View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (20 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 1972
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Style: Soul, R&B
- Label: Fantasy Records
-
We Say...
This Detroit ensemble, despite often being overshadowed by the Temptations, rivaled them with several great songs that showcased superb harmony and sweeping, shared leads. The title cut was their first big hit in 1971, while "In the Rain" and "Thank You For Your Love" are also magnificent singles. Each one features Ron Banks' feathery falsetto framed at the bottom by Willie Ford's potent bass and fortified by slithering answering and complimentary inserts from William Howard, Larry Demps and Lenny Mayes.
-
They Say...
The Dramatics had been around in one form or another for nine years before the members got to release their first LP, and the result was a pair of breakthrough hits over the spring and summer of 1971, beginning with the title track, a Top Ten single that boasted not only extraordinary singing from bass to falsetto, but a soaring, punchy horn arrangement and some of the best fuzztone guitar heard on a hit record since the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction." The Afro-Cuban-flavored "Get up and Get Down" followed it into the R&B Top 20, and the Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get album followed them both. It was the third hit off of the album, "In the Rain," a delicate ballad that was issued separately as a single in early 1972, topping the R&B charts and reaching number five on the pop charts, that solidified the group's reputation and elevated them to the front rank of '70s soul acts. The album showcased the group equally well doing up-tempo dance numbers ("Mary Don't Cha Wanna") and ballads ("Thank You for Your Love," "Fall in Love, Lady Love"), melding very attractive vocals to arrangements that instantly grabbed the listener, all of it pulled together by songwriter/producer Tony Hester. Even the lesser material, such as "Gimme Some (Good Soul Music)" -- on which Hester knew that one minute and 34 seconds was all that was needed to make its point -- were so attractive and rousing that they easily carried their portion of the album, whose short running time was its only flaw. All of the members, from Willie Ford's powerful bass to Ron Banks' airy falsetto, were presented to best advantage, but none more so than William "Wee Gee" Howard's lead vocals; ironically, this would be Howard's only completed album with the group, and their only album for two years to come because of the accompanying personnel problems. Still, it's a match for any soul album of its era. In 2002, ZYX Records of Germany issued a new CD edition of Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get with its original cover art re-created and remastered in 24-bit digital audio, which is so crisp that it has to be heard to be believed.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 8 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 8 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Get Up And Get Down
|
3:11 |
|
| 02. | |
Thank You For Your Love
|
4:26 |
|
| 03. | |
Hot Pants In The Summertime
|
3:58 |
|
| 04. | |
Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
|
3:56 |
|
| 05. | |
In The Rain
|
5:08 |
|
| 06. | |
Gimme Some (Good Soul Music)
|
2:33 |
|
| 07. | |
Fall In Love, Lady Love
|
3:35 |
|
| 08. | |
Mary Don't Cha Wanna
|
3:26 |
|
08 Total Tracks, 30:13 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like The Dramatics, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by The Dramatics fans
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC