Album of the Day

When flagship alternative station KROQ put Dramarama's pulsing “Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)” into rotation, the group got the message – they left New Jersey to pursue their rock dreams in Los Angeles. Their debut, CINEMA VERITE, shows the band was ready for its closeup; while the aforementioned single remains the 1985 set's best known song, the album is packed with sharp originals (“Scenario,” “Some Crazy Dame”) and well-chosen covers (David Bowie's “Candidate,” The Velvet Underground's “Femme Fatale”). These guys knew their rock history – cofounder Chris Carter went on to host his own Beatles radio program – but they also knew how to give it a fresh, insistent spin; the passion in John Easdale's voice doesn't come from any book.  CINEMA VERITE celebrates its 30th anniversary today, and if rock of the '80s has any appeal to you, do anything, anything to lay hands on it...