Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (album)

Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get is the debut studio album by American R&B group The Dramatics, released in 1971 via Volt Records and Stax Records.[2] It peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on the Billboard R&B chart.[3]

This article is about the album by the Dramatics. For the title track from the album, see Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (song). For other uses, see What You See Is What You Get (disambiguation) and WYSIWYG (disambiguation).
Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
Studio album by
The Dramatics
Released1971 (1971)
GenreSoul[1]
Length30:10
LabelVolt/Stax
ProducerTony Hester (exec.)
The Dramatics chronology
Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
(1971)		 A Dramatic Experience
(1973)
Singles from Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
  1. "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get"
    Released: 1971
  2. "Get Up and Get Down"
    Released: 1972
  3. "In the Rain"
    Released: 1972
Alternative cover
Artwork for 1978 vinyl and 1980s CD re-releases
Artwork for 1978 vinyl and 1980s CD re-releases

Three singles were released from the album: "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", "Get Up and Get Down" and "In the Rain". "Thankful for Your Love" (originally appearing on the album as "Thank You for Your Love")[1] was also issued as a promotional single. "In the Rain" was the most successful single from the album, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.[3] "Get Up and Get Down" was featured in Dead Presidents.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Q Magazine[2]

Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote of the album: "Sounds like better Motown than recently and greasier Motown than ever, and it figures—this Tempts-styled Detroit quintet, with Ron Banks in the David Ruffin role, play for the Memphis Grease Kings. 'Get Up and Get Down' and 'Watcha See Is Whatcha Get' resound with uptempo bottom, and while I find the big dramatic number, 'In the Rain,' a little too big and too dramatic, I do prefer Don Davis's sound effects to Norman Whitfield's. Better filler than Motown, too—but not that much better."[4] Q Magazine described the album as "consistently impressive [with] 'Hot Pants In The Summertime' carrying a peculiar angst-ridden intensity".[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tony Hester,[1] except "In the Rain" co-written by Clint Ballard, Jr

No.TitleLength
1."Get Up and Get Down"3:10
2."Thank You for Your Love"4:25
3."Hot Pants in the Summertime"3:57
4."Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get"3:56
5."In the Rain"5:08
6."Gimme Some (Good Soul Music)"2:35
7."Fall in Love, Lady Love"3:34
8."Mary Don't Cha Wanna"3:25
Total length:30:10

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1971–1972) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[6] 20
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] 5

Year-end charts
Chart (1972) Position
US Billboard 200[8] 99
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 14

References
  1. Eder, Bruce. "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  2. Romney, Jonathan (5 March 1991). "Watcha See Is Watcha Get review". Q Magazine. 55: 87.
  3. "The Dramatics | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 210–211.
  6. "The Dramatics Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  7. "The Dramatics Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  8. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1972". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  9. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1972". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
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