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SUPPORT ME ON PATREON\n\nWATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE\n\nIf you didn\u2019t live it, you can\u2019t feel it. The title track of this album was 100% accurate. While video games had been a craze for a few years, when Pac-Man was introduced in 1980, everyone went Berserk (pun intended \u2013 this was another arcade game released in 1980, and was almost always near or right beside the Pac-Man machine. Plus it\u2019s the inspiration for the last song on this album.). Before Fortnite, before Minecraft, before Grand Theft Auto, before Doom, before even Super Mario \u2013 Pac-Man fever was the craze that started it all. Yes, Atari and Pong before that staked claims to some feverishness, but Pac-Man set the standard for all future temperature spikes.\n\nI have been a huge video game fan since I got the Atari 2600 for Christmas back in 1977. I mostly play on my phone now, though occasionally play Switch games with my kids. Back then it was two things: hours in front of the TV with my joystick; and getting dumped at an arcade with my bro anytime my parents wanted some chill time alone \u2013 we loved it. Whatever the console or format or adrenalin delivery system, video games have been in my mix just about every week of my life for 40+ years. It\u2019s no wonder that I went super nuts when my obsession merged with my first love: music.\n\nNo one is claiming anything on Buckner & Garcia\u2019s album is genius \u2013 it was clearly cashing in on a trend. It cashed in big time with two million plus selling singles \u2013 the title track and \u201cDo the Donkey Kong\u201d. And it\u2019s better than you might remember. I gotta give a shoutout to \u201cFroggy\u2019s Lament\u201d & \u201cOde To A Centipede\u201d too \u2013 Frogger & Centipede were huge games back then. Each song on this album was a tribute to one of the hot video/arcade games of the time, and all were equally cheesy fun. Listening back again, it sounds like each song was also meant to mimic other hot bands at the time, which is kinda cool to hear. Another cool fact is that Jerry Buckner (who\u2019s still alive) cowrote the theme song to Wreck-It Ralph.\n\nMy old band Ape Caf\xe9 did a KICK-ASS live version of \u201cPac-Man Fever\u201d. And now & then I\u2019ll include a cheesy-type cover in my live sets. As far as writing & recording, though, I don\u2019t really do novelty or tribute songs. But a few of my tunes that have that feel. I did theme songs for two movies I co-produced with my former film company that were both very tribute-y (\u201cThis End Up\u201d and \u201cLock-Load-Love\u201d \u2013 look them up on YouTube!). As far as a tune from one of my albums, \u201cKPS\u201d fits the bill. It\u2019s a tribute to K-Pop, and features some distinctly video game-y sounds.\n\nREC - \u201cKorean Pop Song\u201d (from the album The Sunshine Seminar)\xa0\n\nFavorites are all of Side One, and Side Two track 2 & 4?\n\nCAN YOU NAME the other arcade games this album name checks?\n\nCAN YOU IDENTIFY the bands each song was trying to mimic?\n\nWhat are YOUR favorite video games?\n\nDiscuss dammit!\n\n\n--- \n\nThis episode is sponsored by \n\xb7 Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app\n\nSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicisnotagenre/support\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices