The Archies

Last updated
The Archies
The Archie Show.jpg
Background information
Origin
Genres Bubblegum
Years active
  • 1968–1973
  • 1990
  • 2008
  • 2020
  • 2023
Labels
Past members
Website https://twitter.com/TheArchiesMusic Twitter

The Archies is a fictional American rock band that features in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series The Archie Show . In the context of the series, the band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Archie Andrews, drummer Jughead Jones, bassist Reggie Mantle, percussionist/vocalist Betty Cooper and keyboardist/vocalist Veronica Lodge. In the cartoons, Veronica is shown playing a large keyboard instrument styled after the X-66, a then-current top-of-the-line organ made by the Hammond Organ Company.

Contents

The music featured in the series was recorded by session musicians, including Ron Dante on lead vocals and Toni Wine on duet and backing vocals. [1] The recordings were released as a series of singles and albums that achieved worldwide chart success. Their most successful song, "Sugar, Sugar", became one of the biggest hits of the bubblegum pop genre that flourished from 1968 to 1973. [2]

In 2020, a new version of the band was introduced in the TV series Riverdale , with Kevin Keller replacing Reggie Mantle. However, the band continues to appear with the five original members in the comic books published by Archie Comics. [3]

An Indian live-action feature film adaptation of the Archies was produced for Netflix. It was released on December 7, 2023. [4]

History

Conception

The Archies first appeared in a comic book, Life with Archie #60 (April 1967). The fictional band was inspired by the success of the 1966 TV series The Monkees ; [5] in particular, Don Kirshner, who had managed the initially-fictional band, wanted a musical act that he could fully control: as the Monkees were fictional but still used the real musicians' names, the musicians themselves became increasingly irritated at being micromanaged, leading to a dispute that culminated in Kirshner being fired. To avoid a repeat of the Monkees fiasco while still allowing himself full control, Kirshner commissioned a band based on cartoon characters—if the session musicians tried to rebel or leave, they could be replaced seamlessly. [6] The early stories copied the TV show's fast cuts and action: "There were pages that had no panel-to-panel continuity at all, just pure strings of nonsense, fantasy, fourth-wall breaking, and exasperated commentary from Betty and Veronica." [5] The feature ended in issue #66.

Production

A set of studio musicians was assembled by Don Kirshner in 1968 to perform various songs. Their most famous song is "Sugar, Sugar", written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, [1] which went to number one on the pop chart in 1969, sold over six million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. [7] In the Billboard Hot 100, it was ranked as the No. 1 song of that year, the only time a fictional band has ever claimed Billboard's annual Hot 100 top spot. Other Top 40 songs recorded by the Archies include "Who's Your Baby" (U.S. No. 40), "Bang-Shang-A-Lang" (U.S. No. 22), and "Jingle Jangle" (U.S. No. 10). [1] "Jingle Jangle" also sold over one million copies, garnering a second gold disc award. [7] Their records were released on the Calendar Records label, [1] which was shortly thereafter renamed to Kirshner Records.

Male vocals for the fictional Archies group were provided by The Cuff Links' lead singer Ron Dante and female duet vocals were provided by Toni Wine. [1] Wine, who was only paid for the recording session and quit the group when "Jingle Jangle" became a huge hit, was succeeded in 1970 by Donna Marie, who in turn was replaced on the final recordings by Merle Miller. The only Archies song not to feature Ron Dante on lead was 1971's "Love Is Living In You", sung by Bob Levine (co-author of the song) and produced by Ritchie Adams. The last single, released in 1972, was "Strangers In The Morning"; its B-side song was "Plum Crazy".

Jeff Barry, Andy Kim, Ritchie Adams, Bobby Bloom, Ellie Greenwich, Lesley Miller, Susan Morse and Maeretha Stewart contributed background vocals at various times, with Barry contributing his trademark bass voice (portrayed by Jughead in the cartoons) on cuts such as "Jingle Jangle", "Rock 'n' Roll Music", "A Summer Prayer For Peace" (which hit number one in South Africa and Scandinavia in 1971), and "You Little Angel, You". Musicians on the Archies' records included guitarists Hugh McCracken and Dave Appell, drummers Gary Chester and Buddy Saltzman, bassists Chuck Rainey and Joey Macho, and keyboard player Ron Frangipane.

The sound engineer was Fred Weinberg, who was Jeff Barry's and Andy Kim's favorite and also recorded Barry's other hits "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", and Kim's "Rock Me Gently". Fred Weinberg is a composer and producer in his own right. However, the music for The U.S. of Archie , which aired in 1974, was produced by Jackie Mills, a Hollywood producer, who also produced Bobby Sherman and the Brady Kids. The vocalist for these shows was Tom McKenzie, who also sang on some Groovie Goolies segments, and was a regular member of the popular singing group Doodletown Pipers.

According to Ron Dante, over 100 songs were recorded, but at least 40 went unreleased. [8] In 2020, Sunset Blvd Records released Ron Dante's Funhouse!, which includes some of the unreleased songs and most of the "Dance of the Week" segments, all of them pulled straight from Archie's Funhouse and The Archie Show , respectively.

Some of the group's songs have appeared on episodes of the TV series Riverdale . [9] The group made its debut in Riverdale, in the musical episode "Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town", for only the second time in a live-action adaptation after the television film Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again in 1990. [10] It includes KJ Apa as Archie, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Lili Reinhart as Betty, Camila Mendes as Veronica and Casey Cott as Kevin Keller. [11] For the first time, Kevin Keller is part of the group, replacing Reggie Mantle (played by Charles Melton). Kevin sings and plays keyboard. The song "Midnight Radio" was included in the series' musical episode soundtrack, which was released by WaterTower Music on April 15, 2020.

Live-action adaptation

On November 10, 2021, Netflix announced the Indian live-action feature film adaptation of the Archies of the same name. The film was produced by Tiger Baby Films and Graphic India with Zoya Akhtar as director, [12] starring Agastya Nanda as Archie, Mihir Ahuja as Jughead, Vedang Raina as Reggie, Khushi Kapoor as Betty and Suhana Khan as Veronica, alongside others. [13] Filming started on April 18, 2022, [14] and then ended on December 19, 2022. [15] The film was released on December 7, 2023. [4]

The film's soundtrack was released by Sony Music India on November 25, 2023. [16]

Fictional line-up

The Archies play a variety of contemporary popular music, consistent with the era in which the comic is drawn. Most of the members sing vocals, with Jughead handling the bass voice on a few tracks. Their singing voices were soft and appropriate for pop vocals, but their speaking voices were much different, as their speaking roles were played by voice actors. The roles that the teens play in the fictional band are:

One distribution mode for the Archies' music was embossing cardboard records directly onto the back of cereal boxes, which were cut out and played on a turntable (although their music was also available on standard issue LPs and 45s). [17] [18]

Though the group no longer appears in animation, they are still frequently used in stories published by Archie Comics. In 2020, the group made its second live-action appearance on Riverdale , with Kevin Keller replacing Reggie Mantle. In this incarnation, Kevin sings and plays keyboard, and Veronica sings only.

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veronica Lodge</span> Archie Comics character

Veronica Cecilia Lodge is one of the main characters in the Archie Comics franchise, and is the keyboardist and one of the three vocalists of rock band The Archies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Cooper</span> Archie Comics character

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is one of the main characters appearing in American comic books published by Archie Comics. She is the lead guitarist, percussionist and one of the three singers of The Archies. The character was created by Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater, and first appeared in Pep Comics #22, on the first page of the first Archie story, serving as a love interest to Archie Andrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggie Mantle</span> Fictional character

Reginald "Reggie" Mantle is a fictional teenager in stories published by Archie Comics; he is introduced by writer-artist Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater in Jackpot Comics #5. He also appears in CW's Riverdale. He is the frenemy of Archie Andrews, as well as the bassist of The Archies. The live-action version of Reggie is portrayed by Ross Butler and Charles Melton in Riverdale and Vedang Raina in The Archies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie Andrews</span> Comic book character

Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom, is the main character in the Archie Comics franchise, including the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show, Archie's Weird Mysteries, and Riverdale. With the creation of Archie Andrews, publisher John Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney. Archie Andrews is the rhythm guitarist and one of the three singers of the fictional band The Archies. He is portrayed by KJ Apa on Riverdale and Agastya Nanda in The Archies. For his physical appearance, he mainly has red hair, freckles on his cheeks, and light-colored skin. In Archie's Weird Mysteries, he appears to be of Scottish-American descent, as shown in the episode "The Day the Earth Moved", when his father wanted to keep with their family tradition and wear a kilt while ringing the bell of Riverdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jughead Jones</span> Archie Comics character

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is one of the fictional characters created by Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater in Archie Comics who first appeared in the first Archie story, from Pep Comics #22. He is the drummer of the Archies and is a son of Forsythe Pendleton Jones II; in one of the early Archie newspaper comic strips, he is identified as John Jugworth Jones III. He has a white sheepdog named Hot Dog and a younger sister, Forsythia "Jellybean" Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midge Klump</span> Fictional character

Midge Klump is a fictional character appearing in Archie Comics. She frequently appears as the girlfriend of Moose Mason and the unrequited crush of Reggie Mantle. The live-action version of Midge was portrayed by Emilija Baranac in the television take on Archie Comics produced by The CW, Riverdale.

<i>The New Archies</i> American TV series or program

The New Archies is an American animated television series and sitcom produced by DIC Animation City, based upon the characters by Archie Comics. The series, originally produced for NBC's Saturday morning schedule and broadcast from September 12 to December 5, 1987, depicted the characters of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones, Reggie Mantle, and other students of Riverdale High School as pre-teens in junior high.

<i>The Archie Show</i> American TV series or program

The Archie Show is an American musical animated sitcom television series produced by Filmation for CBS. Based on the Archie Comics, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show aired Saturday mornings on CBS from September 1968 to 1969. The show featured the main characters in the Archie series, including Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Reggie Mantle, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Dante</span> American musician, songwriter, record producer

Ron Dante is an American singer, songwriter, session vocalist, and record producer. Dante is best known as the real life lead singer of the fictional cartoon band the Archies; he was also the voice of the Cuff Links and co-produced Barry Manilow's first nine albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapter One: The River's Edge</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of Riverdale

"Chapter One: The River's Edge" is the pilot and first episode of the first season of the American television series Riverdale, based on the characters by Archie Comics, revolving around the character of Archie Andrews and his life in the small town of Riverdale while exploring the darkness hidden behind its seemingly-perfect image. The episode was written by series creator and Archie Comics' chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and was directed by Lee Toland Krieger.

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<i>Jughead: The Hunger</i>

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<i>The Archies Christmas Album</i> 2008 studio album by The Archies

The Archies Christmas Album is the sixth studio album released by The Archies, a fictional band from the Archie Comics. It is the first Archies album since 1971. It features vocals from Ron Dante back as Archie, as well as Danielle Van Zyl as Betty Cooper and Kelly-Lynn as Veronica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town</span> 17th episode of the 4th season of Riverdale

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<i>The Archies</i> (film) 2023 Indian film

The Archies is a 2023 Indian Hindi language teen musical comedy film, directed by Zoya Akhtar, who also produced it with Reema Kagti under Tiger Baby Films, and Sharad Devarajan under Graphic India. This film is a live-action adaptation of "The Archies," a fictional rock band who appeared in the 1960's animated cartoon, The Archie Show. The film stars Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi "Dot" Saigal and Yuvraj Menda.

<i>The Archies</i> (soundtrack) 2023 soundtrack album by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Ankur Tewari, The Islanders and Aditi "Dot" Saigal

The Archies (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) is the soundtrack to the 2023 teen musical comedy film The Archies directed by Zoya Akhtar. The soundtrack consisted of 16 songs composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Ankur Tewari, The Islanders and Aditi "Dot" Saigal, with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar, Zoya, Shibani Akhtar, Tewari and Saigal. It was released by Sony Music India on 25 November 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 49. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Kim; Smay, David, eds. (2001). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop, From the Banana Splits to Britney Spears . Feral House. ISBN   0-922915-69-5.
  3. ↑ Bell, Crystal, ed. (2017). The Archies Get band back together for new ongoing series. MYV. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  4. 1 2 "The Archies starring Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor to premiere on Netflix on December 7, 2023". Bollywood Hungama. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 158. ISBN   978-1605490557.
  6. ↑ Schudel, Matt (18 January 2012). "Don Kirshner, hit-making rock impresario of the 1960s, dies at 76". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  7. 1 2 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp.  252–253. ISBN   0-214-20512-6.
  8. ↑ "Interview With Ron Dante". Allbutforgottenoldies.net. 2004. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Music from The Archies". Tunefind . Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ Swift, Andy (January 28, 2020). "Riverdale Sizes Up Hedwig for Season 4 Musical Episode — See Who's Singing". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  11. ↑ Archie Comics (April 17, 2020). "Meet #TheArchies". Twitter . Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  12. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (November 10, 2021). "Zoya Akhtar to Direct 'The Archies' Comic Book Adaptation for Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  13. ↑ "The Archies teaser: Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda make a chic debut in Zoya Akhtar's Netflix film". The Indian Express . New Delhi. 15 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "'The Archies' : Zoya Akhtar's musical starring Shana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor officially goes on floors". The Times of India . April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Netflix's Indian Comic Book Adaptation 'The Archies' Wraps Production". Variety. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  16. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (December 7, 2023). "'The Archies': Sony Music India Chief on How Soundtracks Enhance Films: 'Music Is Intrinsic to the Fabric of Society' (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  17. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Vintage Old 1970's Post Alpha Bits and Honeycombs Cereal Commercial with free record". YouTube . Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  18. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
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