10 from 5

AMG Review of 10 from 5

Bradley Torreano
All Music Guide

Serving as a sampler to promote Hi-Fi Sci-Fi, 10 From 5 is a simple collection of excellent songs that manages to collect some of the band's less-recognized ock tracks together. Classic rockers like "Last Cigarette" and "Some Crazy Dame" rub shoulders with later-period gems like "Haven't Got a Clue" and "Work for Food," displaying the band's undeniable quality and skill despite its nonexistent mainstream status. Although all these songs are preferable on the original albums, this collection does focus the bandmembers' vision into that of hip ock traditionalists more than the punk-inspired anti-stars they really were. This sort of streamlining may have been what they needed to break into the public eye, but their dedication to quality music came before everything else, and that's fine with their cult of loyal listeners. Besides this particular style of presenting their catalog, the only other notable feature of this collection is the somewhat rare acoustic version of "Work for Food," which is a simple and gorgeous take on a wonderful pop song. It's hard to recommend something like this if only because their albums are where they really used to cook, but as a sampling of Dramarama's harder-rocking material this is a great way to get a first taste of the band's sound.