THE FIVE WORST ALBUMS TO PLAY AT A PARTY

With applications like Spotify, you now have access to millions of songs on demand.  That's a lot of options for party music—maybe too many options.   So let's go ahead and eliminate a few of them from your party playlist.  Plain and simple, these are buzzkills: 

5. Songs From A Room by Leonard Cohen

4. Lady in Satin by Billie Holiday

3. Phono-cylinders, Vol. 1 Edited By And From The Collection of George Blacker

2. Innocent Eyes by Graham Nash

1. Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Poems & Songs 1949-1993, Vol. 1- Moloch! by Allen Ginsburg

SINGLES GOING STEADY: "MAMA TOLD ME NOT TO COME" AS PERFORMED BY JACKSON 5

"Mama Told Me Not To Come" is Randy Newman's best party song.  Originally written for Eric Burdon & The Animals in 1966, Mama became a genuine hit for Three Dog Night, after being released almost simultaenously with Newman's own version on his second album 12 Songs in 1970.  Its legacy has lasted for more than 40 years thanks to a long list of covers by artists who were probably hoping to capitalize on its classic hit-song reputation.  

As evidenced by the 2012 rarities compilationCome And Get It: The Rare Pearls,  one group hoping to strike gold with "Mama Told Me Not To Come" was none other than Jackson 5.   It's funny that the most psychedelic and trippy version of a song about LA's notorious party scene was recorded by youngsters, who had no idea what they were singing about (at least we should hope so).  Perhaps that's why the label executives deemed the song too controversial to actually release it as a single.

One can see how some audiences would have a problem with it.  After all, little Michael Jackson is singing about being offered whiskey (among other bizarre things).  Then again, one can also make the argument that this is why Jackson 5 were the perfect artists to record it.   The song is essentially about feeling alienated at a party.  With lyrics like "what are these crazy questions they're asking at me?" and "that cigarette you're smoking nearly scared me half to death" there is an obvious naivete and innocence in the song, making it actually less meaningful when 27 year-old Newman performs it  and more meaningful when kids like Jackson 5 do.  It's like the cool high school jock invited little Michael to a party and he had no idea what he was in for. 

The psychedelia is felt in the typical 70s sonics of Jackson 5's version.  Among countless lush elements,  the song contains plenty of wha and brass.  Then—oh my god!—there is Michael's lead vocal.  Obviously imitating Randy Newman, it's one of the best and funniest vocal takes this kid ever gave.  It's genius—and not just in concept.  His phrasing is so amazing and intuitive that you can't help but remind yourself that MJ had "It." 

Mama Told Me Not To Come by Jackson 5

Mama Told Me Not To Come by Randy Newman (Studio and Live Versions)

Mama Told Me (Not To Come) by Three Dog Night

SINGLES GOING STEADY: "MAMA I'M IN LOVE WIT A GANGSTA" BY COOLIO (FEAT. LASHAUN)

I was driving in Venice Beach, CA when I heard this terrific song by Coolio from his underrated 1994 debut It Takes A Thief.  When I saw the album for 50 cents at the record store, I thought "Hey, I have 50 cents" and quickly snagged it.

Coolio is from Compton—a neighborhood, which during another California drive, I learned has a serious gang problem (that's for another post though).  Like other West Coast rappers, a lot of Coolio's lyrics describe gang related issues in South-Central Los Angeles.  It goes without saying that the glorification of gang life has made the whole rap genre notoriously controversial.  Even when the most successful rappers received recognition in the mid to late 80s, they were often snubbed by radio stations (sometimes justifiably) and also by the Grammy Awards.  Even when the Grammys acknowledged rap's growing popularity, as they did with the addition of the "Best Rap Performance" category in 1989, the award presentation was not even televised.  Fun Fact: the award went to arguably the least controversial popular rap song of the time, "Parent's Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.  

So where does Coolio fit in to this? Coolio is slightly different than his SCLA predecessors like Ice-T, NWA and Ice- Cube—artists who were most often accused of glorifying gangs and violence.  While he isn't a pacifist, as evidenced on It Takes A Thief,  he doesn't really condone gangbanging.  

His objection to it is no more evident than on "Mama I'm In Love Wit A Gangsta," which features a virtually unknown singer named LaShaun.  The song is basically a series of correspondances between a gangster in prison and a woman—the mother of his children— who remains in love with him.  However, she's tempted by a new man (just a "friend") who has a Lexus and a condo in Texas and promises her a better life.  She doesn't have the courage to abandon her lover in prison though, especially when he threatens violence from inside his cell.  Still, she can't help but acknowledge that "in another life" her friend "might have been the man of [her] dreams."  It's powerful stuff.   LaShaun is a convincing actress. You can tell that her character is smart.  It's sad knowing she's on the edge of choosing a better life for herself and her kids, who "keep asking about their Papa." 

Musically, the song is aided fantastically by two great samples: "Mystic Voyage" by Ron Ayers and "Coolin' Me Out" by The Isley Brothers.  Sonically, it makes "Mama I'm In Love Wit A Gangsta" very accessible.  The song became a small hit, reaching number 49 on the Hot Rap Singles chart in 1994.

"Mama I'm In Love Wit A Gangsta" by Coolio (Feat. LaShaun)

"Mystic Voyage" by Ron Ayers

"Coolin' Me Out" by Isley Brothers

It Takes A Thief by Coolio