Pac-Man Fever | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 33:24 | |||
Label | Columbia/CBS Records (1982) RC 37941 Buckner & Garcia Productions (1999) K-tel Entertainment (2002 version) | |||
Producer | Buckner & Garcia | |||
Buckner & Garcia chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Pac-Man Fever is a 1982 album recorded by Buckner & Garcia. Each song on the album is about a different arcade game, and uses sound effects from that game. The album was originally released on LP, cassette, and 8-track tape in January 1982, and was later completely re-recorded for re-release on CD in 1999 and 2002.
The title song, "Pac-Man Fever", was released as a single in December 1981 and became a top 10 hit, peaking at #9 in March 1982 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and earning gold certification by the RIAA for selling over one million copies;[3] the single sold 2.5 million copies in total as of 2008.[4] It had been released independently earlier in the year on the BGO Records label, before being picked up by CBS. The album's second single, "Do the Donkey Kong", peaked at #3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[5] Like the title track, the album went on to receive a gold certification from the RIAA, for over 500,000 records sold;[6] the album had sold 1,200,000 copies in total by the end of 1982. The duo performed both of these singles on American Bandstand on March 20, 1982,[7] and appeared later that day on Solid Gold to perform the title track.[8]
The album was completely rerecorded in 1999 for CD release because the original album is still owned by Columbia, who declined to re-release it. When Buckner & Garcia rerecorded "Mousetrap" for this release, they were unable to find a copy of the arcade game anywhere, so they instead recorded dog and cat sounds at a pet store.[citation needed]
No. | Title | Game | Length |
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1. | "Pac-Man Fever" | Pac-Man | 3:48 |
2. | "Froggy's Lament" | Frogger | 3:18 |
3. | "Ode to a Centipede" | Centipede | 5:37 |
4. | "Do the Donkey Kong" | Donkey Kong | 4:24 |
5. | "Hyperspace" | Asteroids | 4:07 |
6. | "The Defender" | Defender | 4:02 |
7. | "Mousetrap" | Mouse Trap | 4:01 |
8. | "Goin' Berzerk" | Berzerk | 4:17 |
"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!".[9]