For a fictional band created for a children’s cartoon, The Archies were pretty great. Your tolerance for sugary 1960s pseudo-psychedelic bubblegum pop songs will likely be a factor in your appreciation for such an admittedly blatant marketing strategy (my tolerance is surprisingly high), but I’ll be damned if this isn’t a seriously catchy little record. According to cartoon legend, The Archies were made up of Archie on vocals (of course), Jughead on drums, Reggie on bass, and Betty and Veronica on back-up vocals, keys, and percussion. In real life, The Archies were a large amalgamation of studio musicians, failed rockstars, and one-hit wonder victims, but the results speak for themselves, regardless of the career status of the band’s non-animated members. Personally, I have no problem getting wholesomely groovy with The Archies, and I highly recommend that you get groovy too.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.