ANDY KIM - Making it Happen Again - Part 1

... Part 2 - The Concert, is the post below this one.

Legend has it that immediately after recording the final take of 'Sugar Sugar,' on the first 'Archies' LP in 1969, everyone in the studio burst into uncontrollable joy and laughter.

Contary to popular belief, these musicians weren't the real comic-book characters but were in fact, seasoned studio-session players and singers. As professional musicians-for-hire, 'Sugar Sugar,' was undoubtably the most FUN they had ever had in a recording studio.

Who can blame them? It's arguably the goofiest AND best pop song ever written. Co-written by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Jeff Barry and a very young Canadian named Andy Kim, it was the Number One song of the 1969 and named Song of the Year by Billboard. Kim also sang back-up on that original recording. Ron Dante did the lead vocals. The same year, Dante had another Top 10 hit as lead singer of The Cufflinks with 'Tracey' - and the next year became editor of the high-falutin' and respected literary mag The Paris Review. Not sure if Andy Kim was supposed to be 'Reggie' or 'Jughead' on the Archies recordings.

Kim was scheduled to be in town to kick off his Canadian tour last week. More on that in the post below. As a fan of Bubblegum music, I was looking forward to it just for the opportunity to bask in the presence of Greatness.

But as a fan of Pop music, you couldn't keep me away. During the 1970s, Kim had a number of hits. Two of his most popular were covers of songs originally written by his friend and mentor Jeff Barry and Barry's songwriting partner Ellie Greenwich for Phil Spector's girl groups. Kim's versions of 'Be My Baby' and 'Baby I Love You' stood out from the normal radio-fare because of Kim's smooth-as-butter vocals and the Spector-like wall-of-sound and female back-up singers provided by producer Barry.

As a teenager, Kim left his home of Montreal and tackled the Brill Building in New York armed with a number of his compositions - one of them being his first hit, 'How'd We Ever Get this Way.' His mentor, Barry - had also produced Neil Diamonds's first few hits.

Post 'Sugar Sugar,' Kim had a number of hits written by himself or with Barry. Interestingly, the word 'baby,' turns up in a number of the titles. In addition to the two mentioned above, there's also 'Shoot 'Em Up, Baby,' 'Baby, You're All I Got,' 'Fire, Baby I'm on Fire,' and probably more.

But his biggest hit was his self-penned and self-financed (making him a true 'indie' DIY-artist,) with 'Rock Me Gently' from 1974. It was his second number one hit. Just like 'Sugar Sugar,' all his hits are AM-radio slices of three-minute magic. Timeless. They will be here forever. 'Sugar Sugar' - a song which young people of a certain era might have been embarrassed to admit liking, has been covered by such respected roots R&Bers as Wilson Pickett, Bob Marley, Tom Jones and Homer Simpson. As Andy brags during his stage-patter intro to the song, "How many song-writers can claim to have one of their compositions covered by Homer Simpson?"

And typical of the recording industry, after the alloted five-year run, he was forgotten. He reinvented himself as 'Baron Longfellow' during the 1980s but until recently, that was the last we heard of Andy Kim.

This spring he released his first full-length album in many years - 'Happen Again.'

Just like what happened down in the States with the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Neil Diamond, up here in his native land, he has been embraced by 'the kids' - and his collaborations with people like Barenaked Lady Ed Robertston, Ron Sexsmith and Broken Social Scene - all musicians who are no strangers to the art of penning a good lyric, chorus and catchy melody.

If you are a fan of the old Andy Kim, the new CD, 'Happen Again,' is just what you want. A Pop-tunesmith at the top of his craft. The Brill Building would be proud.