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.

Graham Central Station
Studio album by Graham Central Station
Released	January 1974
Recorded	1973–1974
Studio	Wally Heider (San Francisco) Record Plant (Sausalito) Warner Bros. Studios (North Hollywood)
Genre	Funk
Length	38:23
Label	Warner Bros. Records
Producer	Larry Graham Russ Titelman
Graham Central Station chronology
Graham Central Station (1974) Release Yourself (1974)

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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

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.

Side One

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

Side Two

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 (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

Chart (1974)	Peak position
Billboard Pop Albums	48
Billboard Top Soul Albums	20

Singles

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

External links

• Graham Central Station-Graham Central Station at Discogs