There may be trouble ahead

Q. Is it true The Archies are making a comeback < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

A. Yes and no. The fact is, The Archies have never actually been away, it's their musical incarnation that is set to be revived.

Q. I'm confused.

A. OK, for most British people, The Archies are the cartoon group who had a Number One hit with Sugar Sugar back in 1969, and then vanished without trace. In America, their profile is somewhat different. The Archies began as comic characters way back in 1941, in response to critics of the super-hero comic strips like Batman and Superman, with their dark tone and violent content. The antidote was Archie Andrews (not to be confused with the British wartime radio show), a wholesome high school kid with a bunch of similarly wholesome chums; their adventures at Riverdale High School were the essence of innocence.

In 1969, Don Kirshner, who created The Monkees, enhanced the strong marketing image of The Archies by moving them to television. Each show had two separate stories, linked by a bubblegum song-and-dance number. Additional characters were introduced, including Sabrina The Teenage Witch who has successfully spun off into her own series.The songs were expertly crafted, produced by Jeff Barry, and sung by Ron Dante, Toni Wine and Andy Kim, who went on to solo success with Rock Me Gently. One such song was Sugar Sugar, which stayed at Number One in the UK for two months and became one of the biggest selling singles in RCA Records' history. The group enjoyed a second hit in the US with Jingle Jangle, and then dropped out of sight, the novelty of a cartoon pop group who couldn't tour or appear anywhere else soon died off.

Q. So why the revival

A. The Archies' 'brand' (now there's a word to strike terror in the hearts of music fans everywhere!) is still strong in the US, and Lou Pearlman believes there is a ready-made market for a 'live' version of the group in 2002.

Q. Isn't Lou Pearlman famous

A. He is - he's the Svengali who gave the world Back Street Boys and N'Sync, so he's having little trouble in getting the financial backing for his project, people are trusting his instinct and success rate.

Q. Is he that successful

A. Well yes, the fame of those two bands is beyond question, but things have gone awry for Pearlman lately, the defections of his bands and numerous personnel from his organisation mean that his golden image is a little tarnished, so he's looking to bounce back with The Archies.

Q. What happens now

A. Pearlman is currently auditioning for actors who can sing to take on The Archies' characters, and if the whole show works, tours and merchandising will follow. Pearlman also has plans to revive another tried and tested cartoon 'brand' namely Josie And The Pussycats. The prognosis here is less assured - a live action version of that cartoon released in cinemas last year was mauled by the critics, and ignored by the public, but Pearlman remains convinced he has a second potential winner. There is also talk of a Sabrina movie, although this is still at the discussion stage.

Q. Is it going to work

A. If we knew that ...! There are stumbling blocks that need to be overcome. First, The Archies' image that remains unchanged from the bobby sox and weenie roast days of the 1940's. The owners of the magazine, and the 'brand' are determined that the Archies will not be making too many concessions in the name of progress. Returning to a music industry that dresses in black and enjoys bad behaviour as a matter of coursde may cause some creased foreheads. "They will remain virgins, and wear their seat belts," is the word from Archie HQ, although those two provisos are not necessarily directly connected!

The biggest problem will be selling the idea of high school kids who drink soda pop and think a dance in the gym is a neat way to spend Saturday night, to an audience who reckon Bart Simpson is the epitome of youth cool for the new millennium. Watch this space.

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Andy Hughes