Dramarama - The Days of Wayne and Roses (The Trash Tapes)

A lot of naysayers claim that Dramarama are notorious for offering one or two stunning songs on any given album, and merely pad the remainder with filler. Nonsense. While the band may have peaked in the mid-80s, all five of their 1985 through 1993 LPs, (Cinema Verite, Box Office Bomb, Stuck In Wonderamaland, Vinyl , and Hi-Fi Sci-Fi) solidy exude consistency, just so long as one invests two or three dedicated listens. When they were at the top of his their, John Easdale and crew were capable of delivering some of the most melodic, off-kilter power-pop songs that you could ever dare to wrap your head around.

As a gift of sorts to their fans, in 1992 Dramarama, issued The Days of Wayne and Roses (The Trash Tapes), a fan club CD release limited to 1000 copies. I was fortunate to come across a brand new copy on Ebay several years ago, without having to shell out a left nut. Primarily, this compilation gathers numerous demos and outtakes, spanning 1981-92. Over half of these tracks later appeared on the now out of press deluxe Rhino reissues of the aforementioned Cinema Verite and Box Office Bomb, which means the emphasis here is on their earlier recordings. Most Dramarama die-hards won't have any complaints about that, but then again Days of Wayne... is designed for the die-hards.

01. A Fine Example
02. If Looks Could Kill
03. Want Her to Stay
04. Pretend
05. Some Crazy Dame
06. Punishment
07. Worse Than Being Myself
08. It's Still Warm
09. Hitchiking (w/Willie Loco)
10. Pumps On a Hill
11. Would You Like
12. The Kids
13. Last Cigarette (w/Wes)
14. I've Got Spies
15. Train Going Backwards
16. Reflected
17. (untitled)

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