LIVE AT SING SING  -  MOMS MABLEY

YEAR:  1970

LABEL:  Mercury

TRACK LISTING:  Monologue I,  Monologue II:  Go Tell It On the Mountain

IMPRESSIONS:  We all know Moms Mabley is hilarious.  But there's something extra hilarious and really ironic about the back cover of the album.  There is a blurb written by Bill Cosby which, due to recent events, is hilariously ironic to say the least.  I've just got to quote it here because have to see it to believe it:  "I know if I were an inmate and I heard that Moms Mabley was coming, sexually I would not be too excited.  But once I start to think about it, I would begin to realize the groovy things that Moms would bring to me. . . .Laughter is one of the most important things in life to depressed and disturbed human beings, and I know that Moms realized this when she went to Sing Sing -- and she delivered.  If I'm ever busted for anything, I hope that Moms comes to my prison and does a concert and I'll ask for an eight-by-ten picture of her in the nude.  -- Bill Cosby".  I mean . . . . just wow.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  As usual with Moms Mabley albums, there's a Side One and a Side Two . . . so all of 'em.

FACT SHEET:  LIVE AT SING SING is Moms Mabley's nineteenth album (more or less).  Monologue II features a version of the song "Go Tell It On The Mountain" that was arranged by Moms Mabley.  The back of the album contains liner notes/blurbs written by Bill Cosby and Merv Griffin.  All original material was written by Moms Mabley and Eddie Parton.

MOMS MABLEY AT THE "UN"  -  MOMS MABLEY

YEAR:  1961
LABEL:  Chess
TRACK LISTING:  Side A,  Side B
IMPRESSIONS:  This is one of my favourite Moms Mabley albums.  Pretty much every Moms Mabley album is the same:  hilarious!  So it's a little difficult to choose one from the other and say anything relevant about it other than Moms does her stand-up routine in front of a live audience and is hysterically funny.  Perhaps this album she's a little funnier so I chose it to post about; in fact, the recent documentary "WHOOPI GOLDBERG PRESENTS MOMS MABLEY" uses quite a few clips from this album.  But really it's to refresh everyone's memory about this groundbreaking (an adjective Mabley actually deserves) comedian who was the most successful female comic on the planet during her heyday.  With her dentures out and her housecoat and floppy hat on, Moms Mabley is one of those people who could truly read the phone book and be funny.
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  There are no tracks as such but merely side a and side b so all of 'em.
FACT SHEET:  AT THE "UN" is Moms Mabley's second album (perhaps) and was recorded live at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia.