Pac-Man Fever (album)
Encyclopedia
Pac-Man Fever is a 1982 concept album
recorded by Buckner & Garcia
. It is also the name of the first song on that album. Each song on the album is about a different classic arcade game
, and uses sound effects from that game. The album was released as an LP
, a cassette
, an 8-track tape, and later completely re-recorded for CD release in 1999, and 2002. The title itself is a parody of “Cat Scratch Fever
” by Ted Nugent
.
The title song, "Pac-Man Fever
", was released as a single in December 1981 and became a top-ten hit, peaking at #9 in March 1982 on the Billboard Hot 100
and earning Gold certification by the RIAA for selling over a million records. "Do the Donkey Kong" was the second single released from the album, but it failed to chart except on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
at #103. Like the title song, the Pac-Man Fever album itself went on to receive a Gold certification
from the RIAA
, with over 500,000 records sold. The duo performed both of these singles on American Bandstand
on March 20, 1982, as well as appearing later that day on Solid Gold
, singing "Pac-Man Fever."
Froggy's Lament also pays tribute to Smilin' Ed McConnell
and Froggy the Gremlin
from Andy's Gang with its lyrics "Hiya, kids" and "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!"
. In 1999, a re-recorded version of the album was released independently by Buckner and Garcia, which was released commercially through K-Tel
in 2002. The re-release was anxiously awaited by fans of the original album. However, Buckner and Garcia could not obtain the original master recordings from Sony Music Entertainment
, so the duo was forced to record new performances of the songs and recreate a lot of the sound effects either digitally or musically. The result led to disappointment on the part of many fans and began a widespread search for the original vinyl, now hard to find. Some of the changes that occurred between the original and the re-recorded version were as follows:
and Sony's Playstation 3
.
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
recorded by Buckner & Garcia
Buckner & Garcia
Buckner & Garcia was a duo consisting of Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia from Akron, Ohio. Their first collaboration was in 1980, when they wrote a novelty Christmas song, "Merry Christmas in the NFL", imagining Howard Cosell as Santa Claus...
. It is also the name of the first song on that album. Each song on the album is about a different classic arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, and uses sound effects from that game. The album was released as an LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, a cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, an 8-track tape, and later completely re-recorded for CD release in 1999, and 2002. The title itself is a parody of “Cat Scratch Fever
Cat Scratch Fever
Cat Scratch Fever is an album by Ted Nugent released in 1977, as well as the name of the album's title song. "Death By Misadventure" recounts the death of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. Guitarist Derek St. Holmes came back during this album after he left...
” by Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
.
The title song, "Pac-Man Fever
Pac-Man Fever (song)
"Pac-Man Fever" is a hit single by Buckner & Garcia. Capitalizing on the video game craze of the early 1980s, the song, about the classic video game Pac-Man, peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in March 1982. That same month, it was certified Gold by the RIAA for over 1,000,000 units...
", was released as a single in December 1981 and became a top-ten hit, peaking at #9 in March 1982 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and earning Gold certification by the RIAA for selling over a million records. "Do the Donkey Kong" was the second single released from the album, but it failed to chart except on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
at #103. Like the title song, the Pac-Man Fever album itself went on to receive a Gold certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
from the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, with over 500,000 records sold. The duo performed both of these singles on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
on March 20, 1982, as well as appearing later that day on Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
, singing "Pac-Man Fever."
Track listing
- "Pac-Man FeverPac-Man Fever (song)"Pac-Man Fever" is a hit single by Buckner & Garcia. Capitalizing on the video game craze of the early 1980s, the song, about the classic video game Pac-Man, peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in March 1982. That same month, it was certified Gold by the RIAA for over 1,000,000 units...
" (Pac-ManPac-Manis an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
) - "Froggy's Lament" (FroggerFroggerFrogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of...
) - "Ode to a Centipede" (CentipedeCentipede (video game)Centipede is a vertically-oriented shoot 'em up arcade game produced by Atari, Inc. in 1980. The game was designed by Ed Logg along with Dona Bailey, one of the few female game programmers in the industry at this time. It was also the first arcade coin-operated game to have a significant female...
) - "Do the Donkey Kong" (Donkey Kong)
- "Hyperspace" (Asteroids)
- "The Defender" (DefenderDefender (game)Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts...
) - "Mousetrap" (Mouse Trap)
- "Goin' Berzerk" (BerzerkBerzerkBerzerk is a multi-directional shooter video arcade game, released in 1980 by Stern Electronics of Chicago.-Gameplay:The player controls a green stick-figure, representing a "humanoid." Using a joystick , the player navigates a simple maze filled with many robots, who fire lasers back at the...
)
Froggy's Lament also pays tribute to Smilin' Ed McConnell
Smilin' Ed McConnell
Smilin’ Ed McConnell was a radio personality best known as the host of the children's radio and television series, Smilin' Ed's Gang, closely identified with its sponsor, Buster Brown shoes.-Early life:...
and Froggy the Gremlin
Froggy the Gremlin
Froggy the Gremlin was a character on the Smilin' Ed's Gang radio and TV show and later Andy's Gang TV show in the 1940s and 1950s.Froggy was a troublemaker on the shows...
from Andy's Gang with its lyrics "Hiya, kids" and "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!"
Re-release
In 1998 the duo was asked to record an unplugged version of the song exclusively for the syndicated radio show Retro RewindRetro rewind
Retro Rewind is an American nationally syndicated radio show hosted by Dave Harris. Retro Rewind features music from the 80s and 90s and also the popular segment, "7 Minutes of 70s". The show usually features interviews and sometimes performances from the artists from the time period...
. In 1999, a re-recorded version of the album was released independently by Buckner and Garcia, which was released commercially through K-Tel
K-tel
K-tel International is an "As-Seen-On-TV" company, which is most noted for its compilation music albums, such as "The Super Hits" series, "The Dynamic Hits" series and "The Number One Hits" series...
in 2002. The re-release was anxiously awaited by fans of the original album. However, Buckner and Garcia could not obtain the original master recordings from Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, so the duo was forced to record new performances of the songs and recreate a lot of the sound effects either digitally or musically. The result led to disappointment on the part of many fans and began a widespread search for the original vinyl, now hard to find. Some of the changes that occurred between the original and the re-recorded version were as follows:
- The introduction to the 1982 LP version of Pac-Man Fever uses a clip of the game being played at a delicatessenDelicatessenDelicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
, and the sound of a man ordering a pastramiPastramiPastrami , is a popular delicatessen meat usually made from beef and, traditionally in Romania, also from pork and mutton. In Israel, "Pastrama" is the term used for sliced chicken and turkey. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before modern refrigeration...
sandwich is faintly audible; this clip was replaced. - The guitarist who interpolatedInterpolation (music)Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...
the guitar solo in "Ode to a Centipede" could not keep up with the pace of the original guitarist and subsequently bailed out of the solo toward the end until it became easier to play. - In the original recording of "Hyperspace," the sound that followed singing of the word "hyperspace" was a sample of the player shooting taken directly from an Asteroids machine. In the re-release, the sample was replaced with a guitarist sliding his fingers down the neck of the guitar to simulate the sound, and it is not quite as on key with the rest of the song as the original sample was.
- The original recording of "Mousetrap" contained samples from the Mouse Trap arcade game. No working machine of the game could be found in time for the re-recording, so recordings of actual cat, dog, and pigeon noises were used in place of the game samples.
Rock Band Network
On December 13th 2010, it was announced by Ozone Entertainment that the full Pac-Man Fever album would come to the Rock Band Network in early 2011. The first half of the album came in June, and the last half of the album came in November. It is available for Microsoft's Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Sony's Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.