Customer Reviews

Graham Central Station 2000

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

You'd think by this stage in Larry Grahams incredible and legendary career, that he'd be ready to slow down, content to revisit former glories, but if you'd pressumed that you'd be sorely wrong, as this new release testifies. After seeing Larry Graham live (at Wembley Arena with Prince in 1998) and funking with more energy and passion than most 20 year old's at the bginning of their careers, I'm glad to see that this has been captured on his latest studio release on Prince's NPG Records. As with all releases on the NPG label this is high quality and delivers funk and muscianship that most new R&B sstars could only dream of. The album bursts open with the title track GCS2000 which includes snippets of 'We've been waiting' and a pounding exerpt from 'Releae Yourself'. After that quick reminder the set concentrates on new material and every track is a winner. 'Free' is a mid-paced, funky chug featuring both Prince and Chaka Khan expressing a potent message of freedom. "U Move Me' moves on to love as Larry pledges himself to his lady over a smooth groove that recalls 'A Womans Gotta Have It'. Social concerns arise passionately on the funky, fired-up 'Love oneanother' which sees Larry jamming over the beat from the equally funky 'BillyJackBitch' from Princes "The Gold Experience' album. A welcome 'Prince' feel also arrives on the sets standout cut 'Utopia' which updates the beat of 'Gett Off' and turns it into a charged, funk-ridden masterpiece. Other notable tracks include 'Don't Let 'em Change U' which boasts a seriously soulful chorus and a wondeful piano solo and the delicate, orchestral 'Somebody To Love' which showcases Larry's excellent baritone voice to great effect. The album closes with the booming instrumental 'Imagettin', which kicks along at break-neck pace before concluding with a messy, frenzied bass solo. If you appreciate good funk music or you have followed Larry's career this set will defintely not dissapoint. If GCS 2000 is Larry's preparation for the new millenium, then funkateers will have much to look forward to.

In addition you should check out Larry' contribution to The NPG's 'New Power Soul' on 'Push it Up', Chaka Khan's 'Come To My House' on 'Hair', Democrazy' and ' I Remember U', and Prince's latest album 'Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic' which features Larry on 'Everyday is a Winding Road'. All are avaliable on NPG records and come highly recommended.

Well i was waiting on this release for a long time,after seeing "The Jam of the Year" world tour in Europe with Larry Graham as a funk master opening act.I'm not disappointed! it's brillant!! a mix of Soul/Funk with a great energy from GCS;NPG;Hornheads;0(+>;Clare fisher;DJ Brother Jules.

First track is a nice intro "We've been waiting for so long",uptempo with some nice bass line & hornz arrangements.

Larry with 0(+> & Chaka Khan for a trio on "Free", a great song,about 7 minutes long with nice jams!

"You move me" show us Larry can sing!nice R&B tune,also "Love 4 one another" is the bomb of the cd,a P-Funk style with Michael Bland on drums, an impressive production & a great final with Mayte.

"Don't let em change" is a cool mid-tempo tune, with nice arrangements by Kirk Johnson.

"Utopia",a another song wrote with 0(+> who use a famous Prince sample Hit.

"Groove on" is excellent,a mid-tempo with incredible hornz!!

Also the cd end with a great live Bass solo with Kirk Johnson on drums.

One of the Best prodution 0(+> ever made!!! Graham central central made a great come back with this new release.a must have!

For the first time Larry Graham truly, freely expresses himself. And let me tell you that it was well worth the wait. The CD contains a great blend of new material and couple of fresh renditions of very familiar GCS favorites! And yes Larry is still warning us not to let Armageddon catch us sleeping! This offering leaves no Bout A Dout It that Larry Graham is still one of the funkiest men on the planet! Larry teams up with the artist presently know as Prince and Chaca Khan on this CD. He gets a little help from his wife Tina on the new rendition of Just Be My Lady! The CD is full of funk! Larry includes a medley of some of his most recognizable bass solos! This is a great CD. It isn't hard to hear Prince's influence on both the vocal and musical arrangements! Both Prince and Chaca can be heard on many of the background (and foreground) parts. If you are a fan of Funk and smooth ballads, then this is a must have CD for you. Larry Graham is the originator of the Thumping and Plucking style of playing the bass and he proves on this release that there isn't anyone who does it better!! Larry I know that Dell and Mama M are proud!

You like the cool-experimental funky sound of Prince? - So i think you like this CD. But you like the sound of Larry Graham & Graham Central Station? - Hmm... i don't know... Most of the tracks have a good funky groove, but with a little much experimental touch (this must be the influence of the Paisley Park Studio). I and my wife loves the wonderful ballad "I Just Found Sombody To Love". The end of the latest track ("I'magettin'") is very ugly, like the track "Earthquake" from the GC's LP from 1977, with an infernalic guitar solo (only, you like Hendryx-like music). The lyrics on this CD are nice and some are a good witness for the truth.

GCS 2000 is a wonderful tribute to music and truth! I love this album. Larry's voice is timeless. This has to be one of his best!

If you like TAFKAP, you'll sure like Larry. These days it's very difficult to find artists who make hot funk like TAFKAP does. During the latest tour of TAFKAP we where blown away by Larry: amazing bassist who is able to make the audience go wild! Well, do not think he can't do this on his records... you're warned;-)

straight up larry graham is a music legend.his bass style of playing was ground-breaking.back with sly&the family stone.his 70's grooves still rock.that was as good as it would get.this album showcases his talent but isn't good at all.prince can't do nothing for him musically.prince should try to get with Sly and then you might get results.u move me is a cool track that prince should have kept for himself for something catchy.but this album is boring and the production is weak.larry graham is not a lead vocalist.if you want a bass player that gives you something all thru an album then check out bootsy's straight out of p' university.

Can't help but saying this. But when this album came out in the late 90's,I came to my own conclusion that all new funk being released was totally co-opted by contemporary hip-hop. Hip-Hop was a genre totally spun off of funk. And by this time it seemed to be eating it's father music for lunch. And that cannibalistic relationship I perceived between hip-hop and funk seemed to have affected Prince (yes-I do and did than called him that),who was the primary reason this album even came together. Larry Graham had been completely absent artistically since he appeared in a less than inspired (musically anyway) duet with Aretha Franklin in 1986 and his final solo album Fired Up a year previous. Prince at this point was both showing his respect for his influences while shooting himself commercially in the foot by bolstering the career of funk/R&B legacy artists. First it was Mavis Staples and George Clinton in the late 80's. And than it was Larry Graham a decade later. Now at first the combination of Larry and Prince looked very exciting. Interestingly enough while Larry was eager to make a comeback,Prince wasn't in his best place commercially at this time. And of course there was that aforementioned hip-hop/funk relationship of the era. These things were all a factor on this album. But they all came together in a way even I couldn't expect.

Bringing back the original members of GCS and the Family Stone on the opening title track,the song takes the chant of "We've Been Waiting" from Graham Central Station and mixes in this hyperactive modern percussive funk jam showing Larry and the crew having not missed one stepped. "Free",which brings Chaka Khan into the mix slows it down but stays in the same place. This musically owes somewhat more to where Prince was at that time than Larry. But since the difference was only marginal?Why not? Now "U Move Me" and "Love 4 1 Another",the former with this great opening synth solo with the similar intent of GCS's old organ drum box effect and it works wonderfully. A couple of ballads,including a remake of "Just Be My Lady" aren't particularly moving-unlike many GCS ballads these don't particularly punch you out. Their closer to the more melodramatic ballads of Larry's solo career. While excellent cuts in execution "Utopia" and "Groove On" will take you a little time to see how really JB/Prince derived they truly are-the whole production is so hip-hop oriented you have to peel back the layers with your own ears to hear it. The album ends similar to the way it began with the exciting,instrumentally thick "Magettin'",which ends with a very psychedelic voice/percussive fanfare that's a bit atypical of Larry's approach but ends the album with a bang.

Honestly this was an album I've had for a long time. And only scanned a few songs once at that time before setting it aside. This was a couple years after it came out. At the time,the reasoning was personal. I wasn't much into the "new funk" coming out of the day,believing it wasn't actually funk at all. I just felt as if hip-hop was absorbing everything. Since than I've listened to a lot of hip-hop,mostly from the 80's and 90's though,and since I enjoy exploring under appreciated areas of my music collection I decided to give this one a more full on listen with my more expanded ears. And I can't really give it anything less than my two thumbs up. True-there are a few cuts here that are less than ideal. But the fact is to keep up such a consistent level of quality and original flavor from one tune to the other is a lot more than I'd expect from Graham,who'd been absent well over a decade before this release. True-the cross influence of Larry and Prince had it's pluses and minuses (musically and otherwise) but this along with Chaka Khan's Come 2 My House represent Prince's absolute best efforts in dealing with legacy performers and keeping them from...well becoming nothing but legacy performers.

To start,this is one of the hardest,thumping stank;I heard from the 90's. Stank,as forget about being pretty,posing on the dancefloor. Sweat that funk out. Get callosues on your hands and fingers,if you play bass and congos,percussions,clap your hands,stomp your feet on the One. Not the fourth,the One. Larry,Prince,Chaka; are in top form, here. I have an very funkide collection of music. Play bass,congos,timbales,percussions,keys. The c.d.,starts off with a melody of hardcore funk.Then the master cut="Free". Had to put repeat on it. The slow jams,are more like funk/slow cuts. Even, the most hardcore funk master;like me. Would have to put repeat on. Love the bass/drum solo. Remembers me, of when my late bro was alive. How we used to play together=him on bass,me on congos,only. My late bro,thumping on that fender,me tearing the skins off the congos. Old School, has written off;hardcore funk. But,the New School,has picked up. What,the Old School;has rejected. I play bass,now.To keep the legacy of my late bro. They,are his.His six-year neice;my daughter is going to play them.She already plays timbales,percussion,cuts the wheels of steel,bongos. This release is a legacy.People,might think Prince is done.He isn't. He,Chaka;are giving honor to Living Funk Legend.I might be out of my mind.To say this;but the Old School needs to have their minds,checked. For us hardcore funk people,we need the Hardcore Funk School. To protect our Hardcore Funk people,like Larry Graham.Sure he did some cuts to blend in. but, he returned to The Hardcore Funk with this. There are so many funk people,they are forgotten,about. Like Billy Preston,Marvin Isley,Ronnie Wilson,Mahila Franklin of P-Funk and all of P-Funk,Val Young,etc. I highly would say; get this cut. For yourself,your kids. My six-year daughter;knows the funk and the funk sign. That sign isn't a rock sign,it's a funk sign from hardcore funk. Put them Funk Signs in the air.

Opinion time. Larry Graham chose The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (Prince) to help produce this album with him after a 13 year hiatus and signed to Prince's NPG label, Prince is in control. Trouble brewing.

Let's go back in time a little bit to a one time Paisley Park Records where Prince attempted to bring back legends and reinvent them with his sound. George Clinton, Mavis Staples, Dale (Missing Persons) are examples. Where Prince failed them and where Paisley Park Records is like the label never existed now.

On GCS 2000, the start ain't nothing but Prince, the sound ain't nothing but Prince. More like Prince and the NPG featuring Larry Graham instead of Graham Central Station. The "Intro" and "Just B My Lady (1998)" are saddened remakes. Instead of me dissing L.G.'s comeback effort let me speak of the good of this album. The bass: The man hasn't lost a touch with age. His bass playing still keeps him in the game, most definitely. Better songs: "Don't Let 'em Change U", "I Just Found Somebody To Love" and you must check out "I'magettin'", mindblowin'.

GCS 2000 is not a very good comeback album for older, not much wiser, but still funky as heck Larry Graham but the attempt of an icon after all these years is worth a hearing, if you choose not to listen.