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.
The album was also released on vinyl in the CD-4 quadraphonic format on Warner Bros. BS4 2763,Discogs - Graham Central Station – Graham Central StationSurround Sound Discography - GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION -, Graham Central Station. Warner Bros. BS4-2763 (CD4) and quadraphonic 8-track cartridge on Warner Bros. WB L9B 2763 in 1974.Discogs - Graham Central Station – Graham Central StationSurround Sound Discography - GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION -, Graham Central Station. Warner Bros. L9B-2763 (Q8)
Album cover The cover photo was taken at the Third and Townsend Southern Pacific Depot in San Francisco.Musical Maps, Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - Graham Central Station / Self Titled Album The station was demolished shortly afterward from 1975 to 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.AllMusic - Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station / Larry Graham, Graham Central Station Review by Donald A. Guarisco
"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.Open Vault - (re-directs to American Archive of Public Broadcasting - Record, Rock and Roll; Interview with Larry Graham (Part 4 of 4)
Covers and samples "It Ain't No Fun to Me", which is a cover of the song by Al Green, was sampled by Da Lench Mob.The-Breaks.com - Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station Second Hand Songs - ALBUM, Graham Central Station by Graham Central Station
"People" was sampled by Das EFX and KAM, while the line "People, people, people" was 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.Graham Central Station (album). Graham Central Station. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records Inc. 1974. BS 2763.
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 (track 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 uncredited – finger snapping and hand clapping on "We've Been Waiting"
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 Chart (1974) Peakposition Billboard Pop Albums48Billboard.com - Central Station: Graham Central Station (Billboard 200) Billboard Top Soul Albums20Billboard.com - Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station (Top Soul Albums)
Singles Year Single Chart positions USPop USSoul1974 "Can You Handle It?" 49 9
Later years In 2024, the album which had a quadraphonic released in 1974, was released in Quadio Blu-Ray Audio format.Surround Sound Discography - GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION -, Graham Central Station. Warner Bros. BS4-2763 (CD4)The Second Disc, July 26, 2024 - NEWS, Do You Want to Dance? Rhino Continues Quadio Series with Bette Midler, Bread, Duke Ellington, Graham Central Station By Joe Marchese, Lastly, Rhino revisits the 1974 debut of Graham Central Station ...RHINO - Graham Central Station GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION (QUADIO) (BLU-RAY AUDIO)
External links Graham Central Station-Graham Central Station at Discogs
References