Customer Reviews

Graham Central Station

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first heard the bassline for hair, I nearly climaxed!
HOTDAMNNNNNN! This was the fonkiest slap an' tickle, honky tonk, ghetto cruising, soul stealing, gospel hollering, doo wap scattin' disc I ever heard. I still put on 'We've been waiting' when I get up in the morning, cause it take me up to a sacred place, where no one can touch me. 'Aint no fun' is the finest of covers, 'Can you handle it?' has the funniest over the top top vocals, and ,Tell me what it is' takes us back down the funk box road to 'Riot goin on.'

Pure funk, pure soul, undiluted and raw. If only such bands thrived today...

WOW

I am ripping songs into my iPod and got to the G's. My big sis introduced me to this album waaaaay back in 1976. We were Sly fans and of course we dug Larry. I still listen to this often. I am one to "keepsake". One of those keepsakes was the pricetag on the CD I am ripping. Anyone who lives in Austin TX knows Waterloo Records. "If they didn't have it they would order it". Well I ordered it alright in early 90s...to the tune of $26.99 American (still have the price tag on it!). Funny to see it listed for 9 and change now! Still...no regrets...cause I was FUNKIFIED way back. If you enjoy funk ('aDelic...Bro Johnson...Sly...etc...GET THIS NOW!) And check out the orig "It Ain't No Fun To Me" Al Green off of "Let's Stay Together". Community is a good thing.

Like most people, I knew all about Sly and the Family Stone long before I realized that his bass player broke out on his own. In fact, the first time I ever heard this album, I didn't know it was fronted by Larry Graham, I just thought, This mother-funky album sounds a bit like Sly, but... FUNKIER?! Could such a thing be possible? In my opinion, yes! Sly has a sometimes fun, sometimes soulfully oozing sound, with a healthy dose of funk, but this album is a fresh-cut slice of FONK. It's got a gospel flavour, but that popping bass and the freaked-out lyrics take it to a pop level. The vocal stylings by "Chocolate" (as she styles herself) are straight from the gut. It's great. The whole album is uneven, stylistically, and a couple of the cuts are not quite up to par (like maybe a 4.5 out of 5), but it hardly matters -- as a cohesive whole, it's just delectable. If you like Sly but want a churchier, more purely funky sound, this album is for you.

Larry Graham tells the story of how he was playing in church, and one day the drummer didn't show up, so to compensate for the absence of the kick and snare he started "popping" on his bass, and that's how it all started... Well, you won't find him at your local Baptist church revival these days... he became a Jehovah Witness, and last I heard was on tour with Prince, but if we slip back in time, Graham Central Station definitely was one of the hardest hitting funk bands to emerge on that WB label... he was wedged between Tower of Power, Sly and The Family Stone (of which he was a key member), Little Feet, and the Doobie Brothers (white boy but still kickin' funk, pardon the expression)... To this day "The Jam" (found on Ain't No Doubt About It) is a dance floor groove anthem. This album though is hard hitting... there's that Sly Stone influence, and *IMHO* a bit of "Southern Rock" type Boogie - - anotherwords, leaning more towards the Mandrill and War side of funk and less towards the space funk of George Clinton and Bootsy Collins. This album would definitely make a great follow up in your collection wedged between a bit of Sly and Bobby Womack and a few Mother's Finest and AWB albums... and maybe some COLD BLOOD. (Ain't No Doubt About It kind of crosses back to the other side of the tracks and has a more urban sound.)

Right on for Grahahm Central Station ! ! !

The kids that seek for groove and beat do have to listen to this little piece of art. GCS's debut album is a reference for funk and soul lovers. The highlights - Hair, Tell Me What It Is and Ghetto - show all Larry's ability as a bassist and bandleader. Buy it and be happy!

My first experience of listening to Graham central station was nearly 28 yeas ago,a generous cousin of mine who himself is a muscian gave me a album, release your self, from then I became captivated by the innovative style of Larry Graham, and his creative, slaptick funk, superlative bass sound,as well as his abilty to play almost any instrument on his LP. obviously I went on a search for all his album Graham Central station, this album made even more of an impact than his first.

This was a more heavey brand of funk, mixed with gospel soulful rendition, " we been waiting" "Hair" and "Ghetto" and "can you handle it" this was Larry Graham at is creative best,of course most would say that he carried on where Sly & Family Stone, failed to deliver, particularly after their mixed review album, " there's a riot goin" Larry Graham who will always be mentioned as former member of Sly& family Stone, Brought bass playing to a new level to all bass enthusiats, not only of course in America but to Bass Musicians in the United Kingdom, ask any well renowed bass muscians from the sixties, and seventies, whether Hard or Progressive rock not to mention Funk, Larry Graham's name will be mentioned as the innovative bass technician, who took bass playing to a new dimension,

Larry Graham astutely merged his musical brilliance with his range of deep mellow vocal chords to produce music at an era where musicianship was and still is appreciated, the fact that he has been associated with Prince ( formely known as the artist) tells us something of Larry Grahams appeal. although my album is not with me but some where in my parents basement, I will be purchasing Graham Central Station on CD, Unfortunately in England, music of rare quality are difficult to locate, but the world is a small place, when I visit America, I will make sure that I get Graham Central Station on CD. A MUST FOR ALL. remember the seed goes back to the Sly Stone era. Larry Graham has always been there. he took the mantle from Sly and has never looked back.

Although I've been exposed to LG's gospel compositions,
and his more popular soul performances (Sly Stone era),
I'm basing my rating on the group as a whole,i.e.,
'The Graham Central Station'. This is the first group
I know of who fused soul (gospel based) and rock thus
creating a new sound "FUNK". Other groups came later and
the category was, then, established. But, to my recollection,
no other group was putting out this sound prior to GCS, as
no other group wrote popular music with base guitar up front.

In closing, I have a few albums and I'm looking to get CD releases. Also, it would be nice if video footage of GCS's
live shows from 'Don Kirshner's Rock Concert' were avaiable
Kirshner showcased GCS a lot. I'd like my kids (budding muscians)to have the total experience - sight and sound!
~mic~

The best album by GCS. Great cover of Al Green's "Ain't no fun to me." Check out the grooves of "Hair" and "Tell me what it is." Essential funk!Larry Graham picks up where Sly dropped off.

My first experience of listening to Graham central station was nearly 28 yeas ago,a generous cousin of mine who himself is a muscian gave me a album, release your self, from then I became captivated by the innovative style of Larry Graham, and his creative, slaptick funk, superlative bass sound,as well as his abilty to play almost any instrument on his LP. obviously I went on a search for all his album Graham Central station, this album made even more of an impact than his first.

This was a more heavey brand of funk, mixed with gospel soulful rendition, " we been waiting" "Hair" and "Ghetto" and "can you handle it" this was Larry Graham at is creative best,of course most would say that he carried on where Sly & Family Stone, failed to deliver, particularly after their mixed review album, " there's a riot goin" Larry Graham who will always be mentioned as former member of Sly& family Stone, Brought bass playing to a new level to all bass enthusiats, not only of course in America but to Bass Musicians in the United Kingdom, ask any well renowed bass muscians from the sixties, and seventies, whether Hard or Progressive rock not to mention Funk, Larry Graham's name will be mentioned as the innovative bass technician, who took bass playing to a new dimension,

Larry Graham astutely merged his musical brilliance with his range of deep mellow vocal chords to produce music at an era where musicianship was and still is appreciated, the fact that he has been associated with Prince ( formely known as the artist) tells us something of Larry Grahams appeal. although my album is not with me but some where in my parents basement, I will be purchasing Graham Central Station on CD, Unfortunately in England, music of rare quality are difficult to locate, but the world is a small place, when I visit America, I will make sure that I get Graham Central Station on CD. A MUST FOR ALL. remember the seed goes back to the Sly Stone era. Larry Graham has always been there. he took the mantle from Sly and has never looked back.

The album cover on the site is for "Ain't no bout a doubt it" and the song list is Graham Central Station. These are two different releases but they are both great. In the Sly & the family stone flavor. GCS features Can you handle it and Hair. Aint no.. is great with The Jam, Your Love #1 soul I can't Stand the rain and more. Tower of Power horns.Hopefully they (CD's) will both be displayed correctly soon.