ARCHIE vs. DON KIRSHNER: "THE SUGAR, SUGAR/JINGLE JANGLE SHOW"
Salem Saberhagen presents
THE ARCHIES
Fasten your seatbelts, y'all: Getting to the end of 1989 is gonna take a minute! Everybody wanted The Archies that year: In rapid succession, they were booked to appear on "The Tonight Show", "The Arsenio Hall Show", "Good Morning, America" (the first of many appearances), "Late Night with David Letterman" and even "60 Minutes!" Much to Don Kirshner's displeasure, Hot Dog often appeared with them and became a celebrity in his own right! The Archies also made a guest appearance on the top-rated Fox sitcom "Married With Children," and in October 1989, they were the featured guest on the final episode of Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" TV series.
During this time, ratings for their Saturday morning cartoon show took off like Speedy Gonzales with Tasmanian Devil on his tail! When they launched their first tour that summer, they took their bows as headliners based on the song and the TV show’s massive popularity. The Archies would never be anybody’s opening act! Don Kirshner took a bow of his own; in the wake of the single’s success, he changed the name of his label from Calendar to Kirshner Records.
T R A P P E D !
. . . IN A ROCK CANDY GROOVE.
"the sugar, sugar/jingle jangle show"
THE YEAR 1989 (PART TWO)
TV SOUNDTRACK SESSIONS
EARLY MARCH 1989
TV SERIES SOUNDTRACK
“THE ARCHIE COMEDY HOUR”
A JEFF BARRY INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION
THE CAPITOL TOWER, HOLLYWOOD
A-R-C-H-I-E
(“ARCHIE COMEDY HOUR” THEME)
(JEFF BARRY)
- unreleased
UPSIDE-DOWN, INSIDE-OUT
(JEFF BARRY, ANDY KIM)
- Canadian single flipside
FOUNDATION OF MY SOUL
(JEFF BARRY, ANDY KIM)
- unreleased
CARAVAN OF LONELY MEN
(JEFF BARRY, DEREK PRETLOW)
- unreleased
FALLING FROM PARADISE
(JEFF BARRY, BOB GOLDSTEIN)
- unreleased
CANDLE IN THE WIND
(JEFF BARRY, ARTIE RESNICK)
- unreleased
RED CORVETTE
(JEFF BARRY, BEN RALEIGH)
- unreleased
THIS IS THE GIRL
(JOE DiBENEDETTO, STEVE TUDANGER)
- SEVENTEEN AIN'T YOUNG LP (FRANCE)
THE ARCHIES
w/ARTIE KAPLAN’S NEW YORK
Music Supervisor:
DON KIRSHNER
Music Director:
RON FRANGIPANE
Arranger/Producer:
JEFF BARRY
Sound Engineer:
ZACHARY THAXTON
The next scheduled record date wasn't a singles session, but Jeff Barry hoped to track a hit follow-up to “Sugar, Sugar.” Dude didn’t get his wish: Aside from “A-R-C-H-I-E” (theme song for the expanded 1989 edition of the “Archie” cartoon series) and the flipside of a Canadian single, nothing else from this date ever saw light of day. It was the least productive of any Archies session, and Mr. K let his displeasure be known!
But while he never reaped any benefit from these songs, the same couldn’t be said for Andy Kim, Jeff Barry’s main songwriting partner and the flagship artist on Steed Records - a Hollywood indie label that Jeff ran on the side. “Foundation Of My Soul” surfaced as a flipside for Andy, and he cut “This Is The Girl” as an album track. ¡Ay, puta, my bad! I forgot that the Archies version of that last tune did come out - on a French hits compilation. Lots of luck finding a copy of that CD - it's one of the most coveted items in the group's overseas catalog!
“Red Corvette” featured a rare solo lead vocal from Veronica; it was a leftover tune written for BUTT NAKED BEACH PARTY. Given how strongly Kirshner was sold on Roni’s talent (more about that later), it’s hella wack that dude would pass over such a commercial-sounding side! Ellie Greenwich sang the demo and subsequently snatched up the song for herself; credited to Ellie Gee and The Jets, it became a late-period Hot Rod music cult item.
The other rejects date from Jeff Barry’s early song catalog, as you can tell from the strong Drifters/Ben E. King vibe of “Caravan Of Lonely Men” and “Falling From Paradise.” In the early Sixties, they’d been waxed by The Lafayettes and numerous other artists with varying degrees of success. Don Kirshner launched his career as a song publisher during that era of tailfins, stingy brims and bullet bras; but dude harbored no nostalgia for it, based on his negative reaction to these throwbacks!
TV SERIES SOUNDTRACK
“THE ARCHIE COMEDY HOUR”
A JEFF BARRY INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION
THE CAPITOL TOWER, HOLLYWOOD
YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU!
(JEFF BARRY)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
SEÑORITA RITA
(JEFF BARRY)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
WHOOPIE-TIE-AY-A
(JEFF BARRY)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
ARCHIE’S PARTY
(JEFF BARRY)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
GET ON THE LINE
(JEFF BARRY)
- withdrawn single
JINGLE JANGLE
(JEFF BARRY, ANDY KIM)
- single
SHE’S PUTTING ME THROUGH CHANGES
(RON DANTE, RICHARD KIM MILFORD)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT
(RON DANTE)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
THE ARCHIES
w/ARTIE KAPLAN’S NEW YORK
Music Supervisor:
DON KIRSHNER
Music Director:
RON FRANGIPANE
Arranger/Producer:
JEFF BARRY
Sound Engineer:
ZACHARY THAXTON
Three potential hits were captured at this fifth TV soundtrack session, but only one got released. “Get On The Line” was certainly the best of the three, and The Archies thought it would be their next single. They previewed it at The Butt Naked Lounge and the sensation it caused was reported back to Vivian Song, who duly shared the news with Mr. K! Aún así, dude had misgivings: “So a bunch of drunken beach bums liked it. What do they know about Pop music, anyway?” The CD single was ready to be shipped but much to everyone’s disappointment, Kirshner put the chill on it.
“Get On The Line” still got placed in heavy rotation on the cartoon series, as Archies singles always were. Down in Brazil, a blazing instrumental version of the tune replaced Jeff Barry’s new “Archie” theme song. Fans latched onto the track's killer organ hook, another winning collaboration by Roni (Lodge) and Ron (Frangipane); they also loved the wicked bassline; Jeff and Gino worked hard to get it sounding mad ¡fuerte! On tour, "Get On The Line" became so popular that The Archies dared not leave the stage without performing it. Geraldine Grundy worked up a funky extended live arrangement that stayed in their show for many years.
Don Kirshner went with “Jingle Jangle” as herald single for “The Archie Comedy Hour” - the Archie cartoon series in its sixty-minute 1989 edition - and it hit the streets in late summer. The first of three Archie/Veronica duets (accented by a rumbling Jughead cameo vocal near the end), this powerful choral rock anthem sailed into the bottom half of Billboard’s Top Ten! It was another number that lent itself to an extended workout on stage; typically, The Archies would slot it halfway through their two-dozen-strong set list.
“Everything’s Alright” would’ve made an ideal follow-up but Kirshner never even considered it as a single candidate. Fortunately, both “Everything’s Alright” and “Get On The Line” rated inclusion on The Archies’ 1990 GREATEST HITS CD. The bolero ranchera-flavored “Señorita Rita” didn’t, but translated into Spanish, this musical shot of Tequila got covered by quite a few Latin bands south of the border.
MID-JUNE 1989
TV SERIES SOUNDTRACK
“THE ARCHIE COMEDY HOUR”
A JEFF BARRY INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION
THE CAPITOL TOWER, HOLLYWOOD
SUGAR AND SPICE
(GENE ALLAN, RON DANTE)
- single flipside
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
(GENE ALLAN, RON DANTE)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
ONE TIME FOR LOVE
(JEFF BARRY)
- unreleased
JUSTINE
(JEFF BARRY)
- JINGLE JANGLE LP
NURSERY RHYME
(JEFF BARRY, ANDY KIM)
- South American single flipside
BELIEVE IN LOVE
(NEIL BRIAN GOLDBERG)
- single flipside, withdrawn from sale
FLOWER IN MY GARDEN
(JEFF BARRY, GIL SLAVIN, MIKE SOLES)
- unreleased
SHAKE, SHAKE, SHERRY
(JEFF BARRY)
- unreleased
THE ARCHIES
w/ARTIE KAPLAN’S NEW YORK
Music Supervisor:
DON KIRSHNER
Music Director:
RON FRANGIPANE
Arranger/Producer:
JEFF BARRY
Sound Engineer:
ZACHARY THAXTON
This second batch of sides, half of which Don Kirshner considered un-releasable sparked new tension between him and Jeff Barry! As had been the case back in March, the rejected songs were snapped up by other artists Jeff worked with - most of them actors. “One Time For Love” was tracked by Detroit singer/songwriter Louis St. Louis in a duet with actress Jacqueline Carol, and “Flower In My Garden” went to a group called The Klowns. A four-man, two-woman ensemble, it was led by John Bennett Perry, whose actor son Matthew was destined for stardom! “Believe In Love,” first slated for the flipside of “Get On The Line” became the third single for actor/singer Robin McNamara, who'd starred in the groundbreaking Rock musical Hair.
Under the name The Redwoods (a reference to his own six-foot-stand-up size!) Jeff Barry himself had recorded “Shake, Shake, Sherry” some years prior. A Jughead le gustó mucho - Jughead loved this song so much, he never forgot it! The tune went into his back pocket for future reference and stayed there for decades. In the year 2032, The Archies will unexpectedly revive this wild dance rocker for a live-in-concert album. Nearly a decade later, Juggy and Kevin Keller will team up for a duet album and track their own version of "Flower In My Garden." So, none of these canciónes fabulosos went to waste!
Down in México and Guatemala, garage bands were going loquitos for "You Little Angel, You!" It's a Rockabilly-flavored track from the SUGAR, SUGAR CD. When Don Kirshner got wind of this, he had it pressed up as a South American single with "Nursery Rhyme" on the flipside. While it had to compete with several cover versions, the original one came out on top and rose high on the Pan-American Pop charts! Along with "Seventeen Ain't Young," this single inaugurated a decades-long string of Archies hits unique to the Spanish-speaking world.
So The Archies did the impossible and headlined in Vegas long before they'd achieved superstar status! The invitation came on such short notice, their own music director Chuck Clayton couldn't go to Sin City with them; but Geraldine Grundy was there, and the presence of a pianist and arranger who spoke fluent French proved to be fortuitous. So did Veronica's tourist familiarity with the language!
In addition to their own repertoire, the group performed a new song called "Free", written by British songwriter Chris Andrews especially for the occasion. They also debuted their bien firme version of "Rainbow Ride", borrowed from Andy Kim's catalog. In addition, Billy Ward collaborated with Deanie Grundy on a special medley of hit French songs written by Pet; babe is a huge star in France and regarded as a successful singer/songwriter there. Tunes like "L'Agent Secret", "Dans Le Train De Nuit" and "L'Amour S'Ennuie" may not have rung a bell with her English-speaking fans, but the "Downtown" diva recognized them immediately - Pet joyfully clapped her hands and wiggled her shoulders when Roni sang her compositions.
Meeting with the band afterwards, she expressed how flattered she was that they'd perform her original music. "That medley was smashing!" babe added. "Have you recorded it yet?" They promised that they would, but it took them until 1992 to track a studio version of "Petula Does Paris" - at their very last Kirshner recording session! Pet took the female members to lunch the next day, and they had a long chat spiced with music industry chisme. At their urging, she gave Veronica and Betty valuable advice about navigating the music world as women.
In a nutshell, she told them 1) to not listen to Rock critics, 2) to make music to please themselves, not satisfy market trends, 3) to learn all they could about the business side of music, 4) to never waste time working with people who aren't professional, 5) to be a real musician, not a "Rock chick", 6) to not see other women as competition, 7) to stay away from drugs, excess drinking and sex with bandmates (sookie sookie now! It was a little too late for that last warning!) and 8) to invest in a good lawyer and a great accountant, too. Pet also had excellent advice about dealing with male chauvinist pendejos and horny bastards, but I'll keep that info confidential - it falls under the Strictly For Women Only category!
Pet, Claude Wolff and Billy Ward all predicted a bright future for The Archies. The band was riding high, but Archie worried that their piñata might empty out soon. A Rock group was just not going to be taken seriously recording nothing but cartoon soundtrack music! Realizing as much, Don Kirshner scheduled time for them to cut a proper studio album; but just as he’d done with their movie soundtrack, Mr. K decided to bypass Jeff Barry International. Dude assigned the project to another production company, and this time he didn’t even want Jeff's songs!
.ARCHIE'S BITCHIN' SUMMER TOUR
July 1989
Little Rock AR - Barton Coliseum
Kansas City MO - Arrowhead Stadium
St. Louis MO - Fox Theater
"chopping + changing"
