Discography Deep Dive: Dramarama
My first exposure to Dramarama was on MTV’s weekly, late night alternative video show 120 Minutes. Because the show aired late on Sunday nights, I set a timer on our VCR to record the episodes. On one of those early recordings, they played the music video for Dramarama’s “Last Cigarette” and I have loved that song ever since.
Over the years, Dramarama continued to put out albums and release music videos, all of which I enjoyed but for whatever reason, I never picked up any of their records. Eventually I did get a copy of The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones, which I enjoyed but again, I did not pursue their catalog any further.
Truth be told, prior to this exercise, I’d never listened to an entire Dramarama album. Let’s see if these records hold up or if this is an example of a “greatest hits band.” If you want to follow along, here is my Dramarama discography playlist.
Discography Notes
Cinéma Vérité (1985;Chameleon)
The uhhh opening drums on “Visiting the Zoo”...
I know that this is the first track and all but was this really the best opening statement?
The chorus isn’t bad but this song sounds…I don’t know, unfinished maybe?
And why is it four minutes long?!?
Okay, let’s see if track number two redeems things…
Based on the first 30 seconds, I’m going to say no, no this does not redeem anything.
Why is the production so bad?
According to Wikipedia, this record was originally released on a French record label and only got released in the States because Rodney on the ROQ started playing “Anything, Anything (I'll Give You).”
Here’s another baffling fact. This album was critically acclaimed. Ol’ Bobby Christgau gave it an A-. Either this album is about to get WAY better or the, for sure, two great songs carried the rating. Speaking of…
“Scenario” is legitimately a great song. It’s the first of the aforementioned two.
The production on this song sounds so much better!
And here comes the second.
JFC this song is so good!!!!!
One could make the argument that “Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)” was one of the best songs of the 1980s.
What the holy fuck is this next song?!?
Oh….it’s a David Bowie cover.
Musically at least, “Some Crazy Dame” is an improvement.
“Etc.” is off to a promising start.
Yeah…this is good.
The melody of the verse of “Transformation” sounds like a combination of Banarama’s “Cruel Summer” and Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don't Fear) The Reaper.”
I don’t think this works.
I can confirm that indeed, this song does not work.
Hold up. Clem Burke was in this band at one point? What the WHAT?!?
The closing track “Emerald City” is a really good song.
Let’s see what Wikipedia lists as the genres for this album… We’ve got alternative rock and power pop.
Rating: The gentlemen’s three.
Box Office Bomb (1987; Questionmark Records)
The first track “Steve & Edie” opens very quiet and slow before kicking into gear. I like this.
At the halfway point, the song got slow and quiet again before starting to rock.
Wikipedia genre check: Hard rock, glam rock
So far, this record is two for two. “New Dream” is great!
Hmmmmm…so, “Whenever I’m With Her” does the quiet/loud thing as well, but in this case the quiet parts are fine but the loud parts are great. Weird.
I’m not sure if I can think of another song that is half great and half fine.
Four songs in and Box Office Bomb is a more cohesive record than Cinéma Vérité. I doubt this album’s highs will match those of its predecessor, but you can tell that the band is getting better at their craft.
Yikes. “400 Blows” is off to a terrible start.
Good lord is this song ever going to end?!?
Yeah…not good.
Next up is a Patti Smith cover. I really only know a couple of Patti Smith songs.
This is good.
YES! “It’s Still Warm” fucking rules!!!!!!!!
Seriously, this song is so good!
“Out in the Rain” is also great!
“Baby Rhino’s Eye” isn’t bad.
Hey, they mention Johnny Carson in this one. Carson makes another appearance in a song on the next album.
The opening bass and drum on “Worse Than Being By Myself” sound like the Pixies.
The rest of the song does not.
“Modesty Personified” has a great opening with lots of energy!
There’s a moment in this song that sounds like “Kids in America.”
MUCH better album! 3.5 stars.
Stuck in Wonderamaland (1989; Chameleon)
Genre check: Rock (Wikipedia)
It’s funny that, so far, college rock has not been listed as a genre.
The opening track, “Wonderamaland” begins with a fade-in before going into an excellent acoustic number.
“No Regrets” is just a very good college rock song.
Two songs in and this band is definitely getting better as they go.
Welp…song # 3. I guess they can’t all be winners.
“Lullabye” gets things back on track.
Yeah, this song is great!
“It’s Hardly Enough” is a ballad that’s not super slow and has a nice piano part.
YES! “Last Cigarette” is a stone cold classic!
So, I had this idea that in my sounds cool as fuck. It would be so cool to cover this song and during the guitar/sax solo music break thing, to have someone throw a pack of cigs to the lead singer, that person pulls one out and throws the pack back. Then that same person throws the singer a lighter. The singer lights the cig, takes one long drag, and flicks it off to the side right as it is time to start singing. Goddamn I’m a nerd.
JFC this song is SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh damn, “Try” has a beautiful acoustic guitar opening.
“Would You Like” is a dark acoustic ballad. And this one is slow.
“I Wish I Was Your Mother” is a Mott the Hoople cover. I’ve never listened to Mott the Hoople and honestly, I don’t know what a Mott the Hoople even is.
That said, this song is great.
The last two tracks “Pumps on a Hill” and the title track are more vignettes than songs. But they do a good job closing out the record.
This is EASILY the band’s best album so far. 4 stars.
Looking Through… [as The Bent Back Tulips] (1990; New Rose Records)
This was recorded and originally released in 1988 in France. The American reissue came out in 1990 (or 94 according to Spotify).
After listening to the first couple of tracks, I’ve decided to skip this album. The recording is really rough and I think this record is for the diehard fans only. You can listen to it on Spotify.
Vinyl (1991; Elektra Records)
“Until Next Time” is an excellent album opener!
Now I’m mad that I’m only hearing this song now.
Seriously, this song is just as good as any of this band’s classics.
I remember seeing the music video for “Haven’t Got a Clue” on 120 Minutes. In fact, I’m pretty sure I saw its world premiere.
I remember when that was a thing, the world premiere of a music video. Good times.
God, this song is so good!!!!!
That said, I have no idea what it is supposed to be about.
Holy shit. They performed this song on Late Night with David Letterman.
Wiki Genre Check: Alternative. Not alternative rock, just alternative.
Okay, so I just checked and “alternative” and “alternative rock” both point to the same page.
I found this quote from the article fascinating. “[This album] is a celebration of classic rock with Mick Taylor, formerly of The Rolling Stones, playing guitar on all tracks, including a Rolling Stones song.”
“What Are We Gonna Do?” is an excellent mud-tempo number. So far Vinyl is three-for-three.
The keys on “Classic Rot” sound like one of those pianos from a saloon in a western.
So, “Memo from Turner” was technically a Mick Jagger solo song but was included on The Rolling Stones compilation Singles Collection: The London Years.
I’m not familiar with the original, but this cover is good.
“Train Going Backwards” is a ballad.
So far, this is the weakest song on the album but it is not bad by any stretch of the imagination.
The guitar in the opening of “I’ve Got Spies” is great.
“In Quiet Rooms” is an upbeat, twangy vibed, power pop college rock number.
“Ain’t It the Truth” has some cool effects on it that I have no idea how to put into words.
“Tiny Candles” is another ballad, at least that’s how it’s starting.
"(I'd Like To) Volunteer, Please" is the album’s proper final track (it’s followed by a hidden track).
This is a beautiful acoustic guitar and piano driven ballad.
The trajectory of this band getting better with each release continues. 4.25 stars.
Hi-Fi Sci-Fi (1993; Chameleon/Elektra)
This was the band’s last album before reuniting in 2004-ish after appearing on the VH1 show Bands Reunited.
I saw this episode and when the show’s host and crew showed up at John Easdale’s house, he was in his garage, without a shirt. It was a total ambush.
Wiki Genre Check: Alternative
The opening track “Introduction/Hey Betty” is probably their most rocking song I’ve heard to this point.
The production on this album is great. It sounds big and full of power.
“Work for Food” is probably my favorite Dramarama song.
The indie punk band Broadcaster did a great cover of this song.
Goddamn I love this song!!!
Hmmmm… “Shadowless Heart” reminds me of something but I can’t figure out what exactly.
“Swallowed Your Cure” is a good mid-tempo rocker.
This album came out in 1993, so post-Nevermind. I wonder if the success of that album and everything that came after was an influence on Hi-Fi Sci-Fi. This is certainly their most rocking album, so if not directly, then probably indirectly.
“Where’s the Manuel” sounds dirty. Listen to that opening guitar and you’ll see what I mean.
“Senseless Fun” is a haunting ballad.
“Bad Seed” has a glam vibe.
“I’m like a shaolin master of the martial arts” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Holy shit that’s hilarious!!
“Incredible” starts as an acoustic ballad with an opening lyric that is…something.
That silly lyric aside, this is a good song, especially after the band kicks in.
“Prayer” is a song about drugs. I think it is saying that drugs do bad things to you. I think…
And speaking of drugs…”Don’t Feel Like Doing Drugs” is a fun, upbeat song with kind of dark lyrics.
“Right on Baby, Baby” is a decent ballad, while “Late Night Phone Call” is a bit of a better ballad but this one is acoustic.
Wikipedia lists the last track as “28 Double Secret Bonus Tracks” but Spotify has it as “Hey Grandpa.” I’m guessing this was a hidden track because ‘90s.
Yeah…this is silly and dumb.
4 stars.
Everybody Dies (2005; 33rd Street Records)
We’re now heading into really uncharted territory.
Singer/songwriter John Easdale released a solo album in either 1996,’97, or ‘98 called Bright Side.
Is that a mandolin on “The Bottle and the Bell”?
Interesting choice for the opening track on your reunion record.
It’s not bad at all, just not what I was expecting.
The title track is more like it! College rock at its finest.
And it’s got cowbell!!!
Sadly, I think “Good Night, America” is just as relevant in 2025 as it was in 2005. Go us!
Huh. This song ends in a fade out. They didn't do that much before.
What’s with this album cover? The covers on all of their previous records were really cool but this one…
“When Did You Leave Heaven?” is a cover. I wish they’d left it off the album.
“Physical Poetry (A-B-C-D-1-2-3)” is pretty much what you’d expect from a Dramarama song. Good stuff.
My good friends Justin and Dylan of Punk Lotto Pod have this theory (is that the right word?) that comeback albums are, more times than not, not good. They certainly make a convincing argument and I tend to agree with them. So far, Everybody Dies is bucking the trend.
“I Will Try” is another weird, silly, and not great short song. I could have done without these.
“Try 5 Times” is totally a southern rock song.
I’m not sure about this opening to “Dropping the Curtains.”
Scratch that. I’m not sure about this entire song.
“The Company” is kind of twangy. It feels more Americana than alt country, but it’s not bad.
And the twang continues, this time with a harmonica on “Gotta Get Up.”
The final track is “King For A Day.”
I’m not sure how to describe this song. I like it, but have no idea what is going on here.
Overall this is a surprisingly good record but it lacks the highs of the band’s previous albums. It’s still good though. 3.25 stars.
Color TV (2020; Pasadena Records)
“Beneath The Zenith” is a killer opening track!
“Up to Here” has good social commentary in the lyrics.
Oh, I like the keys in the beginning of “The Cassette.”
It also has a good crescendo.
The twang is back on “Swamp Song.”
“It’s Only Money” makes good use of the Amen break/Funky Drummer/Think break drum beat.
Classic 90s action going on here.
The guitar on “Abandoned Love” sounds kind of like Led Zeppelin on “Over the Hills and Far Away.”
It also reminds me of a Dave Hause song but I can’t remember which one.
The 90s vibes continue on “What’s Your Sign?”.
“Everyday” out of the gate with some organ. Nice.
“Hold Me Tight” has some serious doo-wop vibes.
“The Only Thing (Stupid/Brilliant)” is an interesting ballad.
Another ballad?
Maybe it’s because I am really tired, but this album has been a bit of a slog to get through. This song, “You, You, You” followed another ballad and is lulling me to sleep.
The closing track, “Half Right,” is another ballad. Man this record is limping to the finish line.
This is probably the weakest album in the Dramarama discography. 2.5 stars.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Out of the band’s seven proper full-length albums, four of them are good to great making them way more than a “greatest hits band.” If you are only familiar with their cult classic hits, I suggest giving their albums a try. I would start with 1987’s Box Office Bomb and go through 1993’s Hi-Fi Sci-Fi. If that’s all too much, then try either 1989’s Stuck in Wonderamaland or 1991’s Vinyl. Those are the high water marks for this band’s catalog.
References
The Bent Backed Tulips. (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://www.discogs.com/artist/1310606-The-Bent-Backed-Tulips
The Bent Backed Tulips. (n.d.). Eggbert Records. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://www.eggbert.com/tulips.html
The Bent Backed Tulips. (n.d.). Rate Your Music. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/the_bent_backed_tulips
The Bent Backed Tulips - Dramarama. (n.d.). Dramarama. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from
http://dramarama.pdidesignnj.com/?product=the-bent-backed-tulips
Bio. (n.d.). Dramarama. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://www.dramarama.us/bio/
Dramarama. (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://www.discogs.com/artist/306495-Dramarama
Dramarama. (2025, May 29). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dramarama&oldid=1292921944
Dramarama. (n.d.). Rate Your Music. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/dramarama
Memo from Turner. (2025, January 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Memo_from_Turner&oldid=1269265724