Pac-Man Fever

For years and years, the novelty album, Pac-Man Fever, released in 1982, was out of print, meaning the original LP complete and in near mint condition became a highly sought after collectible, sometimes selling for as much as $100. Luckily for those of us who just wanted to listen Buckner and Garcia's record, it was put on CD in 2010. Prices on the album plummeted, much to the dismay of people who paid top dollar for the recording, but at least everyone could buy it on CD for just a buck or so per song. And now, thanks to YouTube, you can listen for free:

Buy the CD:


In 2014, the title track was re-recorded for the great video game documentary, King of the Arcades. Check out the music video here:

Buy The King of The Arcades:


Check out the latest news from Jerry Buckner HERE.

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Sadly, in 2011, Gary Garcia, one half of the Buckner & Garcia duo, passed away. He was 63. Here's his obituary, reprinted from Kotaku:

Gary Garcia, who teamed with Jerry Buckner to perform the 1982 hit "Pac-Man Fever," a song synonymous with 1980s pop culture and America's early love affair with arcade gaming, died yesterday at his home in Englewood, Fla. He was 63.

"Pac-Man Fever" capitalized on the new national obsession with video games, especially thePac-Man phenomenon. The single soared to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1982 and anchored a gold album (one million copies sold) by the same name. That month, Buckner & Garcia performed "Pac-Man Fever" on American Bandstand.

Like many acts from a decade defined by one-hit wonders, Buckner & Garcia could not extend the success of "Pac-Man Fever" into successive works. A second song off the same album, "Do the Donkey Kong" barely missed Billboard's Hot 100 (peaking at No. 103 on a separate list). None of the six other songs, tributes ranging from Defender to Mouse Trap, went anywhere either. The duo did later write lyrics for an extended version of the theme to WKRP in Cincinnati.

"Pac-Man Fever" and all of the album's songs were released over the Rock Band Network this year, for play in the Rock Band series.

In a tribute posted on the duo's website, Buckner credited the writing of "Pac-Man Fever" to his friend, whom he had met in the 1960s when both were high schoolers in Akron, Ohio. "Gary and I wrote Pac Man Fever in my front room. He mostly handled the lyrics and I the music. He was a gifted writer.

"His opening line, 'I gotta pocket full of quarters and I'm headed to the arcade' is a classic," Buckner wrote, "and summed up the entire video game craze that was sweeping the country at that time."