All Ears Trained on ‘Real Men . . . ‘

The Scene: “Listening Party,” Thursday night at the China Club. On the turntable was the new album “Real Men . . . Wear Black” by the three-man funk group Cameo, and several hundred people, including 66.6% of the band, showed up to lend an ear.

The Entertainment: For those who have never been to one, a listening party for a rock album isn’t quite like an evening at the symphony, with guests listening quietly and applauding between movements. In fact, it’s not much different than a regular party, with guys scamming on girls (and vice versa). And other guests queuing at the bar for sophisticated adult refreshments while the record plays over and over. And over.

Who Was There: Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins of Cameo, along with celebrity guests Priscilla “Three’s Company” Barnes and Sally “Oscar nominee for ‘Anna’ ” Kirkland. Robert and Rosemarie Stack were among the later arrivals. 2 Live Crew’s lead singer, Luther Campbell, was thought to be coming, but he apparently stayed home to wash his hair. Or his mouth.

Dress Code: The title of the album dictated the dress code, though L.A.’s club hoppers hardly need a reason to drag out the black raiment. Some men wore sharp suits that would have looked right at home on Arsenio Hall, while women went for the time-tested, tight fashion model look. (“They looked like hookers,” exclaimed one guest from New York, who was the only one in the room wearing a knee-length, floral-print dress.)

Fashion Statements: Sally Kirkland wore one of her trademark tight dresses accented with pink and yellow flowers in her hair. One man wore shiny, skin-tight black vinyl pants that looked like hip huggers made out of hip waders.

Quoted: Asked if he was a big Cameo fan, Robert Stack replied, “I dig them. They’re part of MTV, which is the motion pictures of today.” Stack also revealed that he used to be a musician, to which his wife, Rosemarie, commented, “Now he just sings in the shower.”

Glitches: Video crews began to annoy on their 800th pass through the crowd. One man at the bar reached over, pretended to disconnect a few dangling wires from a camera positioned precisely three millimeters from his head, and said with a sneer, “Bon soir . “

Photo Op of the Night: What photographer or media crew could resist Robert and Rosemarie Stack cutting a rug on the dance floor.