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Graham Central Station (album)

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Graham Central Station
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1974
Recorded1973–1974
Studio
GenreFunk
Length38:23
LabelWarner Bros. Records
ProducerLarry Graham
Russ Titelman
Graham Central Station chronology
Graham Central Station
(1974)
Release Yourself
(1974)

Graham Central Station is the debut album by former Sly and the Family Stone bass player Larry Graham's new band Graham Central Station.

Background

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In late 1972, Larry Graham quit Sly and the Family Stone because of tensions with group leader Sly Stone. After agreeing to produce a band named Hot Chocolate (not to be confused with British pop band Hot Chocolate), he decided to join the band and renamed them Graham Central Station in 1973.

Album cover

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The cover photo was taken at the Third and Townsend Southern Pacific Depot in San Francisco.[1] The station was demolished shortly afterward from 1975—1976.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]

Released in 1974, the album peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Top Soul Albums charts while the single, "Can You Handle It?" peaked at #9 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart.

In his review for Allmusic, Donald A. Guarisco called the track "Hair" "pure magic," adding that it "wraps a clever lyric about tolerance around a huge groove driven by one of Graham's serpentine basslines." He also called out "Can You Handle It?" as another highlight and credited "Ain’t No Fun to Me" and "We Be's Gettin' Down" with making the album "equal parts pop-soul and funk" respectively, but determined overall the lyrics on some songs to be rather underdeveloped and that "casual listeners" may want to pick up the album's best songs on a compilation. [3]

"Hair"

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While not released as a single, the track "Hair" went on to become one of Graham's most popular compositions among fans. Graham has said that like many of his songs, it was built around the bassline, which opens the track.

In a 1995 interview, Graham said of the song's origins;

"Hair. I got into that song because people used to really ask me everywhere; 'Is that really all your hair?' Because I had this hair that was like...BOOM. I mean it was like...you know, hanging down, big 'fro—super 'fro. And people would literally ask me, so that's why I wrote the song.[4]

Covers and samples

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"People" was sampled by Das EFX and KAM while "It Ain't No Fun to Me" was sampled by Da Lench Mob. "It Ain't No Fun to Me" on this album is a cover of the Al Green song.[5][6] The line "People, people, people" was also used on Santana's Supernatural as part of "The Calling"

Track listing

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All songs written by Larry Graham except where indicated. Timings taken from original Warner Bros LP.

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We've Been Waiting" 0:57
2."It Ain't No Fun To Me"Al Green5:11
3."Hair" 4:55
4."We Be's Gettin' Down" 4:43
5."Tell Me What It Is" 4:56
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Can You Handle It?" 5:10
7."People"Larry Graham, Freddie Stone4:31
8."Why?" 3:37
9."Ghetto" 4:23

Personnel

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Musicians

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Graham Central Station
  • Larry Graham – bass (except track 1), fuzz bass (tracks 3 and 7), guitar (tracks 3, 4, and 6), piano (tracks 5, 8, and 9), clavinet (tracks 4, 8, and 9), organ (track 4), drums (tracks 5, 8, and 9), percussion (track 5), lead vocals (tracks 2, 3, and 6), vocals (tracks 1, 5, 7, and 9), and background vocals (track 4), horn arrangements
  • Patryce "Chocolate" Banks – electric funk box (tracks 2, 3, and 6—8), background vocals (tracks 2—4 and 6—8), lead vocals (tracks 4 and 8), vocals (track 1, 5, and 9)
  • Hershall "Happiness" Kennedy – clavinet and trumpet (tracks 2, 3, 6, and 7), organ (track 8), background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 7), vocals (track 1)
  • Robert "Butch" Sam – piano (tracks 2), organ (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9), background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7), vocals (track 1)
  • Willie "Wild" Sparks – drums (tracks 2—4, 6, and 7), vocals (track 1)
  • David "Dynamite" Vega – guitar (tracks 2, 3, 6—8), vocals (track 1)

with:

Technical

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  • Steve Barncard – engineer
  • Donn Landee – engineer
  • Mallory Earl – engineer
  • Tom Flye – engineer, mixed by
  • Lee Herschberg – mixed by
  • Tom Anderson – assistant engineer
  • Steve Jarvis – assistant engineer
  • Trudy Portch – production coordination
  • Herb Greene – photography
  • Mike Salisbury – cover design

Charts

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Chart (1974) Peak
position
Billboard Pop Albums 48[7]
Billboard Top Soul Albums 20[8]

Singles

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Year Single Chart positions[9]
US
Pop
US
Soul
1974 "Can You Handle It?" 49 9
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References

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  1. ^ http://www.musicalmaps.com.au/search/label/selftitledalbumgrahamcentralstation
  2. ^ Guarisco, Donald A.. Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  3. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/graham-central-station-mw0000186103
  4. ^ https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4AC9B8BDAC7C4A06969E0B77EE36C809#at_187.596_s
  5. ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station". the-breaks.com.
  6. ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station". secondhandsongs.com.
  7. ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  8. ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  9. ^ "Graham Central Station US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-09-26.