POP CULTURE CANTINA
Presents
DESTINATION: SUGARTOWN!
THE ARCHIE RECORDS STORY
A Journey Through
THE GREAT AMERICAN
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SONG BOOK
SABRINA: IN JANUARY OF 2014, ARCHIE RECORDS TOOK ONE LAST STAB @ PENETRATING THE STUBBORN FRENCH MARKET. ARCHIE COMMISSIONED A BOX SET OF FIVE BEST-SELLING ARCHIES LPs: ARCHIE COUNTRY, RETURN TO ARCHIE COUNTRY, HITS OF THE SIXTIES, HITS OF THE SIXTIES, VOLUME TWO (A REPACKAGING OF JEFF + ELLIE SONGBOOK) AND THE VERY POPULAR AFC ALBUM THE SAVAGE YOUNG ARCHIES. IN ORDER TO DISTINGUISH THEM FROM THE ORIGINAL RELEASES, TONY BRISEÑO REMASTERED THEM ALL IN PRISTINE MONAURAL SOUND. "I'LL MAKE THESE RETRO MUSIC COLLECTIONS SOUND LIKE THEY WERE ACTUALLY RECORDED IN THE 1950s AND '60s!" HE PROMISED.
PHOTOS OF JUGHEAD, ARCHIE,
SABRINA + CHUCK CLAYTON
AS THEY APPEARED ON THE
FRONT COVER OF THE
ARCHIES À GO-GO
INSERT BOOKLET.
TONY WAS AS GOOD AS HIS WORD, TOO. THERE'S SUCH A THING AS "FOLDED-DOWN" MONO, CREATED BY COMPRESSING A STEREO RECORDING. IT SOUNDS GOD-AWFUL, BUT THAT ISN'T WHAT HE DID: TONY WENT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SESSION TAPES AND CREATED AUTHENTIC MONO MIXES, USING VINTAGE ROCK 'N' ROLL RECORDINGS AS A GUIDE.
IN MY OPINION, ARCHIES À GO-GO WAS THE BEST-SOUNDING BOX SET EVER COMPILED FROM ARCHIE MASTERS; BUT YET AGAIN, FRENCH AUDIENCES WERE INDIFFERENT! THE PACKAGE NEITHER TURNED A PROFIT NOR LOST MONEY, BUT IT SOLD FAR MORE COPIES OUTSIDE OF FRANCE THAN INSIDE. NOT UNTIL THEY NO LONGER CARE ABOUT FRENCH SALES FIGURES WILL THE ARCHIES FINALLY SCORE A SMASH HIT THERE!
THE FOURTEENTH YEAR: 2014
"11:59"
DISQUES PATHÉ
REMIX SESSIONS
"ARCHIES À GO-GO"
A SPANISH EDDIE MIX
JANUARY 11 - 26, 2014
SPANISH EDDIE'S BAR + GRILL
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
ARCHIE COUNTRY 2LP
- Archie À Go-Go box set
RETURN TO ARCHIE COUNTRY 2LP
- Archie À Go-Go box set
HITS OF THE SIXTIES 2LP
- Archie À Go-Go box set
HITS OF THE SIXTIES, VOLUME TWO 2LP
- Archie À Go-Go box set
THE SAVAGE YOUNG ARCHIES LP
- Archie À Go-Go box set
THE ARCHIES
A + R Consultant:
NERO THE DOG
Remix Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Remix Engineer:
EDDIE ROXCHILD
There'll be many Archies box sets, but
ARCHIE À GO-GO is the most collectible
of them all. It contained five vinyl albums,
but was actually a nine record box since four
of the LPs were two-record sets. JEFF
+ ELLIE SONGBOOK will henceforth be known
as the second volume of HITS OF THE SIXTIES;
Veronica never liked the original title!
When questioned about Nero the Dog's
production credit, both Dilton and Spanish
Eddie always insisted that it was valid!
Jonniemae's wonder poodle also had a lot to
do with another Archies compilation,
commissioned a little over a year later.
SABRINA: IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH OF 2014, THE ARCHIES HELPED BIG ETHEL LAUNCH A GOSPEL SINGING CAREER. SHE PERMANENTLY RETIRED HER RAPPER HANDLE AND RECLAIMED HER GIVEN NAME: “FAWN ETHEL MASON.” HER EXCELLENT DÉBUT ALBUM, BOSOM OF ABRAHAM, FEATURED A GOSPEL CHOIR ARRANGED AND CONDUCTED BY REVEREND DARLING LOVEJOY; SHE WAS A TENNESSEE EVANGELIST WHOM THE ARCHIES FIRST MET IN MEMPHIS IN 2005.
BIG ETHEL'S LEGACY @ ARCHIE
RECORDS: THE HIGHLY-COLLECTIBLE
ARCHIES FAN CLUB ALBUM
CATALOGUE!
ARCHIE RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"BOSOM OF ABRAHAM"
A SUGARTOWN PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
FEBRUARY 2014
SUN STUDIOS,
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
JESUS, TAKE THE WHEEL
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(James, Lindsey, Sampson)
DIDN'T IT RAIN? - Bosom of Abraham LP
(traditional)
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(traditional)
IT IS NO SECRET (WHAT GOD CAN DO)
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(Stuart Hamblen)
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(Rice, Webber)
OPERATOR
- single flipside, Bosom of Abraham LP
(William Spivery)
FAWN MASON
w/THE ARCHIES
w/SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT SINGERS
Vocal Arranger:
REV. DARLING LOVEJOY
Arranger: GERALDINE GRUNDY
Music Director: CHUCK CLAYTON
Producers:
CHUCK CLAYTON, ALAN MAYBERRY
Sound Engineers:
ALAN MAYBERRY, CINDY ST. JOSEPHS
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
When The Archies backed up Chuck Clayton
on his AFC album, their involvement was
kept secret, but it was a different story
this time: Fawn Mason started talking about her
superstar backing musicians long before the
sessions ended (much to the consternation of
Veronica)! But her boasting proved to
be ill-timed.
JUST WEEKS BEFORE HER DEATH FROM
CANCER IN THE YEAR 2029, BIG ETHEL
WILL CONTRIBUTE BACKGROUND VOCALS
TO AN ARCHIES SESSION IN HAWAII. THEY
WILL BELATEDLY BE HEARD ON 40 ROCK,
A 2164 ARCHIES COMPILATION.
ARCHIES FAN CLUB RECORDS
REMIX SESSIONS
A BIG ETHEL MIX
MARCH 14 - 18, 2014
SUN STUDIOS,
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY - Retro box set
(Dorsey + Johnny Burnette)
FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD - Retro box set
(Allen Reynolds)
LAST-MINUTE MIRACLE - Retro box set*
(Harris, Kerr)
KARATE/MONKEY - Retro box set
(Jackson, Virtuoso)
THE ARCHIES
Arrangers:
DEAN CHRISTOPHER, *JIMMY WISNER
Producers:
JEFF BARRY, *RON DANTE
Remix Producer:
FAWN ETHEL MASON
Remix Engineer:
CINDY ST. JOSEPHS
These four selections hail from the Kirshner Records
archives. They date from The Archies' earliest studio
sessions in 1988 to their final Kirshner sides in 1992.
Fawn Mason remixed them, intending to release a fifth
and final RARE MASTERS EP; but before completing
production, she resigned her position as president of
Archies Fan Club Records! Subsequently, the Fan Club
fell dormant and its 2015 Christmas release was
cancelled. An earlier, live version of "Believe What
You Say" appears on the 2010 AFC album
THE SAVAGE YOUNG ARCHIES.
FAWN MASON aka BIG ETHEL IS ONE
OF ONLY FOUR RECORDING ARTISTS
WHOSE ALBUMS FEATURE MUSICAL
BACKING BY THE ARCHIES.
ARCHIE RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"BOSOM OF ABRAHAM"
A SUGARTOWN PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
MARCH 2014
SUN STUDIOS,
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
ROCK-A MY SOUL
- single, Bosom of Abraham LP
(traditional)
BLESSINGS BY THE DAY
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(Jones, Mason)
PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(Gene McLellan)
EZEKIEL SAW THE WHEEL
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(traditional)
OH, HAPPY DAY! - Bosom of Abraham LP*
(Doddridge, Hawkins, Rimbault)
PEACE IN THE VALLEY
- Bosom of Abraham LP
(Thomas Dorsey)
FAWN MASON
w/THE ARCHIES
w/SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT SINGERS
*w/ROD MACK
Vocal Arranger:
REV. DARLING LOVEJOY
Arranger: GERALDINE GRUNDY
Music Director: CHUCK CLAYTON
Producers:
CHUCK CLAYTON, ALAN MAYBERRY
Sound Engineers:
ALAN MAYBERRY, CINDY ST. JOSEPHS
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Choir Mistress Darling Lovejoy was so
inspired by the performances taped
@ these March sessions, she preached
an impromptu Gospel sermon inside
legendary Sun Studios! Back in 2010,
Fawn Mason was a guest star on
Rod Mack’s Christian Rock extravaganza
MACK DADDY BOOGALOO; here she
returned the favor. Their duet on "Oh,
Happy Day" will belatedly top the Gospel
charts in December of 2022.
Salem da Katt: Gangsta Rap-loving Jason Blossom, initially unaware that Fawn Mason and former Gangsta rapper Big Ethel were one and the same, withheld her début album from release when he purchased Archie Records. Her much-anticipated recording career stalled and didn’t regain momentum for years!
After she became one of Gospel's fastest rising stars, Jason sold the album master to Capitol Records. By then he knew her background and, maliciously hoping to torpedo the Capitol release, the rat bastard reissued Fawn’s profanity-laden Rap single from 2001.
Lurid promo ads for “Bitch Better Bring My Pizza” labeled Fawn Mason a “Christian Gangsta Hoe!” Babe was horrified, but she needn’t have worried: Her evangelist husband Algernon "Big Moose" Mason strongly defended her from his pulpit: "Like
the Prodigal Son, my wife returned to her holy Father after years spent wandering in the wilderness. Should we treat her with less compassion than He would?"
Long story short: Jason’s sabotage ploy failed! The belatedly-issued BOSOM OF ABRAHAM LP went Top Ten Gospel in the year 2021 and bagged a Grammy nomination to boot!
A DAMAGED ACETATE WILL BE REPAIRED
WITH 22nd CENTURY TECHNOLOGY, MAKING
POSSIBLE THE RELEASE OF A "LOST"
ARCHIES ALBUM.
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"ARCHIE IN ISRAEL"
A QUEEN BAMBI PRODUCTION
in association with
SUGARTOWN PRODUCTIONS
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
APRIL 2 - 7, 2014
GETHSEMANE SOUND STUDIOS,
JERUSALEM, ISRL
GOOD LOVIN'
in English and Hebrew
- Golden Sugar LP
(Clark, Kind, Resnick)
I'M A RADIO
in English and Hebrew - lost
(Jones, Kind, Mitchell)
NO LOVE AT ALL
in Hebrew - lost
(Christopher, Kind, Thompson)
RAINING IN MY SUNSHINE in Hebrew
- Archie Around The World CD
(Allan, Dante, Kind)
MANDOLAY
(Marc Avsec)
- incomplete
LOVER'S HOLIDAY
(Romani, Willoughby)
- incomplete
THE ARCHIES
w/DEANIE GRUNDY
Vocal Arranger/Music Director:
CHUCK CLAYTON
Arranger:
DEANIE GRUNDY
Producer: QUEEN BAMBI
Sound Engineers:
TALMUD + JULISSA KIND
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
While making a series of appearances in the Holy
Land, The Archies cut tracks for an extended-play
disc sung in Hebrew (Jughead and Betty, both
partially of Jewish heritage, took lead vocals on
these selections). Then the band commenced work on
a new English-language single. Due to worsening conflict
in Gaza, safety was a concern: One day a bomb detonated,
and the explosion was near enough to shake the studio!
Clearly, it was unwise to spend much more time recording
in Israel, so these dates @ Gethsemane Sound only
produced basic tracks: Keyboards, percussion, bass
and "scratch" vocals. Overdubs were scheduled
to be cut in New Orleans @ Spanish Eddie's but
those sessions were cancelled and so was
the novel EP concept. The intended Archies
single "Mandolay" b/w "Lover's Holiday" was
a Latin Rock floor-shaker which would have
featured Trevor Smith on both sides. Unfortunately,
it won't be completed until the 22nd century,
when advanced AI technology is brought to bear
on the session tape. Reggie Mantle first covered
"Mandolay" for a 2001 solo album.
SABRINA: AFTER WRAPPING UP FAWN MASON’S SESSIONS @ SUN STUDIOS, THE ARCHIES EMBARKED ON A BRIEF TOUR OF THE MIDDLE EAST. CHUCK CLAYTON SERVED AS MUSIC DIRECTOR (REPRISING A ROLE HE'D PLAYED ON EARLY ARCHIES TOURS) AND DEANIE GRUNDY SAT IN ON KEYBOARDS. THEN THE BAND RETURNED TO MAMARONECK AND DEMO’D A PROPOSED ALBUM TRIBUTE TO DARYL HALL + JOHN OATES. STILL LACKING A REPLACEMENT FOR REGGIE, THEY ASKED KEVIN KELLER TO SUB; FORTUNATELY, HE WAS IN TOWN AND AVAILABLE.
INSTEAD OF INDIVIDUAL SONG DEMOS, THE ARCHIES CUT SPONTANEOUS PERFORMANCES ONTO AN ALBUM-LENGTH ACETATE. IT WAS COMPLETED IN A SINGLE ALL-NIGHT SESSION THAT CHUCK CLAYTON SUPERVISED. I’M A HUGE HALL + OATES FAN, AND I WOULD’VE LIKED TO HAVE PRODUCED THAT DEMO; BUT WHAT I HEARD ON IT WAS SO AWESOME, I COULDN’T POSSIBLY HAVE DONE ANY BETTER THAN CHUCK DID!
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WAS YET ANOTHER ARCHIES PROJECT THAT DIDN'T GO FORWARD. AN OVERZEALOUS MANAGER REFUSED TO LET DARYL + JOHN EVEN HEAR THE ACETATE! IN FACT, HE MALICIOUSLY SNAPPED IT IN HALF AND RETURNED IT TO ARCHIE. THAT UNIQUE DEMO BECAME A MUCH-COVETED COLLECTOR’S ITEM! IN THE 22nd CENTURY, IT WILL BE RESTORED AND DIGITIZED. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY WILL RELEASE THIS “LOST ARCHIES ALBUM" WITH THE TITLE LAS VEGAS TURNAROUND.
LIMITED-EDITION POSTER INSERT FROM
ARCHIE @ THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"THE JEFF BARRY SONGBOOK"
A JEFF BARRY INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
APRIL 16 - 20, 2014
CHAPEL OF ROCK,
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
WHEN YOUR BABY SAYS GOODBYE
- Songbook EP
LOVE, LOVE AND AFFECTION
- Songbook EP
LOVE, LOVE, GO AWAY
- Songbook EP
WE GOT A THING GOIN’, BABY
- Songbook EP
I’VE NEVER GOTTEN OVER YOU
- Songbook EP
JOHNNY ANDER
Songbook EP
(Jeff Barry)
TONI TOPAZ
w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Arrangers:
BLUE-EYED SOUL
Conductor:
JUGHEAD
Producer: JEFF BARRY
Sound Engineer: TOM MOURGOS
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Salem da Katt: Having established herself as a top choreographer and occasional video director, Toni Topaz made a spectacular transition to acting in 2012: Babe originated the role of Darlene Love in the smash hit jukebox musical SOUL + INSPIRATION!
The show was on a clear trajectory to Broadway; but when The Great White Way finally beckoned, it saw fit to shun the show’s stars: Jughead + Kevin Keller! Their roles were re-cast, and Hollywood actors barely out of their teens portrayed Bill Medley + Bobby Hatfield.
Toni was asked to continue in her role but out of loyalty to Juggy + Kelly, she refused. Archie, the show’s music arranger, liked her attitude and liked her singing even more! Babe became the last artist to sign an Archie Records recording contract. Veronica was delighted: “Being the label's only female solo star gets lonely! It’s high time I had some company.”
Toni’s star was destined to eclipse Roni’s, and its rocket rise kicked off with this EP date. Produced by the legendary Jeff Barry with Juggy, Kelly, Big Nipsy + Toni herself providing the musical backing, it wasted no time hitting the Pop Top Twenty upon release.
SABRINA: THE FORMER STARS OF SOUL + INSPIRATION ALL DID WELL FOR THEMSELVES: KEVIN KELLER HAD HIS SUCCESSFUL SOLO CAREER, OF COURSE, AND TONI'S WAS PRIMED TO TAKE OFF. RALFI CHINGAS ALSO LEFT THE SHOW; HE TOOK AN EXECUTIVE POSITION WITH DISCOS FUENTES. THAT MEANT MOVING DOWN TO MEDELLÍN, COLOMBIA, WHICH HE DID IN THE FALL OF 2014. HIS HUSBAND-TO-BE EDDIE ROXCHILD WOULD JOIN HIM THERE AFTER CLOSING SPANISH EDDIE'S BAR + GRILL A FEW YEARS LATER.
JUGGY TOOK ON A NEW ROLE: MANAGER OF MONTANA JONES,
HIS TEENAGE SON WITH BETTY. MONTY WAS MUSICALLY GIFTED LIKE HIS PARENTS - THAT CHILD COULD SET A PAIR OF BONGÓ DRUMS ON FIRE - BUT BURNING IN THE KITCHEN WAS WHAT HE REALLY EXCELLED @! AS A CHILD, HE TOOK TO GOURMET COOKING LIKE AN OLD PRO. BY 2013, HE WAS WINNING COMPETITIVE CHEF TOURNAMENTS. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT JUGGY WAS THERE, PROUDLY COACHING HIS CULINARY STAR FROM THE SIDELINES!
COOKING TROPHIES LAUNCHED MONTANA JONES ON A CAREER THAT WILL LEAD TO HIS OWN TOP-RATED STREAMING SHOW AND A CHAIN OF KOSHER JAPANESE GRILLS BEARING HIS NAME! IN THE YEAR 2032, MONTY WILL CATER THE ARCHIES' FAREWELL CONCERT TOUR.
TONI TOPAZ ARRIVES!
ARCHIE RECORDS
ALBUM SESSIONS
"THE TONI TOPAZ ALBUM"
A RALFI CHINGAS PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
MAY 1 - 15, 2014
CHAPEL OF ROCK,
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
HE COMES AND GOES - Toni Topaz LP
(Neil Diamond)
LOVE YOU MORE THAN YESTERDAY
- Toni Topaz LP
(Gormann, Michaels, Morton)
SOMEDAY - Toni Topaz LP
(Roberta Day)
YOU TOLD ME - Toni Topaz LP
(Chandler, DeVorzon)
I’M NOBODY’S BABY NOW
- Toni Topaz LP
(Jeff Barry)
LADY OF THE NIGHT - Toni Topaz LP
(Bellotte, Moroder)
TONIGHT, YOU’RE GONNA FALL IN LOVE WITH ME
- Toni Topaz LP
(Kornfeld, Wine)
DID YOU EVER LOVE A GUY? - Toni Topaz LP
(Steve Duboff)
GOTTA MAKE YOU LOVE ME!
- Toni Topaz LP
(Burton, Sawyer)
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - Toni Topaz LP
(Greenwich, Powers)
IF YOU WERE A MAN - Toni Topaz LP
(Jerry Riopelle)
ALL OVER AGAIN - Toni Topaz LP
(Paul Hampton)
WHY DID YOU GO? - Toni Topaz LP
(Brown, Robbins)
THE THRILL IS GONE - unreleased
(Jerry Riopell)
TONI TOPAZ
w/THE BETTYS
w/THE VIXENS
Arranger: BREE SPELLMAN
Music Director: JONNIEMAE
Producer: RALFI CHINGAS
Sound Engineer: TOM MOURGOS
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Salem da Katt: Although Toni sang Blues-oriented material on stage in SOUL + INSPIRATION, her début album is not in that style. Babe didn’t want to be pigeonholed as an R & B singer. “I’m from the Caribbean,” she reminded Archie, “which is a cornucopia of all kinds of music. I can sing Rock, Disco, Latin, anything you want! And Reggae, too, of course.”
Ralfi Chingas, who produced the musical’s double-Platinum cast album, was tagged to helm Toni’s first LP. Ralfi decided to place her in a retro, Sixties Girl Group setting; hence a track lineup featuring vintage songs from the pens of Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Toni Wine, Pam Sawyer + George “Shadow” Morton. @ Toni’s request, her favorite tune from Gino Mantle's 2009 Neil Diamond tribute ("He Comes And Goes") was included, and a Donna Summer rarity with a retro feel (“Lady Of The Night”) was added for variety.
These sessions were bursting with female talent: Not only The Vixens but also The Bettys, the re-formed version of a Riverdale High School group led by Betty Jones (née Cooper). The other members were Bree Spellman, Midge Mercury + Jonniemae. Slowly but surely, Betty was transitioning away from The Archies as well as her marriage! Jughead's affair with Veronica in 2005
had opened a rift that would never heal.
“Gotta Make You Love Me” would later be a smash-hit Latin record when covered by Mantequilla (a studio group led by Tony Briseño), and New Archies member Ramsay Khalid Sharma will cover “Tonight, You’re Gonna Fall In Love With Me.” When Ralfi lay these bitchin’ playbacks on Archie, dude was ready to set a release date ASAP; but as in all things business-related, Boss Lady Veronica had to have her say before that could happen!
RARE PHOTO OF THE ARCHIES + KEVIN
KELLER PERFORMING @ THE 2014
WORLD DEEJAY FESTIVAL.
SABRINA: ON THE LAST DAY OF MAY 2014, THE ARCHIES MADE A SURPRISE APPEARANCE @ THE WORLD DEEJAY FESTIVAL IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA. I WROTE HALF OF THE SONG ARRANGEMENTS FOR THAT SHOW; EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T AN ARCHIE RECORDS EMPLOYEE ANYMORE, I WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP OUT ARCHIE + RONI IF THEY ASKED ME TO. KEVIN KELLER MADE A SURPRISE GUEST APPEARANCE! HE PLAYED KEYBOARDS AND SANG TWO DUETS WITH JUGHEAD. NOBODY KNEW IT, BUT THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THE ARCHIES' FINAL PUBLIC APPEARANCES FOR A LONG TIME.
ARCHIE RECORDS
OVERDUB SESSIONS
"FILET OF SEOUL"
AN ISLAND PACIFIC PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
JUNE 2 - 5, 2014
SPANISH EDDIE'S BAR + GRILL,
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
GLITTER AND GOLD in Japanese
- Filet of Seoul download
(Jones, Mann, Weil)
TRAPPED IN THE PRISON OF LOVE
in Korean
- Filet of Seoul download, Korea Pops! CD
(Coulter, Martin, Park)
MY MARÍA*
- Filet of Seoul download
(Moore, Stevenson)
IT'S A HAPPENING WORLD in Korean
- Filet of Seoul download
(Mann, Mung, Weil)
LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
- Filet of Seoul download**
(Hurley, Wilkins)
ROCK THE TASTE FROM YOUR MOUTH
- Filet of Seoul download
(Andrews, Briseño, Clark, Spellman)
CHICO'S GIRL in Japanese
- Filet of Seoul download
(Jones, Mann, Weil)
LOOKING AT TOMORROW
- Archie Around The World CD
(Mann, Weil)
BLACK IS BLACK in Korean
- Filet of Seoul download***
(Grainger, Hayes, Park, Wadey)
JIM DANDY in Korean
- Filet of Seoul download, Korea Pops! CD***
(Chase, Park)
PRECIOUS AND FEW in Japanese
- Filet of Seoul download
(Jones, Nims, Takeshi)
LADY JANE
- Filet of Seoul download*
(James, King)
LOVE HER!
Archie Around The World CD
(Mann, Weil)
JET AIRLINER
- Filet of Seoul download****
(Paul Peña)
RIVER-DEEP, MOUNTAIN-HIGH
- Filet of Seoul download*
(Barry, Greenwich, Spector)
SUGAR, SUGAR in Japanese + Korean
(Barry, Jones, Kim, Park)
-Filet of Seoul download*
THE ARCHIES
w/SASHIMI SISTERS
Vocal Arranger:
KEVIN KELLER
Arrangers:
BREE SPELLMAN, *RALFI CHINGAS,
**JUSTIN STRICKLAND, ***BLUE-EYED SOUL,
****THE ARCHIES w/DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Music Directors:
BLUE-EYED SOUL
Producer:
BARCLAY SINGH
Remix Engineers:
EDDIE ROXCHILD, QUINCY ZEN
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Spanish Eddie was a featured disc spinner @ the 2014
World Deejay Festival. As a favor to him, The Archies
made a special guest appearance. They performed an
album's worth of songs, eight partially sung in Korean
or Japanese; Truvee Park, niece of the Korean Park Brothers,
translated several numbers, and Jughead wrote some new
Japanese lyrics. When Veronica announced from the festival
stage that they'd just made a live recording, the crowd
went wild! A studio version of "It's A Happening World"
in Korean had scored a modest hit in South Asia the
the previous year, so Archie decided to tailor an
album for the Korean market.
SABRINA: THE FESTIVAL SHOW WAS RECORDED AND RELEASED AS A LIVE ALBUM IN ASIA. SOME ARCHIES FANS REGARD FILET OF SOUL AS THE REALIZATION OF ARCHIE'S ABORTED FIFTY SHADES OF SOUL ALBUM! IT ISN'T, BUT THE MUSIC DIRECTION BY JUGGY + KELLY WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE YOU THINK SO. THAT RECORD WAS ONLY ISSUED AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, BUT IT ACHIEVED TOP TEN STATUS IN BOTH KOREA AND JAPAN. TWO BIG SOUTH ASIAN HITS, "JIM DANDY" AND "TRAPPED IN THE PRISON OF LOVE" EMERGED FROM IT, BOTH SUNG TO PERFECTION BY BETTY JONES IN FLAWLESS KOREAN! NEITHER SELECTION WAS OFFICIALLY RELEASED AS A SINGLE. THE LATTER TUNE ALSO APPEARED ON A CHART-TOPPING AMERICAN COMPILATION CALLED KOREA POPS!
THE ARCHIES CONTRIBUTED TO ONE
OF THE FIRST SMASH HIT "K-POP"
COMPILATIONS!
ARCHIES FAN CLUB RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"FEEL LIKE DANCING"
A KOOLTYME PRODUCTION
in association with
SUGARTOWN PRODUCTIONS
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
JUNE 2014
THE CONGA ROOM,
MÈXICO CITY, MÈXICO
THE HEART 2 BREAK THE HEART
- Feel Like Dancing EP*
(Tony Green)
COME 2 ME
- Feel Like Dancing EP*
(Tony Green)
TOUCH - Feel Like Dancing EP
(Tony Green)
DON'T STOP DANCING - unreleased
(Tony Green)
WALKIN' INTO A HEARTACHE
- Feel Like Dancing EP
(Melissa Lundgren)
GONNA GET OVER YOU!
- Feel Like Dancing EP
(William Anderson)
FEEL LIKE DANCING
- Feel Like Dancing EP
(Tony Green)
ATTITUDE - Feel Like Dancing EP
(Karp, La Bounty)
NASTY LOVE - unreleased
(Fairweather, Page)
LOVE'S ON FIRE!
- Feel Like Dancing EP
(Batteau, Freeman, Giancaterino)
THE VIXENS
w/THE KOOLTYME KATTS
*w/JUGHEAD
Vocal Arranger: VERONICA
Arranger: BREE SPELLMAN
Music Director: JUGHEAD
Producer: ALEXANDRA
Recording Engineer:
STYNG RAYE
Executive Producer:
CHUCK CLAYTON
By now, The Vixens were official Archie Records artists;
here they belatedly fulfilled a promise to Big Ethel
to cut an EP for AFC Records. The lineup that sang on
this date was Pamela "Pippa" Tagliaferro (lead vocals),
Kragen Hinojosa + Jughead's sister Angelica
"Jelli" Jones-Torres. Jelli was married to bassist
Babalù Torres, a Reggaetòn musician who mostly
worked south of the border. It's Babalù who booked
this session @ Mèxico City's Conga Room. Juggy played
drums and sang duet vocals with Pippa on “The
Heart To Break The Heart” and “Come To Me”.
Veronica + Sabrina were on hand to play guitar
and keyboards, respectively; it was very much like
one of the early Archie Records sessions, back when
Alexandra was the head of Artists + Repertoire.
Originally recorded by Disco diva France Joli, eight
of these sizzling Latin rockers featured on FEEL
LIKE DANCING, the penultimate Archies
Fan Club double EP.
AFTER BIG ETHEL QUIT THE VIXENS
TO PURSUE A SOLO CAREER, THEY
CONTINUED AS A GROUP ON
THEIR OWN.
SABRINA: I REMEMBER WORKING FREELANCE WITH BOTH THE VIXENS + THE COCHINADA BROTHERS. THOSE GROUPS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER: THE WOMEN WORKED SO SMOOTHLY TOGETHER, THEY WERE LIKE A WELL-OILED MACHINE! THE BROTHERS DID NOTHING BUT ARGUE, AND THEY FELL FAR SHORT OF MY EXPECTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, CHA CHA, LALO, MEMO + BUBBA COCHINO WERE IMMENSELY TALENTED SINGERS! WITH VERONICA ON HAND TO CURB THEIR MORE RAMBUNCTIOUS TENDENCIES, THEY MIGHT’VE FILLED THE MALE VOCAL GROUP VACUUM ON ARCHIE RECORDS’ ROSTER; BUT IT WASN'T TO BE.
MY CRYSTAL BALL SHOWS ME CUTTING A NEW VERSION OF "ONE TIME IN A MILLION" WITH THE NEW ARCHIES; THAT WILL HAPPEN IN ABOUT A DECADE.
ARCHIE FAN CLUB EPs SCHEDULED FOR
THE YEAR 2015 WERE CANCELLED!
ARCHIES FAN CLUB RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"I LOVE YOU"
A FALCON STUDIO PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
JUNE/JULY 2014
THE CONGA ROOM,
MÉXICO CITY, MÉXICO
THOSE COUNTRY GIRLS - unreleased
THAT CERTAIN SOMEONE - unreleased
PLEASE MAKE THE LOVE GO AWAY!
- unreleased
I DON'T WANNA BE LEFT OUTSIDE
- unreleased
WHAT GOOD IS I LOVE YOU?
- unreleased
GOOD, GOOD LOVIN' - unreleased
LET THE SUN SHINE - unreleased
ONE TIME IN A MILLION - unreleased
I HEAR THE GRASS SINGING
- unreleased
I LOVE YOU - unreleased
(Greenwich, Rashkow)
THE COCHINADA BROTHERS
w/JUGHEAD
w/REY COCHINO + BIG-ASS BRASS
Vocal Arrangers:
THE COCHINADA BROTHERS
Arranger: BREE SPELLMAN
Music Director: REY COCHINO
Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Sound Engineer: HUSSEIN HABAKKUK
Executive Producer:
CHUCK CLAYTON
Although Dilton Doiley Briseño is credited
as producer of these dates, his protegée
Bree Spellman did most of the hands-on work.
Jughead played drums and the Cochinada
Brothers' "Uncle Rey" performed the trumpet
solos. Dilton certainly had good reason to
trust Bree's emerging production skills;
these playbacks were nothing less than
extraordinary! But not to the tone-deaf
ears of Jason Blossom. I LOVE YOU
was one of the forthcoming releases
that he cancelled.
FALCON RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"HUSH"
A SUGARTOWN PRODUCTION
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
JULY 2014
THE CONGA ROOM,
MÉXICO CITY, MÉXICO
WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS (UNDERDUB)
- unreleased
(Lolly + Pat Vegas)
HUSH (UNDERDUB) - unreleased
(Joe South)
GET IT ON! (UNDERDUB) - unreleased
(Marc Bolan)
INSTANT KARMA - Hush EP
(John Lennon)
KEVIN KELLER
w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
w/GAYME + SABRINA
Vocal Arrangers:
KEVIN KELLER, VERONICA
Arrangers:
BREE SPELLMAN, BLUE-EYED SOUL
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineer: STYNG RAYE
Executive Producer:
CHUCK CLAYTON
Salem da Katt: Sabrina's trip south of the border in the summer of 2014 was very productive! She worked as arranger on three EPs cut in México: The first for The Vixens, the second for The Cochinada Brothers, and the last for Kevin Keller. It was time for Kelly to drop another hit! Archie wasn't about to let him linger on the vine the way Josie + The Pussy Cats had.
His co-producers Veronica + Jughead were both still in México City, so he flew down to The Conga Room to join them. @ Sabrina's suggestion, Roni also booked a flight for Gayme, the Caribbean backing vocal duo from The Archies' HITS OF THE SIXTIES tour. She managed to coax them out of retirement
for this one studio date.
Kelly arrived knowing that he had to track some more Hard Rock, but dude was ornery! He refused to duplicate the Heavy Metal sound of his first album. Sabrina suggested that he cover the old Redbone hit "Witch Queen Of New Orleans," and she wrote an authentic "Swamp Blues" arrangement for the song. After Kelly sang "Witch Queen," everybody dug it so much that Veronica asked: "What other songs can we do in that same groove?"
Kelly chose the T-Rex classic "Get It On," Juggy favored Billy Joe Royal's "Hush," and Roni insisted on John Lennon's "Instant Karma." Two weeks later, they played back four strong sides, and nobody could decide which one would make the best single! This stalemate resulted in the wise decision to market a new Kevin Keller EP.
HUSH just exploded on Pop radio, and it shot right into the Top Ten! It did even better in Australia, topping the charts "down under." This EP was one of the best things Archie Records ever released (although, like Kelly's MAN BITCHES soundtrack, it carried the Falcon imprint); but would you believe that, a few years later, Jason Blossom's ham-handed sound engineers destroyed the master?
They crudely erased the vocals so that a jive-ass Gangsta rapper Jason had signed could recycle the backing tracks! It makes my fur stand on end to think about it, and I'm not even a cat anymore! Fortunately, Kelly had given a demo version to his lover Josie James; that demo will be used to reconstruct the master when HUSH is reissued in the 22nd century.
SABRINA: IN LATE JUNE OF 2014, PLANS FOR ARCHIE RECORDS’ HOLOGRAPHIC CONCERT TOUR WERE FINALIZED. USING PEFORMANCE FOOTAGE THEY’D BEEN FILMING SINCE 2012, BROTHERS ICHI + KOO PARK HAD CREATED THEIR HOLOGRAMS. IT WAS A PAINSTAKING PROCESS, BUT THE RESULTS WERE REMARKABLE! WHEN THESE RAZOR-SHARP IMAGES WERE PROJECTED ON ACRYLIC GLOBES OF VARYING SIZES AND SUSPENDED OVER THE HEADS OF AUDIENCES, THEY GAVE THE STARTLING IMPRESSION OF MINIATURE LIVE MUSICIANS FLOATING OVERHEAD! TONI TOPAZ'S HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE WAS THE LAST ONE PERFECTED.
THE "POP-ART-CHIE" TOUR LAUNCHED IN JULY. IT CONTINUED UNTIL MARCH OF 2015, STOPPING @ ART AND MUSIC SCHOOLS ALL OVER NORTH AMERICA. THE RESPONSE WAS PHENOMENAL; EVERYBODY WANTED TO EXPERIENCE THIS AMAZING PRODUCTION! ONE OF THE ELEVEN ACTS FEATURED ON THAT TOUR WAS STILL AN UNKNOWN, BUT HER CAREER WAS JUST ABOUT TO EXPLODE!
ARTISTS FEATURED ON ARCHIE
RECORDS' 2014-15 HOLOGRAPHIC
CONCERT TOUR OF ART SCHOOLS.
ARCHIE RECORDS
SINGLES SESSIONS
A RALFI CHINGAS PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
JULY 25 - 27, 2014
ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS,
LONDON, UK
THROW DOWN A LINE
- single A-side
(Hank Marvin)
POP LIFE
- single B-side*
(Prince + The Revolution)
TONI TOPAZ
w/THE MACK DADDYS
w/THE ROSCOE SHIRLEY STRINGS
w/CUMBERLAND GAP
Arrangers:
ARCHIE ANDREWS, *ROD MACK
Music Director:
JONNIEMAE
Producer: RALFI CHINGAS
Sound Engineer:
THORNE TEWKSBURY
Executive Producer:
DILTON DOILEY BRISEÑO
Salem da Katt: Veronica listened to the playback of Toni Topaz’s forthcoming album and declared, with typical bluntness: “There’s no hit single here, and this album isn’t getting released without one!” Archie booked a session for Toni @ London's Abbey Road Studios and recruited musicians he regarded as heavyweights: The Mack Daddys, Roscoe Shirley + Judi “Madame Axe” Parisella.
Also in the mix was Cumberland Gap, a talented brother-and-sister Americana duo who’d recently auditioned for him. From his wife, he’d learned that the best way to test a new act’s mettle was to “throw them in at the deep end!” But after years of backing Country music stars in Branson, Missouri, Kirby + Chelsea Cumberland were seasoned performers, ready for anything!
Archie arrived in the UK armed with a song that everybody agreed was a potential smash: “Pop Life”, a 1985 Top Ten hit co-written by Prince. That is, everybody but Rod Mack! "That's not the kind of song an artist can interpret," he warned. "If Toni doesn't sing it like Prince did, people will complain; and if she does sing it the same way, radio might bypass it. Why play a carbon copy?" He suggested that they also track “Throw Down A Line”, a Christian Rock tune first recorded decades earlier by Cliff Richard.
Archie was more than familiar with the song: The Archies had cut an unreleased studio version in 2010, and there was a live version on The Mack Daddys' EP from the same year. Dude wasn't convinced that it was a good fit for Toni, even after writing a Reggae arrangement that both she + Rod loved; but he told Ralfi Chingas to lay down a track anyway.
When "Ms. Double-T-Soul" added an insolent, swaggering vocal interpretation, the track caught fire! Long before hearing playbacks for the two selections, there was consensus among the studio crew: "Throw Down A Line" was going straight to Number One!
And sure enough, it did. What’s more, Toni Topaz débuted as both a chart-topping single and album artist; Veronica could not have been more pleased when THE TONI TOPAZ ALBUM matched the single’s success! And Cumberland Gap, who were label-credited as accompanists, were next in line for star treatment. Contracts were being drawn up for the duo to sign.
Unfortunately, when Jason Blossom purchased the label in December 2014, he tore up the paperwork! Dude had no interest in recording anything but urban music. Their contract offer withdrawn, Kirby + Chelsea were obliged to seek a record deal elsewhere. Archie had taken them under his wing, and he felt as betrayed as they did!
VERONICA, KEVIN KELLER, JUGHEAD +
BREE SPELLMAN TRACK PERCUSSION
@ THE RECORDING SESSION FOR
KELLY'S 2014 EP HUSH.
FALCON RECORDS
OVERDUB SESSION
"HUSH"
A SUGARTOWN PRODUCTION
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
AUGUST 9 - 15, 2014
BEL CANTO STUDIOS,
LONDON UK
(VOCALS + INSTRUMENTALS)
JULY 2014
THE CONGA ROOM,
MÉXICO CITY, MÉXICO
WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS (OVERDUB)
- Hush EP
GET IT ON! (OVERDUB) - Hush EP
HUSH (OVERDUB) - Hush EP
I LOST MY LOVE LAST NIGHT
- single, SHAD ROWE*
(Paul Anka)
KEVIN KELLER
w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
w/GAYME + SABRINA
w/ROD MACK
*Arranger: KEVIN KELLER
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL,
*CHUCK CLAYTON, ALAN MAYBERRY
Remix Producer/*Producer:
ROD MACK
Remix Engineer:
TAFFY MIDDLETON
Executive Producer:
CHUCK CLAYTON
Sometimes, Veronica could be obsessive about
a forthcoming release. Listening back over and
over to Kevin Keller's forthcoming EP, she
found that it lacked something - and her own
guitar solos were what she found unsatisfactory!
Instead of re-cutting them, she sent the master
to London for Rod Mack to overdub. Sure
enough, he delivered what she wanted! Kevin
Keller brought the EP master to Rod in person,
and on the second day of the remix sessions, he
cut a Paul Anka ballad from the 1950s. Kelly
played his own accompaniment on a grand piano,
with Rod overdubbing acoustic guitar later on.
Radically different from his HUSH recordings, "I
Lost My Love Last Night" stood little chance of
getting Roni's approval for release; but,
surprisingly, Jason Blossom later marketed it
under the bogus name "Shad Rowe." In 2017,
he spread rumors that this Shad person was Kelly's
younger brother! Jason bagged a Top Twenty
Adult Contemporary single for his trouble.
Salem da Katt: Rumor has it that Kevin Keller + Rod Mack started knockin' boots during the 2009 sessions for Josie James's solo single. T'ain't true! These 2014 dates marked the occasion when Roderick first tapped that fine Scottish-German ass! For a minute, "Kellymack" was a thing but that didn't mean Kelly wasn't still bouncin' the bedsprings with Josie! It did mean he was estranged from his husband, Dr. Clay Walker. Rod had nothing to do with them separating, though.
Clay kicked Kelly to the curb after tabloids revealed that dude had impregnated two (female) groupies! That probably explains why dude would want to cut a heartbreak piano ballad. So their marriage degenerated into a bubbling hot mess, but fortunately, everything worked out over time. Kelly got back together with Clay; Rod hooked up with Tony Briseño; and Josie got cozy in a long-term "triad" relationship with two women. Not with who you think, though! Ever since her failed romance with Alan Mayberry, "don't shit where you eat" was a maxim that babe followed religiously!
SABRINA: FROM AUGUST TO DECEMBER 2014, THE ARCHIES RECORDED ALL BUT ONE SONG MEANT FOR AN ALBUM CALLED ABBA-NORMALITY. TRACKED IN BERLIN, GERMANY, IT WAS VERONICA’S DREAM PROJECT, POSTPONED FROM DECEMBER OF 2008. BJÖRN ULVAEUS OF ABBA HAD CONTACTED NICHOLAS FREUND, PROPOSING THAT KEVIN KELLER CUT HEAVY METAL VERSIONS OF HIS SONGS. RONI WAS QUICK TO GET INVOLVED, AND SHE CONVINCED BJÖRN TO LET THE ARCHIES REALIZE HIS CONCEPT, WITH KELLY AS A SPECIAL GUEST VOCALIST.
FORMERLY OWNED BY TONY BRISEÑO,
FALCON RECORDS WAS THE LAST
RECORD COMPANY TO JOIN THE
ARCHIE LABEL GROUP.
SCHALLPLATTEN POLAR
ALBUM SESSIONS
"ABBA-NORMALITY"
EINE SUGARTOWN-PRODUKTION
verknüpft mit
POLAR MUSIC
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
HANSA STUDIOS,
BERLIN, GERMANY
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
- ABBA-Normality LP
(Andersson, Ulvaeus)
I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO
- ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
DANCING QUEEN - ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
SOS - ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
THE ARCHIES
w/KEVIN KELLER
w/GARTH BROOKS
w/TRISHA YEARWOOD
w/JOHN LEGEND
Vocal Arranger: VERONICA
Arrangers:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND, THE ARCHIES
Music Director:
ARCHIE ANDREWS
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineer: MAD MAX
Executive Producer:
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
With help from four celebrity sidemen, The Archies
began recording a Heavy Metal-flavored tribute to ABBA.
Eccentric "Mad Max" Manischevitz will later become one of
Europe's most famous and successful record producers.
He’ll claim to have produced these album sessions! Archie
+ Veronica's infuriated responses to Max's claims are best
left unquoted.
BY 2014, THE VIXENS WERE READY TO
STEP OUT FROM BEHIND THEIR DEMO,
BACKGROUND AND JINGLE SINGER
MICROPHONES.
ARCHIE RECORDS
REMIX SESSION
A MACK DADDY MIX
SEPTEMBER 20, 2014
(INSTRUMENTAL)
BEL CANTO STUDIOS
LONDON, UK
AN ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTION
OCTOBER, 2013
(VOCALS)
ARCHIE SOUND STUDIOS (ASS)
MAMARONECK, NEW YORK
GONNA HAVE A GOOD TIME TONIGHT!
- cancelled single A-side
(Vanda, Young)
STATE OF SHOCK - single B-side*
(Hansen, Jackson)
THE VIXENS
w/THE MACK DADDYS
*THE ARCHIES w/ROD MACK
Remix Producer: ROD MACK
Remix Engineer: TAFFY MIDDLETON
Salem da Katt: When ARCHIE @ THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL came out in January of 2014, Rod Mack found that he'd been left out of the production credits. Dude was royally pissed, and justifiably so! But in the fall, Archie + Veronica made amends: That September, they named Rod A&R Chief of Archie Records.
The Mack Daddys amicably parted company with their namesake; Madame Axe renamed them The Saboteurs and took them out with her on the road. Their last job under their old name was overdubbing raw Heavy Metal chords onto The Vixens’ forthcoming single. Almost a year had passed since they cut it; Rod felt that the single needed updating, and he supervised a remix.
"STATE OF SHOCK" FEATURING GUEST
VOCALS BY ROD MACK WAS THE LAST
HIT SINGLE THAT THE ARCHIES
RELEASED PRIOR TO THE DEMISE
OF ARCHIE RECORDS.
@ Veronica's behest, he also remixed a duet she'd sung with him. “State Of Shock” had been captured live in Paris, during The Archies’ March 2010 gig @ The Moulin Rouge. Their performance had hit potential, and Roni knew it before the final note was played; but timing is always an important factor in the Pop market. For four years, Roni bided her time: Now, finally, the iron was hot enough to strike! She had Rod's single mix rush-released in South America where it proceeded to burn up the charts and pack dance floors!
The revamped Vixens single was scheduled for release in January of 2015. Simultaneously, the ladies were booked to cut an LP @ Abbey Road. Jason Blossom opted to cancel both the single and the album sessions, effectively ending The Vixens’ recording career! Although they subsequently cut sides for other labels, those would also go unissued. Their only recorded work was destined to be FEEL LIKE DANCING, an Archies Fan Club EP that, ironically, was issued just prior to this remix session.
SCHALLPLATTEN POLAR
ALBUM SESSIONS
"ABBA-NORMALITY"
EINE PRODUKTION-SUGARTOWN
verknüpft mit
POLAR MUSIC
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
OCTOBER 2014
HANSA STUDIOS,
BERLIN, GERMANY
HONEY, HONEY - ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
- ABBA-Normality LP
(Andersson, Ulvaeus)
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
- ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
VOULEZ-VOUS - ABBA-Normality LP
(Andersson, Ulvaeus)
THE ARCHIES
w/KEVIN KELLER
w/YO-YO MA
w/SHEILA E
Vocal Arranger: VERONICA
Arrangers:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND, THE ARCHIES
Music Director:
ARCHIE ANDREWS
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineer: MAD MAX
Executive Producer:
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
The virtuosity of Yo-Yo Ma + Shelia E took the edge off of
tracking sessions that were fraught with strong emotions.
The lyrics of "Knowing Me, Knowing You", sung as a duet
by Betty + Juggy Jones, lay bare the tensions in their
troubled marriage. Nevertheless, their recording is
destined to become a smash hit in the 22nd century,
and it will win The Archies a posthumous
Grammy award.
THE SAVAGE YOUNG ARCHIES IS THE
ONLY ARCHIES FAN CLUB ALBUM
THAT RATED A GENERAL
MARKET RELEASE.
SCHALLPLATTEN POLAR
ALBUM SESSIONS
"ABBA-NORMALITY"
EINE PRODUKTION-SUGARTOWN
verknüpft mit
POLAR MUSIC
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
NOVEMBER 2014
HANSA STUDIOS,
BERLIN, GERMANY
WATERLOO - ABBA-Normality LP*
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!
- ABBA-Normality LP
(Andersson, Ulvaeus)
DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW?
- ABBA-Normality LP**
(Andersson, Ulvaeus)
RING RING - ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Cody, Sedaka, Ulvaeus)
THE ARCHIES
w/KEVIN KELLER
*w/TONI TOPAZ
**w/PAUL SABU
Vocal Arranger: VERONICA
Arrangers:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND, THE ARCHIES
Music Director:
ARCHIE ANDREWS
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineer: MAD MAX
Executive Producer:
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
The Archies finally tracked a version of “Does
Your Mother Know?”, which had been in their stage
repertoire since the 1990s. Heavy Metal icon Paul
Sabu contributed a blistering guitar solo! Their version
of "Waterloo," featuring a guest lead vocal by Toni
Topaz, will become a posthumous hit in the 22nd century.
It will also win Grammy's Song of the Year for 2114
(obviously, the Recording Academy's qualifying
rules will have changed by then)!
SINGER, DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER,
MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTOR AND
MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST:
THE AMAZING TONI TOPAZ!
SCHALLPLATTEN POLAR
ALBUM SESSIONS
"ABBA-NORMALITY"
EINE PRODUKTION-SUGARTOWN
verknüpft mit
POLAR MUSIC
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
DECEMBER 2014
HANSA STUDIOS,
BERLIN, GERMANY
THE NAME OF THE GAME
- ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
MAMMA MIA - ABBA-Normality LP
(Anderson, Andersson, Ulvaeus)
FERNÀNDO - ABBA-Normality LP
(Andersson, Ulvaeus)
incomplete
THE ARCHIES
w/KEVIN KELLER
w/WYNTON MARSALIS
Vocal Arranger: VERONICA
Arrangers:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND, THE ARCHIES
Music Director:
ARCHIE ANDREWS
Producers:
VERONICA w/BLUE-EYED SOUL
Sound Engineer: MAD MAX
Executive Producer:
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
Legendary Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis fulfilled
a promise to Jughead, that one day he would
blow his exquisite horn @ an Archies record date!
"The Name Of The Game" will be a third posthumous
hit in the 22nd century; Betty Jones sang lead. The
incomplete song listed is an instrumental track for
"So Long," an early ABBA hit. It was slated to be the
next Archies single, but objections from the
ABBA organization resulted in a scrapped
recording.
"SO LONG" WAS TO BE THE FIRST
SINGLE FROM THE ARCHIES' HEAVY
METAL TRIBUTE TO ABBA,
BUT THEIR RECORDING OF IT
WAS NEVER COMPLETED.
ARCHIE RECORDS
EP SESSIONS
"THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE"
A SUGARTOWN PRODUCTION
in association with
POLAR MUSIC
(INSTRUMENTALS + VOCALS)
DECEMBER 18 - 20, 2014
*(VOCALS)
OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 2014
HANSA STUDIOS,
BERLIN, GERMANY
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE en Español
- Archie Around The World CD
(Cahn, Smith, Van Heusen)
WATERLOO en Español
- Archie Around The World CD*
FERNÀNDO en Español
- Archie Around The World CD*
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU en Español
- Archie Around The World CD*
THE ARCHIES
Vocal Arranger: VERONICA
Arrangers:
JUSTIN STRICKLAND, THE ARCHIES
Music Director:
NICHOLAS FREUND
Producer/Sound Engineer:
MAD MAX
Executive Producer:
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
Trev Smith took the lead on "Millie," his own Spanish
translation of a song The Archies performed in a
2014 German TV special. A Spanish lead vocal by
Veronica replaced Toni Topaz's lead from The Archies'
English-language version of "Waterloo". These recordings
were intended for a South-American EP that never
got pressed.
SABRINA: VERONICA'S DREAM OF RECORDING AND RELEASING A TRIBUTE TO ABBA WAS COMING TRUE! BUT UNFORTUNATELY, SHE WAS IN FOR A VERY RUDE AWAKENING. BJÖRN ULVAEUS REGRETTED BRINGING THE ARCHIES INTO WHAT HE'D ORIGINALLY ENVISIONED AS A KEVIN KELLER SOLO PROJECT. HE FOUND FAULT WITH NEARLY EVERYTHING THEY SUNG AND PLAYED! THE BERLIN ALBUM SESSIONS WERE A DEMORALIZING EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH RONI + ARCHIE, AND THEY SUFFERED A FINAL INDIGNITY WHEN BJÖRN SUED TO KEEP ABBA-NORMALITY OFF THE MARKET!
THEN MATTERS TOOK ANOTHER TURN FOR THE WORSE: ON DECEMBER 21st, THE ANDREWS ALONG WITH THEIR PARTNERS ALAN MAYBERRY + NICHOLAS FREUND OFFICIALLY SOLD SUGARTOWN PRODUCTIONS, THE PARENT COMPANY OF ARCHIE RECORDS TO REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL. THE PAPERWORK WAS FINALIZED ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, EXACTLY FOURTEEN YEARS SINCE THEY FOUNDED THE LABEL. BILLIONAIRE JASON BLOSSOM BECAME ARCHIE'S NEW CEO, AND AS MY DEAR FRIEND SALEM DA KATT WOULD SAY, THE SHIT HIT THE FAN!
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ARCHIES WERE INFORMED OF THE SALE AFTER THE FACT. ANGERED BY ARCH + RONI'S SECRECY AND HORRIFIED BY JASON'S SLASH-AND-BURN BUSINESS PRACTICES, THEY REFUSED TO RECORD FOR HIM! BOTH BETTY + KELLY CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF HIS SEXUAL HARASSMENT. TREVOR SMITH DECLARED JASON A RACIST, AND JUGHEAD AGREED: "HE'S THE ONLY ANTI-SEMETIC JEW I EVER MET!" TECHNICALLY, THIS REVOLT AGAINST NEW OWNERSHIP PUT THE GROUP IN BREACH OF CONTRACT; THEY STILL OWED THE ARCHIE LABEL FIVE NEW ALBUMS!
PHOTOS OF VERONICA, ROD MACK + BETTY
JONES AS THEY APPEARED ON THE BACK
COVER OF THE ARCHIES À GO-GO
INSERT BOOKLET.
THEY'D LATER ARGUE THAT THEIR LEGAL AGREEMENT WAS WITH ARCHIE AMERICANA PRODUCTIONS, NOT WITH SUGARTOWN PRODUCTIONS OR REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL. VERONICA'S COUSIN, ATTORNEY MARCI LODGE-KATZENBAUM WARNED THEM THAT SUCH AN ARGUMENT WOULDN'T HOLD UP IN COURT, BUT A MAJORITY OF BAND MEMBERS STILL VOTED TO GO ON HIATUS.
JUST AS HAPPENED BACK IN 2006, A DEEP RIFT SPLIT THE ARCHIES APART, AND THIS ONE TOOK MUCH LONGER TO HEAL. THEIR FINAL PERFORMANCE FOR TWELVE YEARS TOOK PLACE @ RIVERDALE'S AWESOME VENUE; ANDY YOSHIDA FLEW IN FROM HOLLYWOOD TO SIT IN WITH THEM. THE LAST SONG THEY SANG TOGETHER @ THAT SHOW WAS "THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE." ARCHIE LATER TOLD ME: "IT FELT LIKE THE SUN REALLY WOULD STOP SHINING! WE PUT ON A GOOD SHOW, BUT I FELT TERRIBLE; NOBODY WAS ON SPEAKING TERMS."
HE + VERONICA GAVE UP OWNERSHIP OF THEIR VALUABLE MASTER TAPES, BUT GAINED THE FUNDS TO OPEN THEIR OWN MUSIC SCHOOL. RIVERDALE MUSIC ACADEMY WOULD EARN A REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP PERFORMING ARTS CONSERVATORIES! IN LATER YEARS, RONI WILL BE QUOTED AS SAYING: “ARCHIE + I BELIEVE THAT MUSIC IS A GIFT THAT SHOULD KEEP ON GIVING. SELLING OUR RECORD COMPANY IS WHAT MADE OUR GIFT OF MUSIC POSSIBLE.”
CHUTZPAH! WAS THE FIRST POST-ARCHIE
RECORDS LABEL RETROSPECTIVE. INFAMOUS
FOR CONTAINING NO TRACKS BY THE ARCHIES,
IT WAS RELEASED IN FRANCE DURING THE
SUMMER OF 2017.
LEGAL COMPLICATIONS WILL KEEP THE ARCHIES’ ABBA-NORMALITY ALBUM IN LIMBO FOR AN ENTIRE CENTURY! IT WAS SQUARELY TARGETED @ EUROPEAN FANS, SIGNALLING HOW THE BAND’S MARKETING FOCUS WOULD HAVE SHIFTED HAD THEY CONTINUED TO RECORD. WITH OR WITHOUT ITS FLAGSHIP ACT, NEW A + R CHIEF ROD MACK WAS READY TO CHART A NEW COURSE FOR THE SUGARTOWN EXPRESS; BUT THE TRAIN’S FINAL STOP WAS MUCH CLOSER THAN HE KNEW!
"EVERYBODY"
THE STAFF OF ARCHIE RECORDS LEARNS
ITS COLLECTIVE FATE IN THE YEAR
2 0 1 5 !