Customer Reviews

Archies Party

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Jingle Jangle," now re-issued as "Archies Party," was the third LP from the group who debuted in September of 1968 as a Saturday-morning cartoon. Originally released in the latter part of 1969, hot on the heels of the phenomenally successful "Sugar Sugar," this effort quickly proved that The Archies, too, were capable of evolving musically. Lead singer Ron Dante's voice isn't monochromatic; it's a veritable rainbow, and this collection showcases his enormous range beautifully, from the first selection, the group's followup to "Sugar," right on through to the final, title track. Ron's falsetto on the former, "Jingle Jangle," is so pure and crystalline that many folks erroneously believed the lead vocals to be that of a female. This is the first of many surprises on this album.

Every tune is a different color. "Everything's Alright," a happy, optimistic number, is followed by the "Good Vibrations"-like "She's Putting Me Through Changes" (think The Beach Boys meet the Cowsills). This extremely melodious song has strong, goosebump-inducing chord changes and excellent background vocals; I would love to see Ron Dante do a remake with about three minutes added to its running time. The next track, the sweet "Justine," is pretty enough to induce one to hit the "repeat" button on the CD player (I did). Next comes a bit of cowboy pop with "Whoopee Tie Ai A," with its pleasant, lilting cadence (think Roy Rogers and Dale Evans meet Neil Sedaka). The playful "Nursery Rhyme" is enhanced by sexy "hey-hey-hey's" from Toni Wine. "Get On The Line" is an inspirational pop tune, the Hands Across America of the Sixties. "You Know I Love You," with electric guitars and cool countermelody background vocals, is reminiscent of the 1965 Beatles; "Senorita Rita" is a lovely Latin-flavored ballad; "Look Before You Leap" is a Charleston-flavored pop tune with in-your-face chord changes and a lively piano accompaniment. The percussion-laden "Sugar and Spice" and the energetic dance tune "Archies Party" round out the collection. Throughout, the excellent production talents of Jeff Barry are evident, and it's clear that vocalists Ron and Toni had a ball making this album. Their collective enthusiasm rates five stars from this Archies enthusiast!

OK, as you've probably noticed, the re-released Archies albums (now showcasing the wonderful vocal talents of Ron Dante) are being released under new names! This particular re-release is the 3rd LP "Jingle Jangle" under the guise of "Archie's Party". Still, all of the fun-loving, sugar-coated goodness is here and alive!

From the opening track, "Jingle Jangle" to the close "Archie's Party", the party never seems to stop, perhaps that's why the name change! Key songs to listen for are the bubblegum goodness of "Everything's Alright", "She's Putting Me Through Changes", and the top 10 hit "Jingle Jangle"; the latin flavored "Senorita Rita"; the ballad "Justine"; and the more rocker-ish "Sugar & Spice".

The song "Archie's Party" is in a class by itself! The title alone gives you an idea of what you're going to be in for, and it is hilarious to hear, in bold stereo, Jughead saying "Gimme Gimme Gimme" and Veronica responding "Jughead Stop Touching My Body! "

The sound quality on this one isn't quite as good as it's predecessor "Everything's Archie (which actually WAS the name of that LP! ), but it sounds a heck of a lot better than my old worn out LP! This is definitely a must for the Ron Dante/Archies fans. Can't wait for the next release. Rumour has it that it will be the 'Sunshine' LP under the new name "Love and Rock & Roll Music".

This reissue from RKO Records faithfully reproduceds the twelve tracks from the Archies third album, "Jingle Jangle," originally issued on the Kirshner label in 1969. 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 through this third LP consisted of superbly crafted and slyly written bubblegum pop. With their next album ("Sunshine"), the production team would aim at a more mature audience, forsaking the sunshine jangle of this and the previous two LPs.

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, Dante, Andy Kim and others, sugar-coating a variety of pop styles. "Jingle Jangle" and "Nursery Rhyme" have funky edges, "Everything's Alright" and "Get on the Line" use soulful organ and harmonies, "Justine" takes late '60s British pop, "Seniorita Rita" has a Latin sound, and "You Know I Love You" reuses the Beatles "Taxman" bass line to gain some heaviness. The entire album shows a level of craft that belies its marketing as kiddy bubblegum.

As great as the music remains, this budget reissue (apparently put out by Dante himself) is lacking in extras. The album's original cover art has been replaced with a photo of Dante on guitar, removing the charming conceit that the Archies were a fictional cartoon band. 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. Someone should do a serious reissue of this catalog, with fresh interviews and proper credits.

That said, half the songs here ("She's Putting Me Thru Changes" "Whoopee Tie Ai A" "Nursery Rhyme" "You Know I Love You" "Senorita Rita" and "Look Before You Leap") are exclusives to this reissue, and don't show up on easier-to-find Archies compilations. 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. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]

This is a lame re-issue of the classic Archies' Album, Jingle Jangle. Although this is one of the best albums of 1969, the sound quality isn't any better than typical MP3s. If you're looking for a high quality copy of 'Jingle Jangle, you're best off to find an old album and make a CD yourself. Or contact me - I did just that.

Back in the 60's there was an great cartoon show that use to come on every saturday morning and it was called the Archies and this was one of my first alumbs by them that I would buy even though it has an different cover than my but still has the great music.

Rondall Banks

I don't care what people say about the Archies not being "serious" music. It is fun stuff and I have thoroughly enjoyed this CD. If you are a 40 something and want to be taken back to your childhood, get this music!

It's good to see real rock music, after being exposed to all the blatantly phony music from bands like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, et al. The Archies excelled on so many levels, from their excellent vocals and superb instrumental skills to their outstanding songwriting talents. Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica were miles ahead of every other band in the world for so many years, and their sound never grows stale. There is just one burning question which remains: Where is the live album?

When I was a small child this was my very favorite album. Justine was such an amazing song, I listened to it constantly. She's Putting Me Through Changes is just as great. These songs are timeless and years after that album is long gone, I find this album formerly known as Jingle Jangle now renamed as Archie's Party. Yeah, the new album cover is very cheesey, the music is every bit as good as I remember it. Funny, I also loved the Partridge Family as a kid also, but now I find their albums horrible. But the Archies sound just as fresh now as then. Here's hoping for more Archies on CD.