Customer Reviews

The Archies - Everything's Archie

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I've been waiting a long time for this release. The classic second album from the Archies on CD; "Everything's Archie," and for the most part, I was not disappointed. Excellent digital remastering; vocals and instruments are strong and clear. Ron Dante's lead vocals sound better than ever. Only sound problem: pitch is a bit slow. This is more noticeable as the CD progresses; however will probably only be evident to someone that is very, very familiar with the original vinyl album. A few minor concerns with the cover and liner notes. First, this CD is cataloged as "Everything's Archie", named after its original vinyl counterpart from 1968. However, the title on the CD is simply "The Archies" which was the name of their first album. This could be a bit confusing to buyers. Also, the track listing on the back cover does not match the actual track sequence on the CD, and I've noticed this has caused some problems with online CD music stores as having the wrong sound bites playing against the track titles. The real sequence is the same as the original vinyl album, not the one on the back cover. As for liner notes... well... maybe I'm nit-picking but... it states that Archie debuted on TV in 1969. It was actually 1968. Don Kirshner's name was also mispelled (ooops! ) Finally, the notes talked about the group's numerous Top 40 hits making the CD sound like a greatest hits compilation instead of a reproduction of their second album. Like I said.. too nit-picky. In any case, anyone who purchases this CD will not be disappointed. Great care was obviously taken into the sound quality. I am eagerly awaiting RKO/Unique's next Archies release.

Ron Dante, the man behind the microphone for The Archies finally garnered the rights to all The Archies masters and one of the results (with more to come) from RKO/Unique is "Everything's Archie". The sound quality is superb with just enough bass brought out to make the sound fuller than that on the vinyl. It's a great pleasure to finally hear what I've been missing. It's also about time we get to hear The Archies officially put on CD after all these years. Fans usually had to settle for mid-to-bad quality CDs with the notable exceptions from Sony and Cult Records but not any more...

Archies fans should be aware that RKO/Unique for some reason is giving the albums different names than the original recordings. "Everything's Archie" is called "The Archies". "Jingle-Jangle" is called "Archie's Party". Ron Dante promises more releases plus bonus tracks and previously unreleased material and I'm more than looking forward to it.

Update: The song "Hot Dog" was used in 2006 in a Hebrew National hot dog TV commercial.

This reissue from RKO Records faithfully reproduces the twelve tracks from the Archies second album, "Everything's Archie," originally issued on the Calendar label in 1969, reissued on Kirshner under the same title, and eventually reissued under the title of its most successful hit single, "Sugar, Sugar." With Don Kirshner pulling the strings (as he'd done with the Monkees before the group's actor/musicians staged a revolt), and ace songwriter Jeff Barry helming the musical productions, the Archies' repertoire on this second LP consisted of superbly crafted and slyly written bubblegum pop.

Behind the animation, the Archies music was performed by some of New York's best studio musicians, with lead vocals provided by Ron Dante and Toni Wine. The songs were cleverly constructed by Barry, Andy Kim and others, sugar-coating a variety of pop styles. The album's breakout single, "Sugar, Sugar," written by Barry and Kim is the textbook example of the project's craft: a relentlessly catchy melody and lyric wedded to a superlight soul sound that's eminently danceable. This is the national anthem of the bubblegum world, but not the only confectionary treasure to be heard here.

The opener, "Feelin' So Good," features lush sunshine harmonies and an organ tone borrowed from The Monkees "I'm a Believer." The one-at-a-time instrument call-outs of "Rock 'n' Roll Music" offered kids a less threatening version of Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance to the Music," and doo-wop provides the underpinnings of "You Little Angel You." Dante's vocals are just as fitting to the fifties-styled ballad "Circle of Blue" as the garage-inspired "Hot Dog," and the jump-blues inspired guitar leads of "Don't Touch My Guitar" gives a taste of the studio talent drawn to these recording sessions.

As great as the music remains, this budget reissue (apparently put out by Dante himself) is lacking. The album's original cover art (featuring dancing teens wearing Archies sweatshirts) has been replaced with a photo of Dante and his guitar, removing the charming conceit of the Archies as a fictional cartoon band. The tag line on the front cover contains a typo, and the CD's liner notes are a generic discussion of the Archies, with no insight into the album, songs, writers, or musicians, and no song or session credits. The tray card lists the wrong track order, and in two cases omits the full song titles (i.e., "Feelin' So Good" is missing its parenthetical subtitle "(S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)," and "Bicycles, Roller Skates" is actually titled "Bicycles, Roller Skates and You."). Worst of all, the music was remastered 3-4% too slow. Someone should do a serious reissue of this catalog, with fresh interviews, proper credits and more attention to mastering detail.

That said, "Circle of Blue" is exclusive to this reissue, and doesn't appear on easier-to-find Archies compilations. "Kissin'" and "Love Light" have turned up on a couple of compilations, but aren't as regularly anthologized. So budget reissue or not, this is a must-have for Archies fanatics. Currently out of print, you'll have to look to the secondary market to find a copy. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]

you are my candy cd,man the archies rock!!!!!!!,buy this cd,
the cd is great the price is secundary you must buy it,all the songs are great specially sugar,sugar

From "The Voice" himself comes this excellent album, every song a gem. Worth it, worth it, worth it!

For too many years, relatively few people were aware that Ron Dante, a New York-based demo and commercial jingle singer, was the "voice" behind the popular cartoon music group The Archies. Now, some thirty years after the group faded out for the last time, Ron has reappeared in the forefront after years spent producing hits for others (including a guy named Barry Manilow) to personally bring The Archies' album releases to CD. That's his picture on the cover of this CD, and his smile looks as sunny and his countenance as handsome as it did back in 1970 when I got that autographed 8x10 black-and-white glossy, which like the artist himself has also survived intact all these years!

Now to the chase. Simply put, this CD is one of the best analog-to-digital representations I've ever heard. The sound is so pure it sounds as if the songs were recorded last week. Originally released in 1969 as "Everything's Archie," the Archies' second LP, this album was later repackaged and retitled "Sugar, Sugar" after the smashing success of one of the album's tracks. The pitch, also, is a tad lower, the speed a tad slower, than that of its vinyl counterpart. That change in speed / pitch brings it right where it should be. My complaint was always with my records playing "too fast," and apparently I wasn't imagining things. We Americans have a tendency to speed things up; we have short attention spans and want everything in sound bytes, even including entertainment, which should be savored, not rushed. The tracks sound as though they've been remixed ever so slightly, not to add (or subtract) instrumentation but rather to gently bring Ron's beautiful singing voice a little more to the front. The only minor issues, and they are minor, are slight misspellings on the CD cover and liner notes (just typos, no biggie) and the fact that the cuts do not play in the same order in which they are listed on the back of the CD. But all the cuts listed are there, just in different sequence, and they sound even better than they did back when I was young. Anyone who liked the Archies, wants to re-discover the Archies, liked the Brill Building sound out of New York, or likes music should purchase this CD. Extremely recommended!

The Archies was always one of mine favorite cartoon shows back in the 60's. I wish that all of the Archies alumbs would come out on cd's.

Rondall Banks

OMG, nothing like taking you back in time. My parents bought me this album when I was 9, back when it came out in 1969. I loved all the songs on this album. I have been hunting for THIS album in a CD & found it (THANK YOU TV4U). There were a lot of other "Archie" CD's but I couldn't find this one in particular. But thanx to Ron Dante & his amazing voice has remade the originial "Everything's Archie" album. From the first song "Feel So Good, Skooby Doo" to the last song "Love Light" it is totally GREAT. Funny thing is while listening to this CD I sang the songs with the "skips" from my album, it was funny. My "childhood music" is complete now. I have all my Monkees, Bobby Sherman, David Cassidy, & now Everything's Archie albums in CD form & I don't have to sing with the skips. Thanx again !!

I loved the Archies album when I was a kid and was very happy to get this CD with those old songs on it. Some of the songs are just bubble gum corny, but I still loved hearing them again. And some of them are actually very good! Get it for the memories and have fun!

More than 30 years after The Archies made their musical debut, the world is finally getting a decent representation of the group who for so long was viewed as the ugly step-sister to The Monkees. For so long Archies fans have had to settle for various collections which usually had very poor sound quality, most sounding like they were lifted from the vinyl recordings, complete with pops and crackles and so forth. Thanks to RKO/Unique we are getting the opportunity to hear their second, but most popular album in such brilliance that it outshines the original release.

The sound quality of this release is flawless, with the exception of it being a tad lower in tone than the original, but in my opinion, this gives the recording a fuller sound than it's original release.

Highlights of the album are the two singles "Feelin' So Good (SKOOBY DOO)" and the multi platinum "Sugar Sugar" which, despite what people may say, remains a classic to this day. Other notable mentions are the Beach Boys flavored "Melody Hill", which was the b-side to the "Sugar Sugar" single, and could arguably have been an a side in it's own right, the 50's doo-wop sounding "You Little Angel You" and the bubble gum gem "Inside Out, Upside Down".

It is so wonderful to finally have this LP on CD and this is hopefully just the beginning. I am looking very forward to future releases.