- Source: Graham Central Station (album)
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
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
The cover photo was taken at the Third and Townsend Southern Pacific Depot in San Francisco. The station was demolished shortly afterward from 1975—1976.
Reception
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.
"Hair"
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.
Covers and samples
"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.
The line "People, people, people" was also used on Santana's Supernatural as part of "The Calling"
Track listing
All songs written by Larry Graham except where indicated. Timings taken from original Warner Bros LP.
The original cassette version places "Why" at the end of side A and "Hair" at the start of side B.
Personnel
= Musicians
=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:
Freddie Stone – guitar (track 5)
Pascal Caboose - tenor saxophone (tracks 2, 3, 6, and 7)
Milt Holland – percussion (track 4)
Lenny Williams – vocals (tracks 5 and 9)
Clarence McDonald – string arrangements
= Technical
=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
= Singles
=External links
Graham Central Station-Graham Central Station at Discogs