This is a vinyl released by Kid Stuff Records in 1980. It's an audio book with a bunch of musical numbers in-between the reading.
The plot is based on the Pac-Man arcade games. In this story, Mr. Pac-Man is portrayed as an addict. And it's fascinating. And so much fun!
Track highlights
The record starts off with the "Pac-Man Theme"... doesn't sound too good when it's not in its original chiptune medium.
- "Pac-Man's Magic Land": Now we're talking! The delivery of the vocals in the pre-chorus is just perfect: "Just close your eyes... and realize! Your imagination is taking you... to the sky! and beyond..." I can picture a cartoon character saying this -- like the Warden from Superjail! -- who had just secretly sprinkled some magic mushrooms in your tea. The rhythm section has subtle percussion that creates a pretty nice groove to the otherwise simplistic drums. There's a synth lead in the chorus that sounds like a horny cat - it kind of ruins the otherwise trippy mood.
- "I'm Number 1": This one is really catchy and fun to sing along to. And who doesn't like singing about being the best. There's an interesting groove going on with the snare drum and the claps. The synth modulation is mellow without lacking good attack, which is an invaluable combination. We get to hear Pac-Man for the first time, and he kind of speaks like a creep (it's a bit disturbing).
- "The Gang of Ghosts Quarter": this is the piece where the ghosts introduce themselves. Every spook has a distinguishable character! After presenting their nicknames, they do some acapella singing. Bashful's wobbly voice is great. After the intro, the song turns into a synthpunk banger! Even though the keys and drums are pretty tame, the vocals are so full of energy, that's it's hard not to headbang! And then suddenly the song changes into ragtime (Western saloon music). That's genre bending done right!
- "Turning Blue": the lyrics make me chuckle -- he loves watching "them" turn blue? Anyway, the vocals here are excellent, the hook is catchy, and the chord progression during the verse is interesting. Energetic thumping beat and bassline.
- "He's Too Busy For Me": this one is a sad -- but beautiful -- duet. Mr. Pac-Man is neglecting his wife's needs, because of his addiction. The female voice sounds fragile and vulnerable. Poor Ms. Pac-Man! The piece ends on an optimistic note -- with Mr. Pac-Man giving a bullshit excuse -- but you know full well he ain't never gonna change. His poor wife will have to find another "friend". Music wise, this song isn't that impressive, but the emotional context and lyrics really make it stand out.
- "If It's a Game": this one hits hard. The way the vocals and synth take turns during the verse creates a fantastic atmosphere of exploration and curiosity. Next, the two-part chorus begins with a melancholic part, switching to a happy "pah-pah-pah" chant. The male and female voices blend perfectly well in a charming harmony. The song creates an ambivalent mood that describes addiction very well. A bitter-sweet moment in the album that makes me teary-eyed, but also nostalgic about the past when I used to play videogames for hours, until my parents turned the power off. "Bye!"
Behind the music
Who are Dana Walden and Patrick McBride? They are both responsible for the production, writing and arrangement of this album. Dana has produced a couple of more albums for Kid Stuff Records:
- Baby Pac-Man Goes To The Market
- The Adventures Of Super Pac-Man
- The Amazing Adventures Of Pac-Man
- Donkey Kong Goes Home
Walden has also written songs for -- and played the keyboards in -- the band Champaign. The sound is similar, and even some of the voices seem suspiciously familiar. At this point I'm pretty sure Dana has borrowed the vocalists from Champaign -- Pauli Carman and Rena Jones. If you like the male vocals, also check out Pauli Carman's other band -- Coalkitchen.
Rating: 8/10 (eight) balls
Another timeless classic from Kid Stuff Record with many memorable songs, teaching us nothing about addiction. Bloodhound Gang were onto something in their music video "Mope", where Pac-Man was trying to sell freebase crack to the band, lol.
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