Graham Central Station (album)

Graham Central Station
Studio album by Graham Central Station
Released	January 1974
Recorded	1973–1974
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)

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.

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

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.

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, 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 on "Tell Me What It Is"
• Pascal Caboose - tenor saxophone on "It Ain't No Fun to Me", "Hair", "Can You Handle It?", and "People"
• Milt Holland – percussion on "We Be's Gettin' Down"
• Lenny Williams – vocals on "Tell Me What It Is" and "Ghetto"
• 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
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