Graham Central Station is the self-titled debut album by former Sly and the Family Stone bass player Larry Graham's new band, "Graham Central Station".
| Graham Central Station | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973–1974 | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 38:23 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |||
| Producer | Larry Graham Russ Titelman | |||
| Graham Central Station chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
In late 1972, Larry Graham quit Sly and the Family Stone because of tension between Larry and 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.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
Released in 1974, the album peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Top Soul Albums charts while single, "Can You Handle It?" peaked at #9 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart.
Covers and samples
"People" was sampled by Das EFX and KAM while "It Ain't No Thang to Me" was sampled by Da Lench Mob. The Graham Central Station also covered Al Green's "It Ain't No Fun to Me" on the album.[2][3] 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.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We've Been Waiting" | 0:57 | |
| 2. | "It Ain't No Fun To Me" | Al Green | 5:11 |
| 3. | "Hair" | 4:55 | |
| 4. | "We Be's Gettin' Down" | 4:43 | |
| 5. | "Tell Me What It Is" | 4:56 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Can You Handle It?" | 5:10 | |
| 7. | "People" | Larry Graham, Freddie Stone | 4:31 |
| 8. | "Why?" | 3:37 | |
| 9. | "Ghetto" | 4:23 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Graham Central Station
- Larry Graham – bass, fuzz bass, guitar, piano, Clavinet, organ, drums, lead and backing vocals, horn arrangements
- Hershall "Happiness" Kennedy – clavinet, trumpet
- Willie "Wild" Sparks – drums
- David "Dynamite" Vega – guitar
- Robert "Butch" Sam – piano, organ
- Patryce "Choc'Let" Banks – vocals, drum programming, electric funk box
with:
- Freddie Stone – guitar
- Pascal Caboose - tenor saxophone
- Milt Holland – percussion
- Lenny Williams – vocals
- Clarence McDonald – string arrangements
Technical
- Steve Barncard, Donn Landee, Mallory Earl, Tom Flye - engineer
- Mike Salisbury - cover design
- Herb Greene – photography
Charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums | 48[4] |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums | 20[5] |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions[6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US Soul | |||
| 1974 | "Can You Handle It?" | 49 | 9 | |
External links
References
- ^ Guarisco, Donald A.. Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station". the-breaks.com.
- ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station". secondhandsongs.com.
- ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Graham Central Station US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-09-26.