Buckner & Garcia
"Pac-Man Fever"
- "Pac-Man Fever" (3:48)
- "Froggy's Lament" (3:18)
- "Ode to a Centipede" (5:37)
- "Do the Donkey Kong" (4:24)
- "Hyperspace" (4:07)
- "The Defender" (4:02)
- "Mousetrap" (4:00)
- "Goin' Berzerk" (4:17)
HOLY SHIT!!! This caught me by surprise even more than the
Stryper "Angels Cover" reissue!! Last I heard about
this project was YEARS ago ('97 or so), but it appeared completely stalled because
Buckner & Garcia had to re-obtain copyright permission from at least THIRTY-SIX different
game companies to use the original sound effects...then, wouldn't you know it,
eBay suddenly was flooded with "new, factory-sealed, not a CDR" copies of this thing,
and people were bidding like MAD over them!! ($40 was one of the highest prices I saw.)
Of course, I *knew* it was coming from SOMEWHERE... and it wasn't even hard to find. Go
to Amazon.com if you want a copy (funny thing is,
CDNow doesn't list it at all...)
First of all, one thing I should make clear...this is NOT a reissue of the original
recording, but a note-for-note RE-RECORING; and for the most part, it's so damn close to
the original that you hardly notice. Since this is the most precious nostalgic/novelty
CD in my collection, it fully deserves a track-by-track review:
1. "Pac-Man Fever" -- The most recognizable song here, of course (it hit #9 back in
'82, if I remember correctly); and therefore the most recognizably different. Doesn't
quite have the PUNCH of the original, but they do a decent job redoing this timeless
classic. The more I listen to it, the more I forget about how different it sounds.
2. "Froggy's Lament" -- VERY genuine re-recording, sounds almost indistinguishable from
the original! Cool funky beat to this one, in addition to the "froggy" vocals. :)
3. "Ode to a Centipede" -- A beautiful song, sung by Danny Jones (if I remember correctly;
the CD liner notes are crap, and I'm too lazy to check my crappy vinyl copy...) ANY band
would be proud to do a song like this, novelty or otherwise.
4. "Do the Donkey Kong" -- This was the album's second single (which went nowhere...)
Very close to the original, except for the keyboard "solo", which sounds kinda weak.
Very catchy tune, with a "false" ending.
5. "Hyperspace" (Asteroids) -- BIG improvement here; the bass is toned down, and some
"spacey" vocal effects in the chorus are added, all to this song's credit. I didn't even
like the original version that much, but now it's one of my favorites on the album!
6. "The Defender" -- Again, pretty damn close to the original, and a cool song all around.
I never could get into this game, though...too many damn controls!
7. "Mousetrap" -- Blah. This song sucks, this game sucked. Why didn't they do a song
for Joust instead? Or Tempest?? Or (my personal favorite) Time Pilot!!!
8. "Goin' Berzerk" -- The biggest disappointment on the CD. The original had an ending melody
that was so magical, it sent chills down my spine...and although this version isn't bad, it
totally fails to capture the mood of the original. Oh well, can't win 'em all, I guess.
Oh yeah...ALL SOUND EFFECTS ARE INCLUDED, exactly like they were on the original release!
It's a shame that I can't sell my crappy vinyl record, until CBS relinquishes the copyright
of the original recording & rereleases it. (That's basically why this is a re-recording, CBS
was being an ass.) The packaging is a bit annoying -- just a one-page front liner, with the
"Pac Man Hints" sheet included as a folded insert that falls out everytime I open the jewel
case...oh well, it's a self-produced release, and despite its flaws, I'm glad to have it
on CD, AT LAST!!!
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