Album
The Best Of The Dramatics
1974 · Funk / Soul
Rare pressing on Gatefold
The Best Of The Dramatics is a Soul & Funk album by The Dramatics, originally released in 1974. On Gatefold: 10 pressings tracked.
About
What really distinguished The Dramatics from leagues of likeminded vocal groups that thrived in the '70s was their grittiness. The group had roots in Detroit, but the earthy, concrete funk of “Get Up and Get Down” and “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” wouldn't have happened if The Dramatics hadn’t hooked up Memphis-based Stax Records, which gave them top-notch musicians and a no-nonsense ethos. “In the Rain” is still The Dramatics' best song—there’s nothing else quite like it in music—but interested fans shouldn't overlook the group’s lesser-known tracks, most of which are would-be hits. “Beware of the Man (With the Candy in His Hand)” and “The Devil Is Dope” reflect the social and political issues of the mid-'70s, but The Dramatics were never better than they were on love songs. Led by masculine vocalist Ron Banks, “Highway to Heaven,” “Toast to the Fool,” and “I Panicked” will put you in a place where all is clouds and warm breeze.
via Apple Music
The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
Side A
- A1Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get3:56
- A2In The Rain5:08
- A3The Devil Is Dope5:23
- A4And I Panicked3:33
Side B
- B1Hey You! Get Off My Mountain3:29
- B2Toast To The Fool5:32
- B3Now You Got Me Loving You4:21
- B4Highway To Heaven3:54
- B5Get Up And Get Down3:10
Sound DNA
- Soul & Funk
- Funk
- raw
- intense
- primal
Notes from the original pressing. Later editions may differ.
Any experience possessing the power to stir the imagination or in some way stimulate one's emotions is said to be dramatic. Ron Banks, Larry Mayer, Willie Ford, Larry Demps, and L. J. Reynolds combine to form the mellow and melodious bunch we have come to know as The Dramatics. Quite appropriate, isn't it? How? Well, let's stop right here and backtrack momentarily.
Can you recall the first time that "new" record dropped from the spindle to the turntable and you immediatly found yourself "gettin' down" and singing "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get"? Kinda stimulated that boogy emotion didn't it? The what about the dramatic and urgent warning in "Hey You. Get Of My Mountain" and the stirring mockery and satisfaction in a "Toast To The Fool".
Remember when...
There was a time we sensed despair and
Did feel so much pain, that made us think
Than anywhere else we'd rather be
"In The Rain"?
In your hands you hold the best of the tunes and the times that The Dramatics stirred, stimulated or soothed something within you. You owe yourself a listen. After all, how many times can you recapture a feeling?
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Larry Demps
- Lenny Mayes
- LJ Reynolds
- Ron Banks
- Willie Ford
Production & Engineering
- Don DavisPRODUCER
- Jimmy RoachPRODUCER
- Tony HesterPRODUCER
- Arthur SnyderPRODUCER
Songwriting
- Arthur Synder
- Dennis Gilmore
- Dennis Gilmore
- Don Davis
- James Dean
- James Dean
Rare pressing on Gatefold · 10 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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