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Although this is a great compilation of The Dramatics' recordings for Stax Records it should have included the full-length LP versions of "Toast To The Fool" and "In The Rain"--this is (almost) unforgivable because these two songs are among the group's signature tunes. This 16-track compilation, however, does give you a great retrospective of the music that made The Dramatics one of the premier Soul Harmony groups of the 1970s.

This is the very first Dramatics CD I ever bought. I love it, I love it! Wee Gee Howard is on half the songs on this CD, and L.J. Reynolds on the other half. My favorite Dramatic is L.J., but I love the whole group. On this CD, you will get the best Dramatics hits from 1971-1974. My favorites include "Whatcha See", "In the Rain", "You Could Become the Very Heart Of Me", "I Dedicate My Life To You", "Toast To the Fool", among others. If you don't have this CD, then you don't know what you are missing out on!

Let's give William "Weegee" Howard his due here. He is the lead singer on this album (not LJ), and the lead who sang the hits Watcha See is Watcha Get and In the Rain. His replacement, LJ Reynolds, also covered those tunes but with nothing like the effect created by Weegee. Another reviewer states that Ronny Banks asked Teddy Pendergrass to be the lead of the Dramatics. If he did, it was to replace Weegee after he left the Dramatics due to "ego conflicts." Either way, Weegee had the most passionate voice you could ever hear and he was often compared in his early days (1970) to David Ruffin. (By the way, the Dramatics served as back-up singers for Johnny Taylor before they cut their first record (Whatcha See). Listen to Taylor's tunes in 1968/69 and you will hear the Dramatics ("Jodie's got your girl and gone. Gotta get home cuz you work too hard....") Weegee had one hit, and one album, after he left the Dramatics (Hold on to Your Dreams). Sadly, he never was able to establish a stable life and he wasted one of the greatest voices to ever bless us. He wore himself out with his lifestyle and died a couple of years ago in New York (Weegee always lived in Detroit).

This CD has one major flaw, that is if you are a real fan of the Dramatics. The flaw is with track # 16. This track is not orinigal. This is one of several post original versions of "Toast To The Fool". Sound quality is very good, and the selection is good until one gets to track #16, then one has this very big let down. The version everyone is most familiar with, is the version which only appeared on the 45, and the cassete version, of this very CD.
I hope this information will be passed on to Stax Records, and corrected, in future productions.
Maybe in future productions the 45 version can be included as well.

My all time favorite song by the Dramatics is "In The Rain", I still get chills every time I hear it, and ofcourse my other favorite is "Watcha See Is Watcha Get" brings me right back to that summer of '71. This CD was a bonus for me, up until I bought it I only had the two previously mentioned songs on 45 singles, this CD gave me a chance to appreciate more of their talent.

This CD is sort of a starter kit for fans of the Dramatics that do not have larger compilations. What is important to note is that this CD contains the SECOND version of "Toast to the Fool", the one with LJ and Lenny. This version was never played on the radio when the song was actually out. It's an OK version, but doesnt come close to comparing with WeeGee Howard and Elbert Wilkin's version, which is the authentic "hit" version. Most Dramatic's fans dont know this, and this is the only version they have heard since the real "Toast" was never on an album (only came out on a 45).

By the early 1970s, Stax/Volt was expanding beyond the grits butter and sandpaper soul: the palate was getting richer, and the Dramatics are perfect proof.

This vocal group is not hard funk, not gritty southern soul, and not sweet soul. The Dramatics sit and the center and work all these genre's. Even a ballade like "In The Rain" has more rhythm drive than any Stylistics ballad out of Philly. "Whtcha See Is Watcha Get," almost pops its seams turning funky corners, but listen to the production. As ear bursting as the most produced soul.

Such tactics were just what the early 1970s AM dj ordered, and all this music delivers. Every track here is amazing, soft or loud, and as this music that may have been dismissed by King Crimson and Gentle Giant FM cadets only improves with age.

Musical alliances come and go, but you will never defeat songs with craft like this.

The dramatics are simply one the tightest soul group of the 70's
Every track on this cd is a masterpiece, seek this one out.....TIMELESS

This is a great CD by one of my favorite groups. The quality is fine and I highly recommend that you purchase this.

This is a must have CD! So many great songs to listen to - especially In the Rain!