ARCHIE IN THE STUDIO: THE YEAR 2012
POP CULTURE CANTINA
Presents
DESTINATION: SUGARTOWN!
THE ARCHIE RECORDS STORY
A Journey Through
THE GREAT AMERICAN
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SONG BOOK
SABRINA: IT'S TIME TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY PORN CREDIT. WHAT? YOU DIDN'T KNOW I HAD ONE? WELL, OF COURSE I DO. IT WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST MOVIE I EVER WORKED ON!
DO YOU REMEMBER THAT EMBARRASSING FILM FOOTAGE OF KEVIN KELLER + NICHOLAS FREUND THAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT? THAT WAS BACK IN 2005. WHEN KELLY'S SOLO CAREER TOOK OFF IN EARLY 2012, HE GOT AN UNPLEASANT REMINDER OF IT!
PUCHI SCHNEIDER WAS THE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR AND CINEMATOGRAPHER OF THE GAY X-RATED FILM THAT KELLY + BIG NIPSY UNWITTINGLY BECAME A PART OF. A BLACKMAILER ALL HIS LIFE, PUCHI WOULD LATER CAUSE THE DOWNFALL ONE OF THE NEW ARCHIES! WERE IT NOT FOR MY RETICENCE TO TAMPER WITH PREDETERMINED SEQUENCES OF EVENTS, I MIGHT'VE USED SORCERY TO END HIS CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES YEARS BEFORE THAT HAPPENED.
HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO THE INTERLOPERS ON HIS MOVIE SET WERE, BUT SINCE THEY WERE BOTH GOOD-LOOKING, HE KEPT THEM IN THE FILM. MAN BITCHES ON A BEACH TANKED UPON ITS RELEASE IN EARLY 2007; BUT FIVE YEARS LATER, PUCHI RECOGNIZED KEVIN KELLER. HIS IMAGE HAD STARTED TO BLANKET ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA!
HE SENT A BLACKMAIL THREAT TO KELLY THROUGH HIS MANAGER: "PAY ME (x) MILLION DOLLARS, OR SEE YOUR REPUTATION RUINED!" PUCHI WAS THREATENING TO REISSUE HIS PORN MOVIE WITH KEVIN KELLER BILLED AS THE STAR, AND FRANKLY, I DON'T THINK A PAYOFF WOULD'VE STOPPED HIM!
POLYAMOROUS ROCK STAR KEVIN
KELLER SHARED HIS FIRST
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
COVER WITH BOTH HIS LOVER,
JOSIE JAMES, AND HIS HUSBAND,
CLAY WALKER!
KELLY'S MANAGER, OF COURSE, WAS NICHOLAS FREUND. BIG NIPSY WAS ALSO IN THAT FILM FOOTAGE, BUT PUCHI HAD NO INTEREST IN A MAN HE SNEERINGLY CALLED "THAT HAS-BEEN FOLK SINGER." HE DARED TO SAY THAT TO A MEMBER OF BOSTON'S FREUND CRIME FAMILY! AS IF THE BLACKMAIL THREAT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH.
WELL, PUCHI SCHNEIDER SOON REALIZED THAT HE'D BITTEN OFF MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW! HE GOT A PAYOFF, ALL RIGHT, BUT MUCH SMALLER THAN HE WANTED, AND HE WAS FORCED TO GIVE UP SOMETHING IN RETURN: OWNERSHIP OF THE FILM NEGATIVE! ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTIONS TOOK POSSESSION OF IT, BY MEANS THAT I'D RATHER NOT REVEAL.
BUT ONCE HE HAD POSSESSION OF THE COMPROMISING FILM, BIG NIPSY DECIDED NOT TO SUPPRESS IT! "MY LIFE EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT ME THE FOLLY OF TRYING TO HIDE STUFF," HE TOLD ARCHIE, REFERRING TO THE DECADE HE SPENT TRYING TO CONCEAL HIS MAFIA BACKGROUND. "INSTEAD OF KEEPING SECRETS, IT'S BETTER TO USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!"
NICHOLAS WAS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO KNEW THAT DIRECTOR RAJ PATEL MADE PORN TAPES ON THE SIDE. HE SET UP A PRIVATE SCREENING OF MAN BITCHES FOR RAJ. THEY AGREED THAT A MUCH BETTER FILM COULD BE MADE OUT OF THE FOOTAGE, WITH MOST OF THE EXPLICIT SCENES TAKEN OUT.
RAJ WAS BUSY DIRECTING THE HIT JUKEBOX MUSICAL SOUL + INSPIRATION, BUT FOR A WHILE HE TURNED THAT DUTY OVER TO CYNTHIA WEIL, THE SHOW'S LYRICIST AND CO-PRODUCER. WITH HIS WIFE AMISHA, HE GOT BUSY RE-EDITING PUCHI'S FAILED FLICK. (HE ALSO COMPLETED A PROJECT WITH THE ARCHIES DURING THIS TIME; SALEM WILL ELABORATE LATER ON.) MEANWHILE, NICHOLAS SHARED HIS PLANS WITH AN ASTONISHED KEVIN KELLER.
"APPEARING IN A PORN FLICK DIDN'T HURT SYLVESTER STALLONE'S CAREER," HE ARGUED, "AND IT WON'T HURT YOURS, EITHER!" KELLY WAS RETICENT @ FIRST, BUT HE EVENTUALLY CAME AROUND. ONCE HE DID, NICHOLAS APPROACHED ME ABOUT REPLACING PUCHI'S MEDIOCRE SOUNDTRACK MUSIC. BEING THE KIND OF MANAGER WHO STAYED INFORMED ABOUT PEOPLE IN HIS ORBIT, HE KNEW ABOUT MY FILM SCORING AMBITIONS.
THINGS STARTED HAPPENING VERY QUICKLY! IN APRIL OF 2012, I FOUND MYSELF @ ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS, ACTING AS MUSIC DIRECTOR FOR THIS UNUSUAL PROJECT. I CHOSE ROD MACK, ROSCOE SHIRLEY AND MY SONGWRITING PARTNER TIMOTHY GARLAND TO WORK ON IT WITH ME. MY FRIEND MADAME AXE WAS ALSO THERE TO PLAY LEAD GUITAR.
NICHOLAS WAS THE PRODUCER AS WELL AS LEAD SINGER ON THE SONGS I WROTE WITH TIM + ROD. APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH, WE CREDITED THEIR TRIO VOCALS TO "THE NASTY BOYS", ARCHIE'S DEFAULT MALE BACKING GROUP! WE TRACKED EIGHT NUMBERS OVER TWO WEEKS.
THE TWELFTH YEAR: 2012
"KISSIN' COUSINS"
Salem da Katt: Archie + Veronica, both of partial Italian descent, longed to cut a record that celebrated their heritage. If @ all possible, they wanted to do it with The Archies! Betty, Jughead, Reggie + Trevor were always game for singing in other languages; it was just a question of finding the right songs. The group members finally agreed on titles in late 2011.
Early the next year, after filming a TV special in Rome, The Archies stopped over in Milan for recording sessions. Milanese producer D'Angelo “Dandy” Wong, who'd supervised their Italian-language hit single "Take A Letter, Maria" was waiting with lots of song arrangement ideas.
Their former voice coach Ron Dante had served as music director for the TV special, and he was set to co-produce the sessions; however, a scheduling conflict forced him to leave after just one day of recording. The Archies ended up co-producing in his stead: they cut an album's worth of vintage Italian Pop! Real San-Remo-song-festival shit. Not my taste, but you know: Different strokes!
Leaving Italy, The Archies flew to Studio City in Hollywood where a sound stage had been booked. They filmed a long-form video to promote their forthcoming Italian releases. Raj Patel was on hand to direct, taking a break from his editing chores on the
Man Bitches movie.
Fashion guru Donatella Granito (Ron Dante's cousin) had created costumes for the group's TV special. Now they called on her designing talents again; but one of the outfits she sent over from Rome was a shocker! It was nothing but an Italian flag beret and twelve strategically-placed color bands. "Where's the rest of it?" Jughead wanted to know. There wasn't any more: the wearer would essentially appear in his or her birthday suit!
Always looking for ways to push the visual envelope, Raj Patel decided to film somebody dancing in this provocative costume. He hired choreographer Toni Topaz to help him stage the video, and she immediately got to work creating a special solo; but who was going to perform it? Toni herself, maybe? Veronica? Betty? “Forget it!” Betts declared.
Nobody loved filming nude women more than Raj, but for this video, he had beefcake in mind. "It's got to be a male," he insisted. "Fans today want to see 'pickle' on screen! Kevin Keller’s naked dance for 'My Clone Sleeps Alone” is proof of that. What's more, it's got to be a member of the group."
LEAD VOCALS WERE ESPECIALLY
POPULAR IN ITALY AND SOUTH
AMERICA.
Gino Mantle, long known as "the daring one" was the obvious candidate! However, back in 2008 he'd filmed some sexually-explicit music videos for a solo album. The results were disastrous: Critics bashed him, his album got yanked off the market, and the famous songwriter it paid tribute to (one Neil Diamond) sued him for defamation! So it wasn't surprising when dude begged off. Archie was game (he'd done nude love scenes in the indie flick BLACK BELT SMACKDOWN), but Veronica quickly nixed the idea: "You're a stank dancer, Archiekins! You'd just embarrass me."
As for Juggy, he was too self-conscious about the size of his huge donkey dick! He was the one who suggested Trevor Smith, though. "After Reggie, Trev is the best male dancer in the group," he noted. Trevor also sang lead on "Mambo Italiano," the number Raj wanted to synchronize to the nude dance sequence.
The normally shy bass player wasn't as reticent as you might expect: Trev had put himself through music school working as an artist's figure model. Dancing on camera scared him far more than nudity did, but Toni Topaz made it easy for him: Babe created a dance routine that was essentially a series of dramatic poses. Raj filmed them in high-contrast chiaroscuro light, enhancing the drama! These nude scenes weren't as gratuitous as they'd been in Kevin Keller's video, but there was definitely "pickle" on display!
PROMO FOR THE ARCHIES'
AWARD-WINNING ITALIAN-
LANGUAGE MUSIC VIDEO,
MAMBO ITALIANO.
When released in Europe, the video caused a sensation! Predictably, the two minutes' worth of dance scenes nel nudo went viral on the web, but the public's response wasn't only about that. MAMBO ITALIANO oozed high style! Shot in two-strip Technicolor, it had silent film production values and resembled a German expressionist movie short. Critics hailed the promo as "Raj Patel's artistic triumph", and it won several international video awards!
Somehow, though, the records (two five-track EPs marketed in Europe) didn't benefit from its popularity. Sales were lukewarm @ best; yet when Big Ethel combined the EPs for an Archies Fan Club Christmas premium, it sold like hotcakes! The complete MAMBO ITALIANO sessions are documented below . . .
POSTHUMOUS HIT IN THE YEAR
2089 WHEN VOX ITALIA MARKETS
THE LATIN POP COMPILATION
ARCHIE ITALIANO. IT WILL BE
REISSUED IN 2109.
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"MAMBO ITALIANO"
UNA PRODUZIONE GRAND-PRIX
associata a
PRODUZIONI ARCHIE AMERICANA
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
GRAND PRIX STUDIOS
MILAN, ITALY
ARCHIE LOVES MAMBO
- Lei Mi Aspetta EP (Italy)
(Hoffman, Manning, Reichner, Wong)
GLORIA - Lei Mi Aspetta EP (Italy)
(Bigazzi, Tozzi)
LA SPIA - Mambo Italiano EP (Italy)
(Daniele Pace)
QUANDO? QUANDO? QUANDO?
- Lei Mi Aspetta EP (Italy)
(Renis, Testa)
MAMBO ITALIANO
- Mambo Italiano EP (Italy)
(Merrill, Tate, Wong)
CIAO RAGAZZI CIAO/
GOODBYE, BOYS, GOODBYE
- Lei Mi Aspetta EP (Italy)
(Celentano, del Prete, Rapetti)
LEI MI ASPETTA/SHE BELIEVES IN ME
- Lei Mi Aspetta EP (Italy)
(Bembo, Pallavicini)
HO BISOGNO DI VERDETI/YOU'RE MINE
- Mambo Italiano EP (Italy)
(Ciampi, Monaldi)
VOLARÉ - Mambo Italiano EP (Italy)
(Migliacci, Modugno)
TORNA DE NUOVO/OVER AND OVER
- single flipside (Italy)
(Barry, Dante, Lodge-Andrews, Tate)
THE ARCHIES
w/SANT'ANGELO BRASS
Arrangers/Producers:
D'ANGELO WONG w/THE ARCHIES
Music Directors:
RON DANTE, ARCHIE ANDREWS
Sound Engineer: FRANCESCO NALDI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
NICHOLAS FREUND
"Archie Loves Mambo" was an Italian-language take on
"Papa Loves Mambo," the fondly-remembered Perry Como
smash from 1954. "Gloria" will later be covered in English
by two New Archies members: Garcy Briseño (for an
unreleased single) and Ramsay Khalid Sharma (for
his first solo album). "Torna de Nuovo" was an updated
version of a song recorded by the Kirshner-era Archies;
Roni Lodge-Andrews + Terry "Pop" Tate wrote
Italian lyrics for this molto splendido Jeff Barry/
Ron Dante composition! The pair of EPs that feature
these tracks were only available in Europe until late 2013.
Decades from now, a Vox compilation titled ARCHIE ITALIANO
will combine them with MI RICORDANO MARIA (The
Archies' first Italian-language EP) for a best-selling LP.
SABRINA: WHILE HE WAS IN ITALY, I TELEPHONED ARCHIE WITH EXCITING NEWS: "GLITTER + GOLD" WAS GOING TO WIN A PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD FOR SONG OF THE YEAR! HE + VERONICA WERE ECSTATIC!
SO MUCH OF THE ARCHIES' MUSIC DESERVED NOMINATING FOR AWARDS, BUT IT WAS ALWAYS GETTING PASSED OVER. THIS WAS ONE TIME WHEN THE GROUP GOT ITS DUE, AND NO BIG SURPRISE: IT WAS THE FANS WHO GAVE IT TO THEM! THE ARCHIES COULDN'T ATTEND THE CEREMONY IN HOLLYWOOD, SO THEY ACCEPTED THE AWARD FROM MILAN VIA A REMOTE VIDEO HOOK-UP. THE MEMBERS WERE IN THE MIDST OF AN EP COVER PHOTO SHOOT, AND EVERYBODY WAS DRESSED TO KILL IN DONATELLA GRANITO'S FASHIONS. THE CROWD ATE THEM UP!
COVER DESIGN FOR THE ARCHIES FAN
CLUB RECORDS DOUBLE-EXTENDED
PLAY DISC MAMBO ITALIANO.
THE FIRST HUNDRED PRESSINGS
INCLUDED A RACY POSTER!
ARCHIE RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"DESTINATION LOVE"
UNA PRODUZIONE GRAND-PRIX
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
FEBRUARY 3 - 5, 2012
GRAND PRIX STUDIOS
MILAN, ITALY
SOME OTHER GUY - Destination Love LP
(Barrett, Leiber, Stoller)
RUBY BABY - Destination Love LP
(Leiber, Stoller)
STAND BY ME - underdub, lost
(King, Leiber, Stoller)
YOUR OLD LADY - lost
(Curtis, Isley, Leiber, Stoller)
ARCHIE
w/SANT'ANGELO BRASS
Arranger/Producer:
D’ANGELO WONG
Music Director:
ARCHIE ANDREWS
Sound Engineer: FRANCESCO NALDI
Executive Producer:
NICHOLAS FREUND
Salem da Katt: These sessions took place while The Archies were cutting MAMBO ITALIANO and LEI MEI ASPETTA, their Italian-language EPs. Archie still hadn’t given up on recording a duet album of Leiber + Stoller songs with Veronica - even though by now, babe was dead set against it!
Confident that she’d come around eventually, Arch bided his time by laying down more tracks. There were four solo vocals by Roni in the can, so Arch planned to cut four of his own. He only managed three, but they’re all killer performances! With the powerful Sant’Angelo Brass augmenting him and D'Angelo Wong playing multiple instruments, Archie tracked three very strong single candidates.
When she heard the playbacks, Roni wanted to release them as singles but hubby told her: “Not so fast, sweetheart! I'll put them out as teasers for our duet album; but no album? No solo records!” Veronica bristled. “That’s blackmail,” she fumed. “No way!” So these new Leiber-Stoller masters joined the others, gathering dust on the shelf; but damned if Archie was gonna settle for that situation! Dude vowed that they wouldn’t stay there indefinitely.
REGINALD WHITNEY BRAXTON
"GINO" MANTLE II
also known as "Reggie"
SABRINA: THE ARCHIES SPENT THE WINTER OF 2011/2012 IN ITALY ON A WORKING VACATION. TONY BRISEÑO + I FLEW OVER THERE DURING THE LAST PART OF IT. IN LATE FEBRUARY AND EARLY MARCH, THE BAND CUT DEMOS FOR A PROPOSED ALBUM OF ORIGINAL SONGS. THE DEMOS WERE TRACKED @ GRAND PRIX STUDIOS, AND THE ALBUM WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN RECORDED THERE, TOO.
CONCEIVED BY TONY + ME, POP-ART-CHIE WAS GOING TO BE THE GROUP’S FIRST FORAY INTO ELECTRONIC MUSIC! IT INCLUDED FOUR SONGS FROM MEXOTICA, THE CULT MUSICAL THAT WE WROTE TOGETHER: "ROMEO," "END OF THE WEEK," "SWEET EMOTION" AND "YOU TO ME ARE EVERYTHING." WE RE-IMAGINED THEM AS SYNTHESIZER POP TUNES. I'M A VERY CREATIVE PROGRAMMER, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF! AND TONY WAS A MASTER WHEN IT CAME TO TECHNOLOGY OF ANY KIND. EVERYONE LIKED OUR DEMOS, BUT ARCHIE, BETTY, JUGHEAD + TREVOR FOUND THEIR OWN SONGS LACKING IN COMPARISON.
@ LEAST, THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD US; BUT IN MY OPINION, THEY JUST WEREN'T COMFORTABLE WITH COMPUTER-PROGRAMMED MUSIC! "SOMETHING ORGANIC IS MISSING," BETTY COMPLAINED. THE GROUP DECIDED TO ABANDON THE CONCEPT, AND NO MASTER TAPES WERE EVER CUT. BOTH TONY + I WERE HEARTBROKEN! IN 2014, THERE WOULD BE A "POP-ART-CHIE" CONCERT TOUR, BUT IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ABORTED PROJECT.
FUNKY UNCLE SAM DURING
STUDIO SESSIONS FOR HIS
DÉBUT ALBUM ALL FIRED UP!
ARCHIE RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"ALL FIRED UP!"
AN ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
MARCH 21 - 29, 2012
ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS
LONDON, UK
GET NERVOUS! - All Fired Up LP
(Geraldo, Steinberg)
WE LIVE FOR LOVE - All Fired Up LP
(Neil Geraldo)
WE BELONG - All Fired Up LP
(Lowen, Navarro)
IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE ME
- All Fired Up LP
(Chapman, Chinn)
PRISONER OF LOVE - All Fired Up LP
(Scott Sinclair Sheets)
HEARTBREAKER - All Fired Up LP
(Gill, Wade)
SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT - All Fired Up LP
(Dave Byron)
ALL FIRED UP! - All Fired Up LP
(Gerardo, Tolhurst)
SEX AS A WEAPON - My Clone Sleeps Alone EP
(Briley, Geraldo)
LITTLE TOO LATE - All Fired Up LP
(Alex Call)
JUST LIKE ME - My Clone Sleeps Alone EP
(Dey, Hart, Melcher)
PRECIOUS TIME - My Clone Sleeps Alone EP
(Billy Steinberg)
KEVIN KELLER
Arrangers:
ROD MACK, BLUE-EYED SOUL
Music Director:
ROD MACK
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineers:
ALAN MAYBERRY, THORNE TEWKSBURY,
MYRIAM FORERO
Executive Producer:
NICHOLAS FREUND
Salem da Katt: “My Clone Sleeps Alone” b/w “Take It Any Way You Want It” was the fastest-selling single of the year 2012! It was just starting to fall off the charts when Kelly, Jughead, Veronica, Judi “Madame Axe” Parisella, Big Nipsy Freund + Rod Mack’s Mack Daddys tracked the first Kevin Keller LP in London. Roni didn’t believe in looking gift horses in the mouth: Since both sides of the hit single were Pat Benatar covers, the album would be a tribute to the trailblazing female rocker.
Kelly was blindsided by success as a singer, and he didn’t know what to make of becoming Heavy Metal’s newest exponent. “I dig HM, but it’s never been my favorite music,” he confessed to the studio crew. “I’m a Jazz singer at heart, just like my pal Juggy!” Jazz is a direct descendant of the Blues, so Veronica advised him to sing the tunes as if they were Blues songs.
All of the vocal tracks were recorded in Abbey Road's Gatehouse studio with just Kelly, Juggy + Rod playing piano, percussion and acoustic guitar, respectively; but upstairs in the Penthouse, Roni was overdubbing industrial-strength “white noise” provided by Madame Axe + The Mack Daddys! The soon-to-be-megahit Kevin Keller album emerged after Alan Mayberry mixed the tracks with his magic touch.
It blew the minds of everybody who heard it, including Kelly himself! Not necessarily in a good way, either; but by then, he was ready to embrace stardom in whatever form it came to him. One form would be a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, presented by Pat Benatar herself!
APPEAR ON A POSTER FOR THE ORIGINAL
PRODUCTION OF SOUL + INSPIRATION,
STAGED @ RIVERDALE'S AWESOME
VENUE.
SABRINA: I DIDN'T SPEAK TO MY COUSIN AMBROSE FOR WEEKS AFTER HE TOLD ME HE'D PROPOSED TO BETTY. BREAKING UP A MARRIAGE WAS BAD ENOUGH, BUT AMBROSE HAS NEVER BEEN THE MARRYING KIND! HE HAD NO INTENTION OF MAKING GOOD ON HIS PROMISE. BETTY FOUND THAT OUT SOON ENOUGH, AND SHE RAN SOBBING BACK TO JUGGY. THEY DECIDED TO HAVE ANOTHER GO @ STAYING TOGETHER, BUT SOON REALIZED THAT NOTHING HAD CHANGED: THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS STILL ON VERY SHAKY GROUND!
IN EARLY 2012, THEY AGREED TO THE FIRST OF SEVERAL TRIAL SEPARATIONS. "THEY SAY ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER", JUGGY HOPED. "I KNOW SHE LOVES ME AS MUCH AS I LOVE HER. WE'VE HAD SOME ROUGH PATCHES, BUT WE'LL PULL THROUGH! I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT BETTY." IT WAS PAINFUL TO HEAR HIM TALK LIKE THAT! HE WAS TRYING HARD TO CONVINCE HIMSELF OF SOMETHING THAT, DEEP DOWN, HE DIDN'T BELIEVE.
I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT, EITHER; I COULDN'T! MY CRYSTAL BALL FORETOLD THEIR EVENTUAL DIVORCE. THAT FIRST SEPARATION WAS GOOD FOR BOTH OF THEM, THOUGH. BETTY DECIDED TO REACTIVATE HER HIGH SCHOOL BAND, WHICH ALLOWED HER TO CONCENTRATE ON A NEW CHALLENGE; AND JUGHEAD TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A STAR-MAKING OPPORTUNITY THAT HE WOULDN'T HAVE OTHERWISE CONSIDERED.
SOON AFTER COMPLETING SESSIONS FOR THE ALBUM ALL FIRED UP!, JUGGY + KELLY CONTRACTED WITH SONGWRITERS BARRY MANN, CYNTHIA WEIL + BILL MEDLEY TO APPEAR IN A JUKEBOX MUSICAL. THEY SPENT MOST OF THE REST OF 2012 APPEARING IN THE LAVISHLY-STAGED RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS TRIBUTE SOUL + INSPIRATION. "BROTHERS" BILL + BOBBY WERE THE BIGGEST BLUE-EYED SOUL ACT OF THE SIXTIES, SO WHO BETTER TO PORTRAY THEM ON STAGE THAN . . . BLUE-EYED SOUL? KELLY FILLED BOBBY HATFIELD’S ROLE @ BILL MEDLEY’S REQUEST, WHILE JUGGY PORTRAYED BILL HIMSELF.
OUTSIDE OF NEW ENGLAND AND THE UK,
THE ONLY WAY TO HEAR THE ORIGINAL
HIT VERSION OF THE MUSICAL SOUL
+ INSPIRATION WAS TO BUY THE
ARCHIE RECORDS CAST ALBUM.
SABRINA: IN THE LATE SPRING OF 2012, I PURCHASED A MANSION IN BOSTON AND STARTED RENOVATING IT. I SUPERVISED EVERY ASPECT OF THE MAKEOVER, BUT BEING A WITCH, I DIDN’T HAVE TO ALWAYS BE ON SITE TO KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING! SO I SPLIT MY TIME BETWEEN BOSTON, LONDON AND ARCHIE RECORDS HQ IN MAMARONECK. DURING THAT TIME, I WORKED ON TWO SPECIAL PROJECTS. I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU ABOUT ONE OF THEM!
MUSIC DIRECTOR BREE SPELLMAN,
CUTTING THE SOUNDTRACK MUSIC
FOR MAN BITCHES ON A BEACH.
FALCON RECORDS
SOUNDTRACK SESSIONS
"MAN BITCHES ON A BEACH"
A CHERRY VAGINA PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
APRIL 9 - 20, 2012
ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS,
LONDON UK
ASS MENAGERIE, VOCAL VERSION
- Man Bitches soundtrack*
(Mack, Spellman)
ASS MENAGERIE, INSTRUMENTAL VERSION
- Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
CLAMSHELL THEME - Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
DUNE BUGGY BOUNCE - Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
HORSE AND RIDER THEME - Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
LIFEGUARD'S THEME - Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
CIRCUS MAXIMUS THEME - Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
KEVIN'S BOOGALOO - Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
ORGASMIC WORLD, INSTRUMENTAL VERSION
- Man Bitches soundtrack
(Bree Spellman)
ORGASMIC WORLD, VOCAL VERSION
- Man Bitches soundtrack*
(Garland, Spellman)
THE NASTY BOYS
*featuring BIG NIPSY
Arranger/Producer:
BREE SPELLMAN
Music Director:
KEVIN BOYLE
NICHOLAS FREUND
Sound Engineers:
THORNE TEWKSBURY, EDITHA COLLINS-BECKHAM
Executive Producer:
NICHOLAS FREUND
As a progressive Christian, Rod Mack had no qualms
about playing music for a risqué film, but his more
conservative studio band The Mack Daddys did!
That's why the backing tracks were cut by The
Nasty Boys (Timothy Garland on drums, Big Nipsy
Freund on bass and Rod on guitar) with Bree Spellman
playing keyboards and Madame Axe contributing her
awesome guitar solos. As these dirty ditties were
being tracked, director Raj Patel was putting
finishing touches on a film that had begun life
as a (very) low-budget porn feature.
BACKGROUND ON KEVIN KELLER'S
POPULAR COVER VERSIONS OF
"ALL THE YOUNG DUDES" AND
"SOMEBODY TO LOVE".
SABRINA: @ THE END OF APRIL, TONY BRISEÑO
TOOK KEVIN KELLER INTO HIS EL PASO STUDIOS
AND TRACKED A PAIR OF SIXTIES POP CLASSICS.
IF THIS NEW VERSION OF MAN BITCHES TANKED LIKE
THE ORIGINAL VERSION DID, ARCHIE + VERONICA
AT LEAST WANTED THE CUSHION OF A HIT SINGLE!
NO WAY WERE THESE JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
AND MOTT THE HOOPLE COVERS GOING TO
MISS THE CHARTS.
FALCON STUDIOS
SOUNDTRACK SESSIONS
"MAN BITCHES ON A BEACH"
AN A LO LATINO PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
APRIL 28 - 30, 2012
STUDIO "B",
EL PASO, TX
ALL THE YOUNG DUDES
- Man Bitches soundtrack*
(David Bowie)
SOMEBODY TO LOVE
- Man Bitches soundtrack
(Darby Slick)
KEVIN KELLER
*w/MARIACHI LOWRIDER
w/LOS HERMANOS COCHINADA
Arranger/Conductor:
FOOLKILLER
Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Sound Engineer:
HUSSEIN HABAKKUK
Executive Producer:
NICHOLAS FREUND
In January of 2013, these masters were synched
up to music videos, which were then added to
the movie by director Raj Patel. Nicholas Freund's
unusual idea for a promotional vehicle paid off
handsomely when KEVIN KELLER'S MAN BITCHES
ON A BEACH became an art house hit and Kelly's
blazing remake of Jefferson Airplane's
"Somebody To Love" turned its soundtrack
album into a surprise summer best-seller!
Lead guitarist Judi "Madame Axe" Parisella
was the only musician to appear on both
these El Paso dates and the Abbey
Road scoring sessions.
SABRINA: THE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM WAS COMPLETED A WHOLE YEAR BEFORE THE FILM WAS RE-RELEASED: MAN BITCHES ON A BEACH BECAME THE FIRST LP PRESSED ON ARCHIE'S NEW FALCON SUBSIDIARY. WITH A STUNNING NUDE COLLAGE ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPHED BY RAJ PATEL'S WIFE AMISHA, IT WENT ON SALE IN MAY OF 2013. SIMULTANEOUSLY, RAJ'S RADICALLY RE-IMAGINED, NC-17-RATED CUT OF PUCHI SCHNEIDER'S PORN FILM PREMIERED ON THE ART HOUSE MOVIE CIRCUIT.
BOTH BECAME SMASH HITS, OBVIOUSLY BENEFITING FROM KEVIN KELLER'S IMAGE AND NAME RECOGNITION. HE + RAJ PATEL FLEW TO CANNES, FRANCE TO PROMOTE THE RELEASE. PERFORMING ON THE RED CARPET WITH THREE MUSCLE BOYS IN THONG BIKINIS, KELLY CAUSED A SENSATION!
HIS FANS EXPECTED A LURID PEEP SHOW, BUT WE GAVE THEM SOMETHING DIFFERENT: WE MARRIED HEAVY METAL ROCK TO HOMOEROTIC SCENES, USING MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION VALUES. IT TURNED OUT TO BE JUST WHAT AUDIENCES WERE WAITING FOR! WHAT'S MORE, RAJ PATEL MADE MAN BITCHES AS MUCH OF AN ARTISTIC STATEMENT AS MAMBO ITALIANO, HIS AWARD-WINNING LONG-FORM VIDEO FOR THE ARCHIES.
SO, AM I PROUD OF CREATING SONGS LIKE "ASS MENAGERIE" AND "ORGASMIC WORLD"? ACTUALLY, I AM. I'M PROUD TO HAVE HELPED TURN SOMETHING THAT WAS CONSIDERED SHAMEFUL INTO A WORK OF ART! MAN BITCHES SET A PRECEDENT FOR THE LATER WORK I DID, SCORING ALL KINDS OF CUTTING-EDGE FILMS. NEITHER KEVIN KELLER NOR I PLANNED ON THE KIND OF FILM DÉBUT WE HAD, BUT EVERYBODY HAS TO START SOMEWHERE!
AND NOW THAT I'D STARTED, I WASN'T GOING TO STOP. @ THE END OF JUNE, I LEFT ARCHIE RECORDS TO GO FREELANCE. IT WAS TIME TO BEAR DOWN ON PURSUING MY TWIN GOALS: WRITING ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR FILM SOUNDTRACKS AND OPENING MY VERY OWN RECORDING STUDIO! THAT WAS THE REASON I PURCHASED THAT HAUNTED MANSION IN BOSTON.
PLACE IN THE WORLD WHERE VINYL
SINGLES BY THE ARCHIES WERE SOLD
REGULARLY. PRESSINGS ON THE
AUSTRALIAN ARCHIE LABEL ARE
HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE!
ARCHIE RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"PAST, PRESENT + FUTURE"
AN ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS)
MAY 2012
FAME STUDIOS,
MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA
GIVE HIM A GREAT BIG KISS
WHAT IS LOVE?
NEVER AGAIN
RIGHT NOW AND NOT LATER
I CAN NEVER GO HOME ANYMORE
HE CRIED
DRESSED IN BLACK
JOSIE + THE PUSSY CATS
w/DEANIE GRUNDY
Vocal Arranger:
CHUCK CLAYTON
Arranger:
GERALDINE GRUNDY
Music Director:
REY COCHINO
Producers:
CHUCK CLAYTON, JOSIE JAMES
Sound Engineer: CADE MURPHY
Executive Producer:
LEX CABOT
Work finally began in earnest on The
Pussy Cats' second album for Archie
Records. It was to be a tribute to
a group that many Rock historians
regarded as their direct forerunner:
The Shangri-Las. Josie was so invested
in this project, she insisted on co-
producing the sessions. Unfortunately,
as was the case when previous Archie
sessions collapsed, a disruptive influence
invaded the studio. This time, it was The
Pussy Cats' manager, Lex Cabot! It took
some doing, but he convinced the band to
scuttle the tribute.
Salem da Katt: Lex Cabot loved to brag about how fierce a protector he was of The Pussy Cats' best interests. I'm convinced there was self-interest @ play, too! Dude was a greedy motherfucker! From hanging out with his sister's witch cat Sebastian, I found out how excessive his manager's commission was - far more than what most groups paid. "Basty" also told me that Lex wanted to produce as well as manage the Pussy Cats. For sure, because then dude could charge them an even higher fee!
The one and only time they let Lex supervise their music, the record label had to hire four remixers to bring his shitty production values up to speed! He disliked Chuck Clayton because his wife Valerie found him attractive and said so. When Josie requested that Chuckii produce The Pussy Cats, dude's head nearly exploded! That's when he decided to sabotage the Shangri-Las sessions. "WTF do you think you're doing?" he raged. "Cutting these old-ass girl group songs? The Pussy Cats don't pay tribute to other groups. Other groups should be paying YOU tribute!"
Appealing to a performer's ego - it works every time! Lex kept The Pussy Cats out of the studio until their contract with Archie ran out. Looking back, it's a miracle that the asshole even let them cut one album for the label!
DURING THE ARCHIE RECORDS ERA,
THE ARCHIES TRACKED MANY SONGS
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
ARCHIE FAN CLUB RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"BE YOUR OWN ARCHIES"
AN ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS)
JUNE 2012
ARCHIE SOUND STUDIOS (ASS)
MAMARONECK, NEW YORK
SUSPICIOUS MINDS
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Mark James)
HIP SHAKER
- Be Your Own Archies EP
(Barry, Greenwich, Spector)
JACKY DANIELS AND YOU
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Greenfield, Sedaka)
TRAIN FROM KANSAS CITY
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Barry, Greenwich, Hawkins)
YELLOW VAN
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Allan, Dante)
SOUL DEEP SKA
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Wayne Carson Thompson)
RIVER-DEEP, MOUNTAIN-HIGH
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Barry, Greenwich, Spector)
SUGAR, SUGAR
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Barry, Kim)
LES GIGOLETTES:
BIG ETHEL, percussion
JONNIEMAE, guitar
MIDGE MERCURY, drums
BREE SPELLMAN, keyboards
ALAN MAYBERRY, keyboards
TERRY "POP" TATE, saxophone
FRANKIE VÁLDEZ, bass
Arranger: BREE SPELLMAN
Music Director: JONNIEMAE
Producer/Sound Engineer:
ALAN MAYBERRY
Executive Producer:
FAWN ETHEL MASON
BE YOUR OWN ARCHIES was the Archies Fan Club
release for Christmas 2012. The session crew for
this first of two rounds of karaoke album sessions
contains the nucleus of what would become
The Bettys: In 2014, Jonniemae Trouten, Midge
Mercury + Bree Spellman joined Betty Jones'
reformed Rock band. Using his nickname "Cisco,"
session bass player Frankie Váldez later became
a member of El Mariachi Lowrider. All songs are
instrumental remakes of Archies hits except for
"Suspicious Minds." The Archies never recorded a
studio version of this Elvis Presley classic! They
considered cutting it several times, though, and
Betty will feature it live on the band's 2032
farewell tour.
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ARCHIES FAN
CLUB RELEASE WAS 2012'S BE YOUR
OWN ARCHIES, A KARAOKE ALBUM
RECORDED BY LES GIGOLETTES.
ARCHIE FAN CLUB RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"BE YOUR OWN ARCHIES"
AN ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS)
JULY 2012
SPANISH EDDIE'S BAR + GRILL,
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
I DON'T WANNA LOVE YOU
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Mann, Weil)
JET AIRLINER
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Paul Peña)
LET'S GET IT ON TODAY
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Adams, Dante)
GLITTER AND GOLD
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Mann, Weil)
HILL UNDERGROUND
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Lewis-Warrick, Smith)
ANGELITO MÍO
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Barry, San Quentín)
NINETEENTH NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
- Be Your Own Archies EP
(Jagger, Richards)
LOOKING AT TOMORROW
- Be Your Own Archies LP
(Mann, Weil)
LES GIGOLETTES:
CHUCK CLAYTON - guitar
CORKY CLAYTON - bass
JELLI JONES-TORRES - percussion
MIDGE MERCURY - drums
FRENCHY SKAGGS - fiddle
JUSTIN STRICKLAND - keyboards
Arranger/Conductor:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND
Producer: CHUCK CLAYTON
Sound Engineer: EDDIE ROXCHILD
Executive Producer:
FAWN ETHEL MASON
BE YOUR OWN ARCHIES was by far the most
successful Archies Fan Club album release (and an EP
released from the sessions also sold well)! Copies found
their way into the hands of many non-members and
became coveted cult items. Les Gigolettes' Power
Pop interpretations of Archies hits are as easy to play
as they are to sing, and they'll end up influencing
a generation of garage bands.
KELLER AND THREE HUNKY "MAN
BITCHES!" THEY CONQUERED
THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IN
MAY OF 2013.
SABRINA: IN EARLY AUGUST OF 2012, THE ARCHIES CUT A TRIBUTE TO BARRY GIBB + THE BEE GEES. IT WAS A (VERY) SCALED-DOWN VERSION OF THEIR ABANDONED FIFTY SHADES OF SOUL ALBUM. THIS EP WAS THE RESULT OF TWO SIMULTANEOUS RECORDING SESSIONS HELD IN NEW ORLEANS AND PHILADELPHIA; WORKING REMOTELY FROM HOLLYWOOD WHERE I WAS PURSUING FILM SOUNDTRACK ASSIGNMENTS, I CO-WROTE THE SONG ARRANGEMENTS WITH ROD MACK.
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"SHADOW DANCING"
AN ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTION
in association with
RALFI CHINGAS
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
AUGUST 2012
SPANISH EDDIE'S BAR + GRILL,
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
SIGMA SOUND STUDIOS,
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
SHADOW DANCING
- Shadow Dancing EP (Asia)
(The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb)
TOO MUCH HEAVEN*
- Shadow Dancing EP (Asia)
(The Bee Gees)
NIGHTS ON BROADWAY
- Shadow Dancing EP (Asia)*
(The Bee Gees)
IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU
- Shadow Dancing EP (Asia)**
(The Bee Gees)
COME ON OVER
- Shadow Dancing EP (Asia)**
(Barry + Robin Gibb)
JIVE TALKIN'
- Shadow Dancing EP (Asia)***
(The Bee Gees)
THE ARCHIES
w/KEVIN KELLER
w/BIG ETHEL + THE VIXENS
Vocal Arrangers:
REGGIE MANTLE, *VERONICA,
**BETTY JONES, ***KEVIN KELLER
Arrangers:
ROD MACK, BREE SPELLMAN
Music Director: JONNIEMAE
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineers:
EDDIE ROXCHILD, SETH JACCOBY
Executive Producer:
RALFI CHINGAS
This was the first of two bi-coastal Archies record
dates; the second will take place twenty years
later. Betty, Roni, Reggie + Trevor tracked music
and lead vocals in New Orleans while Juggy + Kelly
recorded instrumental overdubs and The Vixens’
background vocals in Philadelphia. Archie didn’t attend
these sessions - he disliked Disco music intensely -
but some of his pre-recorded guitar tracks were
added to the final mix. SHADOW DANCING had a very
limited shelf life! Only released in Asia, it was pulled off
the market when early sales fell flat. A 2099 compilation
titled ARCHIE IN NEW ORLEANS will give these half-dozen
Disco remakes (mostly sung by Veronica + Betty) a much-
deserved reissue. Contrary to rumors, SHADOW
DANCING was never going to be a Fan Club EP.
THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ARCHIES EP
IS SHADOW DANCING, A 2012
TRIBUTE TO DISCO LEGEND BARRY
GIBB. COPIES ARE EXTREMELY RARE
AND HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CHANGE
HANDS FOR UPWARDS OF $500.00!
SABRINA: THERE WAS EXCITEMENT AROUND THE ARCHIE OFFICES IN LATE AUGUST OF 2012: BURT BACHARACH HAD INVITED ARCHIE TO BE HIS SPECIAL GUEST @ A PERFORMANCE IN CUBA! IT WAS AN INVITATION-ONLY CONCERT @ CASA DE LA MÚSICA DE MIRAMAR, A VERY POPULAR LIVE MUSIC VENUE IN HAVANA.
UNFORTUNATELY, BURT ENDED UP HAVING TO CANCEL HIS APPEARANCE THERE; BUT ARCHIE WENT TO CUBA ANYWAY! HE ACTUALLY FILLED IN FOR BERT AND DID A SHOW THAT FEATURED HIS MUSIC EXCLUSIVELY. JUSTIN STRICKLAND WROTE THE ARRANGEMENTS AND FLEW DOWN WITH HIM + VERONICA. MEMBERS OF EL MARIACHI LOWRIDER ALSO TRAVELED TO HAVANA, ENGAGED AS BACKING MUSICIANS
BY ARCHIE.
A LAST-MINUTE SUBSTITUTION LIKE THAT COULD'VE BEEN DISASTROUS, BUT IT WORKED FOR A SURPRISING REASON: HIGH REGARD FOR ARCHIE'S 2010 SOLO ALBUM OF BACHARACH TUNES! ONE OF THE FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE IT SOLD WELL WAS CUBA (ALBEIT IN BOOTLEG FORM); SO BURT'S CUBAN FANS WERE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THAT RECORD, AND THEY TURNED OUT IN DROVES TO HEAR ARCHIE SING SELECTIONS FROM IT LIVE! SO MUCH FOR THE "INVITATION ONLY" ADMISSION RULE!
THE CROWD WAS SO BIG THAT THE RELATIVELY SMALL CLUB COULDN'T POSSIBLY HOLD IT; PEOPLE SPILLED OUT ONTO THE STREET AND LINED THE BLOCK. EVENTUALLY, THE FRONT DOORS OF CASA MIRAMAR WERE FLUNG OPEN SO THAT EVERYONE COULD HEAR. THE PERFORMANCES WERE CHEERED SO LOUDLY, THE HAVANA POLICE GOT SUMMONED @ ONE POINT! UNTIL THE END OF HIS LIFE, ARCHIE WILL TELL JOKES ABOUT THAT!
I WOULDN'T PRESUME TO SAY WHICH OF THE MANY SHOWS HE DID WAS HIS ALL-TIME FAVORITE, BUT THAT CUBAN GIG IS THE ONE HE WAS PROUDEST OF. IN VERONICA'S CASE, THERE WAS NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER; THE ONLY THING THAT COULD'VE MADE IT BETTER FOR HER WAS IF BURT BACHARACH HAD BEEN THERE!
ARCHIES FAN CLUB RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"WATUSI FEVER"
UNA PRODUCCIÓN MACK DADDY/CHISMOSA
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
SEPTEMBER 14 - 19, 21 - 26, 2012
THE CONGA ROOM,
MÉXICO CITY, MÉXICO
SOUTH STREET - unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
GRAVY- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
BRISTOL STOMP- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
YOU CAN’T SIT DOWN- unreleased
(Clark, Cohen, Muldrow, Upchurch)
LET’S TWIST AGAIN - unreleased
(Appell, Cohen)
LIMBO ROCK - unreleased
(Cohen, Santiago, Strange)
DO THE BIRD- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
MEDLEY:
THE WAH-WATUSI/MASHED POTATO TIME
- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
HULLY GULLY BABY- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
DO THE FISH- unreleased
(Cohen, Denson, Dixon)
NOVENTA Y SEIS LÁGRIMAS/NINETY-SIX TEARS
- unreleased
(Rudy Martinez)
DO THE CHA-CHA-CHA- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen, Lowe)
MEDLEY:
BRISTOL STOMP/DO THE NEW CONTINENTAL/
THE POPEYE WADDLE
- unreleased
(Appel, Cohen)
THE TWIST- unreleased
(Hank Ballard)
THE TWIST en Español - unreleased
(Ballard, Santiago)
MEDLEY en Español:
LIMBO ROCK en Español (Cohen, Santiago, Strange)/
POPEYE, THE HITCHHIKER (Appell, Cohen, Mack)/
YOU JUST DON'T KNOW (Mack, Miller, Santiago)
- unreleased
TREVOR SMITH
w/JOSIE + THE PUSSY CATS
Arrangers/Producers:
TREVOR SANTIAGO, ROD MACK
Music Director: JOSIE JAMES
Sound Engineer: STYNG RAYE
Executive Producer:
FAWN ETHEL MASON
Salem da Katt: In the late summer of 2012, Josie + The Pussy Cats tried one last time to cut a second album for Archie Records. It was going to be a tribute to early Sixties dance crazes; the concept originated with Valerie Smith’s brother Trevor. The trio was set to cover a bunch of vintage hits from the catalog of Cameo-Parkway Records, but the LP never even got to the demo stage; Lex Cabot shot it down, which should come as no surprise! Dude's excuse? "It’s too novelty-oriented,” he complained.
Trev wasn’t ready to give up. Sabrina’s crystal ball conjures up the past quite nicely, so I can tell you verbatim what he said to Melly + Val. “Maybe Sixties dance music isn’t the right material for you,” he declared, “but it’s perfect for me. I love that genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll; not only that, I sound a lot like Chubby Checker when I sing. I’ll make this album my damn self! Big Ethel has just asked me to cut a solo record for the Archies Fan Club.”
An impish grin washed over his face. “So . . . what if I have my Pussy and eat it, too?” Valerie rolled her eyes at him: “What are you talking about, conejo?” A laughing Melody Munro-Jones chimed in: “I know! He wants us to back him up @ his album sessions.” Trev nodded. “Would you? Do you think Josie will agree to it?” Babe walked in @ just that moment and answered the question herself: “Only for you, Trev! We’d love to be your session crew. That is, if scheduling permits.”
NEVER-RELEASED PROMO FOR TREVOR
SMITH'S 2012 ARCHIES FAN CLUB
ALBUM WATUSI FEVER.
Trev made sure that scheduling would! He had session contractor Rey Cochino book the date as soon as they were free. Dude produced WATUSI FEVER himself @ The Conga Room in México City. @ Josie’s suggestion, Trevor flew Rod Mack over from England to help write the arrangements. Rey came down, too, with his Big-Ass Brass section in tow; but it’s from Rod that I got the 411 on how this project came together . . . and fell apart!
"Trev + The Pussy Cats covered fourteen Cameo-Parkway hits over a span of two weeks," he told me. "Most of the sessions were conducted in Spanish. I used to be part of a teenage Salsa act, so I was fine with it; four years earlier, when Trevor couldn't go to México with The Archies, I'd subbed for him. After he repeatedly flubbed the English lyrics to '96 Tears', Valerie and I suggested that he sing the Spanish-language version instead. Dude subsequently translated the lyrics to 'The Cha-Cha-Chá', 'Limbo Rock' and 'The Twist' and replaced his English vocals on those songs. We also prepared a Spanish translation of 'Fever', but it wouldn't be tracked until much later.
CREW FOR TREVOR SMITH'S WATUSI
FEVER. TREV IS SHOWN WITH MUSIC
CONTRACTOR REY COCHINO, CO-
PRODUCER ROD MACK + SUPERSTAR
BACKING BAND JOSIE + THE
PUSSY CATS!
"WATUSI FEVER was scheduled for a Christmas release, and it would've been the first time Josie + The Pussy Cats had featured on an Archies Fan Club project! There was a nagging question, though: AFC artists owned their own master tapes, but who owned FEVER? Trevor or The Pussy Cats? AFC contracts had no co-ownership clause. That became an issue when Lex Cabot got wind of the album sessions!
"That fucker legally forbad AFC Records to issue the master until ownership could be established! The Pussy Cats’ contract with Archie had just expired; if they owned Trevor’s album, then Lex had the right to take the master to another label. On the other hand, if Trev was the owner, Lex could demand that his clients’ music tracks be erased! The reason not only had to do with that missing co-ownership clause, but the unique nature of Trev’s recording contract with Archie Records.
"Trevor Smith was a member of The Archies, but not a charter member," Rod explained. "When he joined up, he signed directly to the Archie label as an individual; the other members had signed as a group. They were free to put out solo records on any label they wanted to, but he wasn’t; so if The Pussy Cats claimed his album master, Archie couldn't market it and they couldn't either! WATUSI FEVER got stuck in legal limbo and stayed there, unreleased." That’s exactly what Lex intended: Dude didn’t want his clients associated with a novelty record in any way, shape or form!
Valerie Smith-Cabot was hopping mad about what her husband had done, but in the end she deferred to his judgment. All of the Pussy Cats did! Nobody was more responsible for their success than Lex, and even though dude bled them with a huge management fee, their trust in him was unshakeable. “I hate to be such an SOB about these things,” he’d say when they objected to his hard-ass tactics, “but if I wasn't, you'd get screwed!"
Archie + Veronica felt like they’d gotten screwed, and for that reason they didn’t ask The Pussy Cats to extend their recording contract. They’d had enough of Lex Cabot's abrasive personality! “A little bit of him goes a long way,” Roni declared, “and a long way is just where I want Lex to go!” This convoluted story has a sequel; stay tuned!
ALBUM RECORDED BY JOSIE + THE PUSSY
CATS w/GREG JAMES, RELEASED ON THEIR
OWN CUSTOM RECORD LABEL IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM.
SABRINA: IN OCTOBER OF 2012, THE ARCHIES ATTEMPTED TO CUT ANOTHER EP IN EL PASO, BUT ONLY ONE TRACK WAS COMPLETED: “WHOLE WORLD SHAKIN,’’ ONE OF THE LAST HITS RECORDED BY SOUL LEGEND SAM COOKE. ULTIMATELY, THE BAND WOULD RECORD THAT SONG THREE DIFFERENT TIMES! IT'S DESTINED TO BE THE TITLE TRACK OF THE ARCHIES’ FINAL STUDIO ALBUM, WHICH WILL BE RECORDED FOR ANOTHER LABEL.
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"WHOLE WORLD SHAKIN'"
AN A LO LATINO PRODUCTION
(MUSIC + VOCALS)
OCTOBER 2-5, 2012
STUDIO "B",
EL PASO, TEXAS
WHOLE WORLD SHAKIN' (UNDERDUB)
- End Of A Century LP
(Sam Cooke)
incomplete
incomplete
incomplete
THE ARCHIES
w/MARIACHI LOWRIDER
Vocal Arrangers:
BETTY JONES, REGGIE "GINO" MANTLE
Arranger/Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Music Director:
FOOLKILLER
Sound Engineer: HUSSEIN HABAKKUK
Executive Producer:
NICHOLAS FREUND
Archie + Trevor sang duet vocals on the underdub
of "Whole World Shakin'." This never-completed
EP was to include covers of The Guess Who's
"Shakin' All Over", Chan Romero's "Hippy
Hippy Shake" and James + Bobby Purify's
"Shake A Tailfeather".
SABRINA: I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS OF 2012. EARLY THAT YEAR, CHERRY VAGINA MUSIC ACQUIRED THE SONG CATALOG OF BOBBY FULLER, INCLUDING THE HITS OF THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR. BOTH ARCHIE + VERONICA FELT THAT BOBBY WAS A GROSSLY UNDERRATED SONGWRITER WHOSE COMPOSITIONS SHOULD BE WIDELY CELEBRATED! WHILE THEY WERE DISCUSSING HOW TO BEST PROMOTE THIS TREASURE TROVE OF MUSIC, TONY BRISEÑO INTRODUCED THEM TO TWO OF HIS FRIENDS WHO WERE INVENTORS.
KOREAN BROTHERS ICHI + KOO PARK COULD HARDLY TALK ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THEIR LATEST INNOVATION: A NEW KIND OF HOLOGRAM THAT WAS UNCANNILY REALISTIC! ALWAYS A FOUNTAIN OF IDEAS, VERONICA CONCEIVED A HOLOGRAM TOUR STARRING THE ARCHIES. WITH ARCHIE'S INPUT, HER CONCEPT LATER GREW TO INCLUDE ALL THE OTHER ARCHIE ACTS. IT WOULD BE A MODERN VERSION OF MOTOWN RECORDS' FAMOUS "MOTORTOWN" REVUE!
ICHI + KOO PARK PREPARE AN
AUDIO-VISUAL ROCK 'N' ROLL
EXTRAVAGANZA FOR ARCHIE
RECORDS!
BEGINNING IN THE SUMMER OF 2012, THE PARK BROTHERS FILMED SEVERAL CONCERTS IN THEIR SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS. THESE SHOWS FEATURED MOST OF THE ARCHIE RECORDS ROSTER, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: BIG ETHEL +(SEPARATELY) THE VIXENS; REGINALD aka REGGIE MANTLE; BLUE-EYED SOUL aka JUGHEAD + KEVIN KELLER; TREVOR SMITH + SAVOY SOUND; ARCHIE + VERONICA; TONI TOPAZ; JOSIE + THE PUSSYCATS; AND, OF COURSE, THE ARCHIES! THE PUSSY CATS WERE FIRST TO GO BEFORE THE HOLOGRAM CAMERAS.
MY EX-BOYFRIEND HARRIS GARDNER, WHO RECORDED THE FIRST ARCHIE RECORDS PRODUCTION, WAS A SPECIAL GUEST ON THIS "TOUR." HE WAS FILMED THAT NOVEMBER, IN CONCERT @ THE FAMOUS CLUB TROPICANA IN HAVANA, CUBA. THE OTHER PERFORMERS WERE CAPTURED @ THE HISTORIC LINCOLN THEATER IN WASHINGTON, DC; THE OLYMPIA THEATER IN PARIS; THE SCOTCH OF ST. JAMES CLUB IN LONDON; AND THE PALOMAR BALLROOM IN SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA. CHUCK CLAYTON WAS MUSIC DIRECTOR, AND DEANIE GRUNDY WROTE ALL OF THE SONG ARRANGEMENTS WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM ME. I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT LATER ON.
ARCHIES FAN CLUB RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"THE SWEETEST SAX"
A RALFI CHINGAS PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS)
NOVEMBER 2012
BEL CANTO STUDIOS,
LONDON, ENGLAND
SUGAR, SUGAR - Sweetest Sax EP*
(Barry, Kim)
SWEETER THAN SUGAR - unreleased**
(Feldman, Levine)
SUGAR TOWN - Sweetest Sax EP*
(Lee Hazlewood)
SUGAR SHACK - Sweetest Sax EP**
(McCormack, Voss)
KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE
- Sweetest Sax EP*
(Campbell, Newman)
YOU'RE A SWEET SWEETHEART - unreleased**
(Goffin, King)
SUGAR ON SUNDAY - Sweetest Sax EP***
(James, Vale)
SWEET MARIJUANA - Sweetest Sax EP***
(Coslow, Johnston)
SWEET SEASONS - Sweetest Sax EP*
(King, Stern)
SUGAR WALLS - Sweetest Sax EP**
(Prince)
POP TATE
w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
w/TONI TOPAZ
Arrangers:
*ROD MACK, **ARCHIE ANDREWS,
***RALFI CHINGAS
Music Director:
JONNIEMAE
Producers:
RALFI CHINGAS w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineer:
LAKSHMI SHUTTLESWORTH
Executive Producer:
FAWN ETHEL MASON
SOUL + INSPIRATION was a jukebox
musical based on the memoirs of Bill Medley,
a member of The Righteous Brothers. With
Juggy Jones + Kevin Keller in the leading roles
and a book by legendary song lyricist Cynthia
Weil, the show did SRO business in New England
during the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2012.
In preparation for transferring the production to
London's West End, the cast and crew traveled to
the UK to play previews. Terry "Pop" Tate was one of
the pit musicians, and Archie (who wrote arrangements
for the show) booked studio dates for him after
curtain each night. The band that backed Pop
included Arch, Rod Mack + Johnniemae on
guitars. Juggy + Kelly’s co-star Toni Topaz
displayed her talent as a bass player. This was
arguably the finest band that ever played on
an Archies-related studio session!
TERRY "POP" TATE WAS AN OCCASIONAL
SIDEMAN ON ARCHIES RECORDING
DATES. HE RELEASED A CRITICALLY-
ACCLAIMED EXTENDED-PLAY DISC
ON THE ARCHIES FAN CLUB
LABEL.
SABRINA: IN DECEMBER OF 2012, THE ARCHIES TRACKED MULTI-LINGUAL VOCALS IN SANTA BARBARA, AS WELL AS A MOVIE THEME THAT I ARRANGED FOR THEM. THE SONGS IN PORTUGUESE WERE MEANT FOR YET ANOTHER ABORTED EP; THE OTHERS WERE INTENDED AS FOREIGN SINGLES. FROM THOSE TRACKS CAME A KOREAN VERSION OF “IT’S A HAPPENING WORLD,” WHICH BROKE FOR A HIT IN SOUTH ASIA.
REGGIE MANTLE SANG LEAD ON MY ARRANGEMENT OF "WHERE ARE WE GOING?" WHEN I HEARD HOW GREAT HE SOUNDED ON THE PLAYBACK, I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM! HE COULD BARELY SING @ ALL STARTING OUT, BUT HE WORKED VERY HARD TO LEARN HIS CRAFT: NOT ONLY SINGING, BUT SELLING A SONG, BOTH IN THE STUDIO AND ON STAGE! NOW, AWAY FROM THE ARCHIES, HE WAS A TOP NASHVILLE DEMO VOCALIST AND THE OBVIOUS CHOICE TO SING A MOVIE THEME.
EVEN THOUGH ARCHIE WAS PRESIDENT
OF THE COMPANY, RONI LODGE-ANDREWS
WAS THE HEAD, HEART, SOUL AND
PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE OF
ARCHIE RECORDS!
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SINGLES SESSIONS
"ARCHIE IN BRAZIL"
AN A LO LATINO PRODUCTION
in association with
MS. DEBBIE PRODUCTIONS and
ISLAND PACIFIC PRODUCTIONS
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
DECEMBER 2012
CHAPEL OF ROCK,
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
LOOK IN MY EYES, MARÌA
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos
(Bacharach, David)
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
- Big Noise From Riverdale box set*#
(Lane, Linde)
I GOT A DREAM in Portuguese
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos**
(Angel, Barry, Greenwich)
HE AIN'T NO ANGEL in Portuguese
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos**
(Angel, Barry, Greenwich)
THE TRAIN FROM KANSAS CITY in Portuguese
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos**
(Angel, Barry, Greenwich, Hawkins)
UPTOWN in Portuguese
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos*
(Angel, Mann, Weil)
NIGHTS ON BROADWAY in Portuguese
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos***
(Angel, The Bee Gees)
LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE
in Portuguese
- Grandes Éxitos Latinos**
(Angel, Mann, Weil)
LOVE HER! in Vietnamese
- Archie Around The World CD**#
(Mann, Mung, Weil)
LOOKING AT TOMORROW in Russian
- Archie Around The World CD**#
(Mann, Mung, Weil)
I SAW THE LIGHT in Korean
- single B-side (Southeast Asia)#
(Jones, Mung, Rundgren)
IT'S A HAPPENING WORLD in Korean
- single (Southeast Asia)*#
(Jones, Mann, Mung, Weil)
THE ARCHIES
w/DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
w/OS REIS DOS TRÓPICOS
w/DEBBIE ALLEN
Arrangers:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND
*BREE SPELLMAN,
**RALFI CHINGAS,
***ROD MACK + BREE SPELLMAN
Music Directors:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND, ##LEE CHIN MUNG
Producers:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO,
#w/DEBBIE ALLEN, ##w/BARCLAY SINGH
Sound Engineer: TOM MOURGOS
Executive Producer:
NICHOLAS FREUND
Of this batch of mostly foreign-language recordings,
only "It's A Happening World" became a hit. It
reached the Top Forty in South Korea; Archie +
Veronica sang a duet lead. Lyric translation
was a family affair: The Portuguese lyricist
was Trevor Smith's wife Cristina Angel, and
and Taiwanese conductor Lee Chin Mung
(executive producer Barclay Singh's brother-
in-law) was the Russian, Vietnamese and
Korean translator. Reggie sang lead on
"Where Are We Going?" which featured
in the 2013 Debbie Allen film of the
same title. This was the last time he would
share a recording studio with all of his
bandmates; going forward, Reggie was
essentially a solo artist.
THE ARCHIES!
SABRINA: THE MOVIE WHERE ARE WE GOING? WAS DIRECTED BY DEBBIE ALLEN, AND SHE CO-PRODUCED THE SESSION @ WHICH ITS THEME SONG WAS RECORDED. @ HER SUGGESTION, THE ARCHIES WERE ALSO GOING TO CUT TWO SONGS FROM HER ICONIC EIGHTIES TV SERIES "FAME." THERE WASN'T ENOUGH STUDIO TIME LEFT TO DO THAT, BUT THE GROUP DID REHEARSE "THE SECRET." THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE TV SOUNDTRACK BALLADS! BETTY + REGGIE SANG A DUET LEAD, AND NEAR THE END, DEBBIE HERSELF CHIMED IN:
The secret of life: Celebrate life/
Each moment of every day/
Just jump right in and live it/
Every single minute/
The secret of love: Celebrate love/
Each moment of every day/
There's one thing to be sure of/
You'll end up having more love/
When you've given love away.*
I WASN'T THERE, BUT I WITNESSED THEIR PERFORMANCE LATER ON, GAZING INTO MY CRYSTAL BALL. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! AFTER THEY FINISHED THE LAST CHORUS, BETTY THREW HER ARMS AROUND REG AND STARTED TO CRY. THEY HELD ON TO EACH OTHER FOR A LONG TIME! EVERYBODY COULD SENSE THAT IT WAS THE END OF AN ERA.
REGGIE MANTLE TOOK EXTENDED LEAVE FROM THE GROUP AFTER THIS SESSION, DETERMINED TO STRIKE OUT ON HIS OWN ONE LAST TIME. HE WOULD NEVER RETURN TO THE GROUP AS AN ACTIVE MEMBER!
*Music + Lyrics by Barry Fasman + Steve Sperry,
published by EMI-Jemaxal Music, R2M Publishing
and Songs of LaStrada (BMI/ASCAP)
A MILLIONAIRE AND A CORPORATE RAIDER
DO BATTLE ACROSS A CONFERENCE
TABLE IN THE YEAR
2 0 1 3 !
