The Dramatics – Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (1971/2011) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

The Dramatics – Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (1971/2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:08:47 minutes | 2,42 GB | Genre: Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Stax Records / Concord Music Goup

In diversifying the A&R focus of Stax, Al Bell brought in Detroit producer Don Davis to work with core artists Carla Thomas and Johnnie Taylor. He brought with him a Motor City vocal group called the Dramatics. Davis turned to fellow Detroit producer and songwriter Tony Hestor to work with the group. Hestor wrote a great song with “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” and crafted an extraordinary arrangement as well. Annotator Bowman writes, “The slight Latin feel fit the first wave of disco like a glove while the use of claves and congas combined with a fuzzed lead guitar line and seraphonous strings and horns.” The chemistry of artist, song, and arrangement drove the record all the way to #3 R&B and #9 Pop in the summer of 1971 on the Volt label. The follow-up was “In the Rain,” of which then-lead vocalist Ron Banks recalls, “We looked at each other and said, ‘Whoa, that’s a smash.’ And for once we were right.” The song went to #5 Pop. The Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get reissue contains no fewer than nine bonus tracks including charting hits “Fell for You” and “Hey You! Get Off My Mountain,” both recorded in Detroit instead of Memphis. The closer “Hum a Song (From Your Heart)” was produced at Atlantic South Criterion Studios by the legendary production triumvirate of Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin.

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. –Bruce Eder

Tracklist:
01. The Dramatics – Get Up And Get Down (03:13)
02. The Dramatics – Thank You For Your Love (04:27)
03. The Dramatics – Hot Pants In The Summertime (03:59)
04. The Dramatics – Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (03:59)
05. The Dramatics – In The Rain (05:11)
06. The Dramatics – Gimme Some (Good Soul Music) (02:36)
07. The Dramatics – Fall In Love, Lady Love (03:37)
08. The Dramatics – Mary Don’t Cha Wanna (03:28)
09. The Dramatics – The Devil Is Dope (05:25)
10. The Dramatics – You Could Become The Very Heart Of Me (02:46)
11. The Dramatics – Now You Got Me Loving You (04:23)
12. The Dramatics – Fell For You (03:25)
13. The Dramatics – Jim, What’s Wrong With Him (04:49)
14. The Dramatics – Hey You! Get Off My Mountain (03:32)
15. The Dramatics – Beautiful People (03:48)
16. The Dramatics – Beware Of The Man (With The Candy In His Hand) (03:00)
17. The Dramatics – Stand Up Clap Your Hands (03:46)
18. The Dramatics – Hum A Song (From Your Heart) (03:15)

Personnel:
The Dramatics – Elbert Wilken* (tracks: 17), L.J. Reynolds* (tracks: 1 to 16, 18), Larry “Squirrel” Demps*, Ron Banks, William “Wee Gee” Howard* (tracks: 17), Willie Ford

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