  The single stalls at Top Forty in the USA, but sells like hotcakes in every Spanish-speaking territory!
  
ARCHIES EP DISCOGRAPHY

THE ARCHIES' EXTENDED-PLAY SINGLES 
DISCOGRAPHY, 2002 - 2012. 

The band undertakes a mini-tour of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Latin-America.  In Europe, Pansexual Reggie flaunts his affair with Ricky Martin and poses for nude centerfold photos; this brings his conflicts with Archie to a head.  Arch fires him from the group!  Reg signs a solo deal with Fantasy Records and cuts "Papichulo Mambo".  The Archies rejected this Spanish-language sizzler as a single candidate but now it tops the dance charts!  While recording his debut CD in México City, Reggie gets romantically involved with Olga San Quentín, a famous Mexican singer/songwriter and dancer.  Olga is also working with The Archies, penning lyrics for a Spanish-language album they plan to record.  Archie hires Trevor Santiago, brother of Josie + The Pussy Cats' lead singer Valerie Smith to sub for Reggie.  Subsequently, Trev adopts his sister's stage surname.  At Chapel of Rock, he helps the band record ÉXITOS EN ESPAÑOL, which will become the all-time best-selling Archies album in Latin America.  Dilton Doiley Briseño arranges and co-produces the double-length set with Ralfi Chingas.

45 DISCOGRAPHY PART FOUR


ARCHIES SINGLES RELEASED
BETWEEN MAY 2007 AND SEPTEMBER 2009.

2009 - Olga San Quentin gives birth to Reggie Mantle's son Dante Carmine just as his solo album drops.  LOVE 2 LOVE is a Norteño-flavored collection of Neil Diamond songs.  It is critically acclaimed but controversial because of pornographic videos that Reggie films to promote it.  Neil Diamond sues for defamation and copyright infringement; Fantasy Records is forced to withdraw the album from sale.  Reg is crushed!  Betty, Veronica and Juggy have stayed in touch.  They convince Reg to meet The Archies in Puerto Rico, where they are cutting a second Country album.  Olga and the baby accompany him.  Reg and Archie patch up their differences, and both Reg and Olga appear as guest artists on RETURN TO ARCHIE COUNTRY. Album sessions stall when Veronica and Ralfi Chingas clash over musical arrangements; the two stop speaking to each other!  Archie calls in Dilton Doiley Briseño to take over as producer; unknowingly, he does so without getting label credit.  Dilton meets up with The Archies in New Orleans and cuts new versions of Ralfi Chingas productions that Roni disliked.  The finished double-length album is a mix of new recordings and leftover tracks from the 2002 ARCHIE COUNTRY! sessions.  It scores a long-awaited fourth Platinum record award for The Archies. This latest success forces them to reconsider their ban on large-scale tours.  Their subsequent national tour becomes one of the biggest attractions of the 2009-10 concert season.  Hit singles include the ensemble vocal showcase "Love Of The Common People", Betty's star turn on "Jacky Daniels And You" (the band's first Top Ten Country record), Trevor Smith's debut lead vocal on a remake of "Jet Airliner" and "Good Deal, Lucille", a 2002 track featuring Reggie.  Reg maintains "guest artist" status but returns to the group as keyboard player; Trevor Smith officially replaces him, taking over bass duties.  Veronica moves into the lead guitarist spot while Archie plays rhythm guitar. Kevin Keller joins the tour as an opening act.  



CUSTOMIZED RECORD LABELS FOR 
RETRO!!! A 2075 ARCHIES BOX SET.

2010 - The Archies concentrate on solo projects.  Kevin Keller has stopped recording with the group in order to pursue an acting career.  He is hired to star in a TV show about a Gay superhero.  Kelly films a pilot for "The Equalizer", but it never gets picked up.  Trevor Smith sells Archie on a Jazz vocal group called Savoy Sound.  Archie signs them to his label.  When their bad-tempered lead singer quits, Trev subs for him.  Savoy Sound's self-titled début album draws mixed reviews and lackluster sales.  Archie arranges to cut a tribute album to Burt Bacharach, with the famous composer producing.  Critics (as well as Veronica and Bacharach himself) adore WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, ARCHIE? but it flops.  Arch's solo single, "Made In Paris" barely charts. Jackie DeShannon contacts Betty Jones and requests that she cut an album of her compositions.  Much to Archie's chagrin, the legendary singer/songwriter arranges for Betty to sign with Jamie Records.  Many people consider Betty a vocal re-incarnation of Country legend Patsy Cline, and it's the two singers' similar phrasing that most intrigues DeShannon.  Though not a big seller upon release, Betty's PATSY, JACKIE AND ME CD quickly becomes a coveted cult item.  At Archie and Veronica's request, Juggy Jones cuts a Disco album in French.  It's aimed at getting a foothold for Archie Records in France.  When the French session musicians Jug hires don't meet his musical standards, that album becomes an Archies record in everything but name.  Members of The Archies help Ralfi Chingas record MAMBITO, his own best-selling solo album.  This collaboration paves a path for Chingas to resume working with the band again.  The only group recording cut in 2010 is a song tribute to British Rock star Cliff Richard called MOVE IT!  This isn't an LP but a double-length extended play disc that Archie and Veronica decide not to release.  They create the Archie Americana label to market Katz + The Fiddles, Riverdale's most popular Country band.  Produced by Chuck Clayton and filled with Cherry Vagina copyrights, NASHVILLE KATZ fails to chart.  The critically-acclaimed LP ends up being a one-off release, but it launches The Fiddles on a long and lucrative career. 

45 DISCOGRAPHY PART FIVE

ARCHIES SINGLES RELEASED
BETWEEN DECEMBER 2009 AND JULY 2011.

2011 -  Juggy's French solo album TOUT CE QU'ILS DIRENT DE MOI sells briskly in every French-speaking territory except France! Jug also scores a hit single in Canada, "Connaissez".  It's a French translation of "Made In Paris", the same song that Archie released in English.  Arch releases another solo single, "Land Of Milk And Honey".  It's his only solo effort to make the Top Forty.  Reggie officially returns to membership in The Archies, even while planning a second stab at solo stardom.  Songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil see the group perform a medley of their songs in concert.  Impressed, they contact Veronica and propose a songbook album.  Transsexual Flamenco guitarist Jonniemae becomes The Archies' music director at this time; she is a Ralfi Chingas discovery, and Ralfi returns to produce the Mann-Weil set. However, his in-studio fights with Barry and Cynthia make his disagreements with Roni look tame!  This will be the last Archies album he works on.  The songbook sessions are turbulent but well worth the trouble:  HITS OF THE SIXTIES yields a pair of chartbusters ("Glitter And Gold", sung by Archie and Trevor and "Love Her", a star turn for Juggy) and bags a fifth Platinum record for The Archies.  With Bree (Sabrina) Spellman as touring music director, the group embarks on what they promise will be their last national tour; it's their most successful concert series to date!  Near the end of the tour, they fly to England and cut a duet single with Josie + The Pussy Cats; Betty, Veronica and Pussy Cat drummer Melody share lead vocals.  "Stop! And You'll Become Aware" is The Archies' final hit single of the 2010s.  Kevin Keller tours with them again as an opening act and revives his Blue-Eyed Soul act with Juggy.  However, Veronica has bigger plans for Kelly: She signs him solo to Archie Records and steers him toward a Heavy Metal sound.  His cover of an old Pat Benatar number, "My Clone Sleeps Alone" causes a major sensation when released.  Promoted by a music video in which Kelly appears nude, it tops the charts!