Created for mass consumption by bubblegum-pop genius Don Kirshner (the man who gave us the Monkees), the Archies were the ultimate manufactured pop group. They existed on television as an animated series based on the comic book characters of the same name. The voices behind the singing cartoon characters were vocalists Ron Dante (b. 22 August 1945, New York, USA), Toni Wine and Andy Kim, who were later called upon for touring purposes. Kirshner was astute enough to employ solid commercial writers of some standing, including Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. After several minor successes, the group released one of the biggest selling singles in the history of RCA Records. Sugar Sugar became a transatlantic number 1, hogging the top spot in Britain for over two months. Back in the USA, where the television series was extremely popular, the group enjoyed another Top 10 hit with Jingle Jangle before suffering the sharp plunge into obscurity common to animated creations. True claim to fame came with a Monty Python skit that involved a music video made up of an empty stage, boxes, crazy camera angels and Sugar Sugar. And Veronica was hot.

ALBUM:

THE ARCHIES (Calendar KES-101) 1968 (Archies Theme (Everything's Archie)/Boys And Girls/Time For Love/ You Make Me Wanna Dance/La Dee Doo Down Down/Truck Driver/Catchin' Up On Fun/I'm In Love/Seventeen Ain't Young/Ride Ride Ride/Hide And Seek/Bang-Shang-A-Lang)

EVERYTHING'S ARCHIE (Calendar KES-103) 1969 (Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)/Melody Hill/Rock 'n' Roll Music/Kissin'/Don't Touch My Guitar/Circle of Blue/Sugar, Sugar/You Little Angel You/Bicycles, Roller Skates And You/Hot Dog/Inside Out, Upside Down/Love Light

SUGAR, SUGAR (Same as above) (Kirshner KES-103) 1969

JINGLE JANGLE (Kirshner KES-105) 1969 (Jingle Jangle/Everything's Alright/She's Putting Me Thru Changes/Justine/Whoopee Tie Ai A/Nursery Rhyme/Get on the Line/You Know I Love You/Senorita Rita/Look Before You Leap/Sugar and Spice/Archie's Party)

SUNSHINE (Kirshner KES-107) 1970 (Sunshine/Who's Gonna Love Me/Mr. Factory/Love and Rock 'N' Roll Music/Over And Over/Waldo P. Emerson Jones/A Summer Prayer For Peace/Dance/Comes The Sun/Suddenly Susan/One Big Family/It's The Summertime)

THE ARCHIE'S GREATEST HITS (Kirshner KES-109) 1970

THIS IS LOVE (Kirshner KES-110) 1971 (This is Love/Don't Need No Bad Girl/Should Anybody Ask/Easy Guy/Maybe I'm Wrong/What Goes On/Carousel Man/Hold On to Lovin'/This Is the Night/Little Green Jacket/Together We Two/Throw a Little Love My Way)