The Best Of The Dramatics

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Total Tracks: 16   Total Length: 61:05

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Don Waller

eMusic Contributor

10.14.09
The Dramatics, The Best Of The Dramatics
2006 | Label: Fantasy Records

Anchored by the Detroit-based male quintet's two biggest hits — the relentlessly up-tempo "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" and the evocative ballad "In the Rain" — this disc neatly summarizes the four years (1971-74) the Dramatics spent on Stax sister label Volt. With producer Tony Hester providing the go-for-baroque soul backing tracks, the group members (Ron Banks, Larry Demps, Willie Ford, William Howard and Elbert Wilkins; the last two were replaced by L.J. Reynolds and Larry Maze in '73) shifted from an everybody-sings-lead a la Sly and the Temptations format to five-part harmony showcases to piercing falsetto vs. rough-cut baritone face-offs reminiscent of the Dells ("Hey You! Get Off My Mountain"). Aside from the hits, the highlights include the funky "Get Up and Get Down," the message-in-the-music "The Devil Is Dope," the mellow-dramatic "And I Panicked" and the set-closing ballad, "Toast to the Fool," but the vocal performances are jaw-dropping throughout.

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Excellent album

gulchradio.com

Lot's of great stuff here -don't know how these guys slipped by me in my quest for rhythm and soul but they have both in spades, besides the hits, Gimme Some, Highway to Heaven, Hey You, Get Off of My Mountain, I Can't Get Over you are all great - a really good album/collection. Will add many of these into station mix.

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jscott355 finds this awesome

jscott355

Pull out the wine and go back in time to those days of real romance...These are the best tracks yet. If you are over 50, you will not be disappointed...

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Awesome

gary25

While some of the songs may not hit everybody the same way, there's no denying the groove of hits like Whatcha See is What You Get.

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In the 1960s, Stax Records was best known for raw southern soul that rejected the type of sleekness and pop sensibilities favored by the northern soulsters at Motown. But by the early ’70s, Memphis soul was losing its popularity, and Stax’s A&R department started to emphasize northern and so-called “uptown” soul in order to stay competitive. One of Stax/Volt’s biggest sellers was the Dramatics, a Detroit group that, like the Temptations at Motown and the O’Jays in the Gamble & Huff camp, effectively combined gritty soul belting with a sleek production style. Thanks to major hits ranging from the delightfully funky “Whacha See Is Whacha Get” to slow jams and ballads like “Hey You! Get Off My Mountain,” “Toast to the Fool” and the melancholy “In the Rain,” the Dramatics were on quite a roll in the early-to-mid-’70s. All of those gems are included on the hour-long CD, The Best of the Dramatics, which offers a fine overview of the quintet’s Stax/Volt years. Many Dramatics albums are worth owning, but if a listener were allowed to own only one Dramatics CD, this would be it. – Alex Henderson

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