{"product_id":"dramatis","title":"Dramatis","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdgy ‘80s synth pop from former \u003cstrong\u003eTubeway Army\u003c\/strong\u003e members who became \u003cstrong\u003eDramatis\u003c\/strong\u003e. Featuring their fully remastered debut album, singles, and bonus tracks. Plus a previously unreleased BBC In Concert performance from 1982.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBack in 1979, at the height of the post-punk era, Tubeway Army’s ‘\u003cem\u003eAre ‘Friends’ Electric?\u003c\/em\u003e’ all but defined a new style of edgy synthesized pop for the cold war era. The band had evolved rapidly from new wave roots to lead the new charge. But then singer \u003cstrong\u003eGary Numan\u003c\/strong\u003e went solo, leaving his backing band to reinvent themselves as Dramatis – \u003cstrong\u003eChris Payne\u003c\/strong\u003e (vocals, keyboards), \u003cstrong\u003eRrussell Bell\u003c\/strong\u003e (guitars, keyboards), \u003cstrong\u003eCedric Sharpley\u003c\/strong\u003e (drums), and \u003cstrong\u003eDenis Haines\u003c\/strong\u003e (keyboards).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDramatis eventually signed to \u003cstrong\u003eElton John\u003c\/strong\u003e’s Rocket label, releasing a string of promising synth pop singles across 1981-82 and a woefully overlooked album ‘\u003cem\u003eFor Future Reference\u003c\/em\u003e’. Perhaps critics couldn’t see past the fact they had been Tubeway Army. Certainly, the records were strong, catchy, contemporary – but success, for the most part, eluded them. Only a single credited to \u003cstrong\u003eGary Numan\u003c\/strong\u003e and Dramatis on their old label Beggars Banquet, ‘\u003cem\u003eLove Needs No Disguise\u003c\/em\u003e’, troubled the Top 40 (reaching #33; their 1982 single ‘\u003cem\u003eI Can See Her Now\u003c\/em\u003e’ reached #57).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSince then, though fans of early ‘80s synth pop have continued to rate Dramatis highly, bemoaning the fact the album had never been re-issued properly on CD (previous efforts shamefully relied on the Numan connection). For the first time, Dramatis’ sole album appears on CD, remastered from the original tapes, swelled by all relevant non-album material and with the welcome bonus of a previously unissued live BBC broadcast from 1982, recorded at London’s Paris Theatre. Curated with the full support of Dramatis members \u003cstrong\u003eRrussell Bell\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eChris Payne\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eDenis Haines\u003c\/strong\u003e, this long-overdue double-CD Digipak reissue will appeal to fans of both the early ‘80s Synth Pop boom and \u003cstrong\u003eGary Numan\u003c\/strong\u003e alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cherry Red","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50459049034059,"sku":"1144579","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0e410f69-fc25-4ce8-b0ff-e796568f28cb_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727216754","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/dramatis","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}