This week’s Way Out Wednesday is dedicated to Popdose’s own D.W. Dunphy who left this comment on my very first post back in January: “When are we getting those Kid Stuff Pac-Man songs?” Well, today’s the day! This album is Pac-Man’s Amazing Adventures and it’s produced by Kid Stuff Records, whose records one site describes as sounding like “children’s music made in a condemned elementary school boiler room, under the influence of extremely heavy psychedelics.” Considering the subject of my previous entry, E.T. I Love You and Other Extraterrestrial Songs, was also from Kid Stuff, it’s hard to argue that point!
The story is wacky enough, but I’m highlighting the really oddball songs here. First we have the “Pac-Man Theme.” Remember that fun little ditty that used to play right before you started your game? How can you make that song sound annoying? How’s about making it sound like it’s playing on an old warped record?
In the story, the four ghosts — Shadow, Bashful, Speedy and Pokey — hatch a plot to stop Pac-Man. Bashful has the bright idea of stealing all the fruit in Pac-Land and, this being a musical record, expresses this idea in song.
Pac-Man, expecting another quiet day in Pac-Land, sings about having a “Slightly Crazy Lazy Day” in a voice that just seems too lethargic to me.
Pac-Man sees the ghosts stealing all the fruit and gives chase, still sounding like he just got out of bed. At least the ghosts were smart enough to think up a way to trip Pac-Man up.
The ghosts go into hiding with their ill-gotten gains, so Pac-Man employs the assistance of the local Rat. Rat knows where the ghosts are, but won’t tell Pac-Man unless he gets something in return. Pac-Man has nothing to trade the rat except his name. He does so, which makes Rat (wait for it) Pack Rat! (And shouldn’t it be spelled Pac-Rat? And is Pac-Man now just Man?) WARNING: After hearing this song, you’ll get that awful rat voice singing “I WANNA TRADE! I WANNA TRADE!” stuck in your head.
We join the four ghosts, not feeling so good after gorging on the stolen fruit. They get feeling so bad, they pass it on to us with their song “I Hate Fruit Blues,” with a delivery that would make Wild Man Fischer proud.
Pac-Man catches the ghosts, gets the fruit back that wasn’t eaten, and is the town’s hero. Pac-Man says it’s no big deal and that he was just doing his job. Actually he sings it, still sounding like he hasn’t had his morning coffee. It’s an awful song, but it’s a doo-wop song, and you guys know how I’m a sucker for those!
And of course, as always, if you’d like to snag the entire album, it’s waiting for you here! I hope you all enjoyed this adventure with Pac-Man from Kid Stuff Records (and if you didn’t, blame D.W.)!
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