Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get [Stax Remasters]

The Dramatics

STX-33176-02
RELEASE DATE: 13 Sep 2011
STX-33176-02
label: Stax
genre: R&B, Blues, Soul & Stax

tracklisting

1. Get Up And Get Down
2. Thank You For Your Love
3. Hot Pants In The Summertime
4. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
5. In The Rain
6. Gimme Some (Good Soul Music)
7. Fall In Love, Lady Love
8. Mary Don't Cha Wanna
9. The Devil Is Dope
10. You Could Become The Very Heart Of Me
11. Now You Got Me Loving You
12. Fell For You
13. Jim, What's Wrong With Him?
14. Hey You! Get Off My Mountain
15. Beautiful People
16. Beware Of The Man (With The Candy In His Hand)
17. Stand Up Clap Your Hands
18. Hum A Song (From Your Heart)

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.