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| recorded = 1973–1974
| venue =
| studio = {{hlist|[[Wally Heider Studios|Wally Heider]] (San Francisco)|[[Record Plant]] ([[Sausalito, California|Sausalito]])|Warner Bros. Studios (North Hollywood)}}
| genre = [[Funk music|Funk]]
| length = 38:23
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}}
'''''Graham Central Station''''' is the
==Background==
In late 1972, [[Larry Graham]] quit [[Sly and the Family Stone]] because of
==Album cover==
The cover photo was taken at the [[Third and Townsend Depot|Third and Townsend Southern Pacific Depot]] in San Francisco.<ref>http://www.musicalmaps.com.au/search/label/selftitledalbumgrahamcentralstation</ref> The station was demolished shortly afterward from 1975—1976.
==Reception==
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}}
Released in 1974, the album peaked at number twenty on the [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Billboard Top Soul Albums]] charts while the single, "Can You Handle It?" peaked at #9 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|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. <ref>https://www.allmusic.com/album/graham-central-station-mw0000186103</ref>
=="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;
<blockquote>"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.<ref>https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4AC9B8BDAC7C4A06969E0B77EE36C809#at_187.596_s</ref></blockquote>
==Covers and samples==
"People" was sampled by [[Das EFX]] and [[Kam (rapper)|KAM]] while "It Ain't No
The line "People, people, people" was also used on [[Santana (band)|Santana]]'s [[Supernatural (Santana album)|Supernatural]] as part of "The Calling"
== Track listing ==
All songs written by [[Larry Graham]] except where indicated. Timings taken from original Warner Bros LP.
{{Track listing
#"We've Been Waiting" – 0:58▼
| headline = Side One
| writer1 =
#"We Be's Gettin' Down" – 4:42▼
| length1 = 0:57
#"Tell Me What It Is" – 5:56▼
#"Can You Handle It?" – 5:12 ▼
| title2 = It Ain't No Fun To Me
#"People" (Larry Graham, [[Freddie Stone]]) – 4:30▼
| writer2 = [[Al Green]]
| length2 = 5:11
| title3 = Hair
| writer3 =
| length3 = 4:55
| writer4 =
| length4 = 4:43
| writer5 =
| length5 = 4:56
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side Two
| writer6 =
| length6 = 5:10
| title7 = People
| length7 = 4:31
| title8 = Why?
| writer8 =
| length8 = 3:37
| title9 = Ghetto
| writer9 =
| length9 = 4:23
}}
== 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)
*Willie "Wild" Sparks – drums▼
*Robert "Butch" Sam – piano (tracks 2), organ (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9), background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7), vocals (track 1)
*David "Dynamite" Vega – guitar▼
▲*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)
*P. Caboose – [[tenor saxophone]]▼
with:
*[[
*[[Lenny Williams]] – vocals▼
*[[Milt Holland]] – percussion (track 4)
▲*[[Lenny Williams]] – vocals (tracks 5 and 9)
*[[Clarence McDonald]] – string arrangements
===Technical===
*Steve Barncard – engineer
*Mike Salisbury - cover design▼
*[[
*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 (photographer)|Herb Greene]] – photography
==Charts==
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|-
| [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Pop Albums]]
| align=center|48<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/
|-
| ''Billboard'' [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Top Soul Albums]]
| align=center|20<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/
|-
|}
| |||