Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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An exuberant mid-'70s funk group, Graham Central Station made some fine singles for Warner Bros. Former Sly & the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham renamed Hot Chocolate (not the British group) Graham Central Station after he moved from producing the group to playing with it. The group included Graham, guitarist David Vega, keyboardists Robert Sam and Hershall Kennedy, percussionist Patrice Banks, and drummer Willie Sparks. They utilized the identical funk cum rock and soul formula of Sly, though in not quite as imaginative a fashion. Their debut single, Can You Handle It, reached number nine on the R&B charts, and they landed a number one record in 1975 with Your Love. They recorded as Graham Central Station from 1974 to 1977, then as Larry Graham & Graham Central Station in 1978, and during their final year were called Larry Graham with Graham Central Station.

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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This promising 1974 album represents bass wizard Larry Graham's first post-Sly and the Family Stone work. Much like his previous band, Graham Central Station was a multiracial unit that blended soul grooves and pop hooks to create an exuberant hybrid. However, Graham Central Station gives Graham's bass work a more upfront role in the sound and adds further layers of rhythms with drum machines and rhythmic-sounding keyboards like the clavinet. The result is a disc that is equal parts pop-soul ("Ain't No Fun to Me") and funk ("We Be Gettin' Down"). The blend isn't as seamless as one might hope, which means some songs are stronger on groove then they are on melody: "Tell Me What It Is" has a great groove built on a seamless mix of thumping bass and throbbing drum machine, but lacks the melodic hooks necessary to make it a truly memorable song. Another problem is that the lyrics are underdeveloped in places: "People" rails against injustice but fails to point the finger at a specific cause, and "Why?" treads on too-familiar love lament territory. Despite these problems, Graham Central Station remains an engaging listen thanks to fine musicianship; even when the songs are lacking in hooks, there is an abundance of cool riffs and stellar vocal harmonies that will make funk fans smile. When this musicianship is applied to the right songs, the results are pure magic: "Hair" wraps a clever lyric about tolerance around a huge groove driven by one of Graham's serpentine basslines, and "Can You Handle It?" effectively fuses a pop melody built on a sing-along chorus to a propulsive bass/keyboard groove (it also became the group's first chart hit). In short, casual listeners may want to pick up this album's highlights on a compilation, but funk lovers will find plenty to enjoy on Graham Central Station.

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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After a tentative but promising 1973 debut album, Graham Central Station returned the next year with a head-spinning blend of R&B styles that realized their promise in a truly impressive fashion. Release Yourself touches on everything from gospel music to psychedelia, as the band puts forth an impressive set of songs that strike an effective balance between accessibility and complexity. This time, keyboards carry a new level of importance: songs like "G.C.S." and "I Believe in You" flow forth on elaborate keyboard riffs layered with plenty of spacey synthesizer leads. The album's most impressive achievements are the title track, a pulse-pounding tribute to the joys of self expression that combines churchy organ riffs and stately horns over a furiously-paced bass/clavinet rhythm, and "Tis Your Kind of Music," a psychedelic-funk masterpiece that has Patryce "Chocolate" Banks and Graham trading sultry lead vocals over an otherworldly blend of keyboard and Mellotron riffs with a fluid bassline. Another stunner is "Today," a funk-rock workout that starts with a slowly-woven tapestry of keyboard riffs before launching into a cosmic vocal section that underscores the group's choral harmonies with some fiery guitar leads. Although it lacks an overtly pop-flavored classic like "Can You Handle It?" or "Your Love," nothing on this album is less than interesting thanks to stellar arrangements and the group's obvious love for what they do the sunny energy that propels songs like the title track and "Got to Get Through It" is positively infectious. The result is a true gem that is a treat for funk fanatics and a required listen for anyone with a serious interest in Graham Central Station.

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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On their third album, Graham Central Station created an album full of trademark infectious pop-soul grooves, but one that lacked the consistently strong work that defines a true classic. However, that doesn't mean that Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It is less than listenable: in fact, it contains some of the group's finest songs. The album's all-time funk classic is the opening track "The Jam," a "Dance to the Music"-styled funk workout that intersperses a dazzling group groove with individual solos for each player. "Water" is another strong funk tune, an insistently rhythmic song that blends thump-popping basslines with backwards tape loops to create an intriguing blend of funk and psychedelia. Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It also produced a number one R&B smash in "Your Love," which marries the group's talent for funky grooves to an old-fashioned love song with a melody that harkens back to doo wop. However, not everything on Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It is as strong as these highlights: "It Ain't Nothing but a Warner Bros. Party" is a lightweight jam with throwaway lyrics, and the group's rote version of the Ann Peebles classic "I Can't Stand the Rain" fails to add anything memorable to the song. All in all, Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It lacks the strong material to make it memorable, but its high points make it a worthwhile listen for funk enthusiasts.

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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The irony to this album is that the group's music is funky as always, but its lyrical content has many gospel and religious overtones. Though the title track was not a featured release, its synth-propelled rhythm and stirring vocals blend well on this moderately uptempo number. The Top 20 single "Love" is arranged in a free-flowing, mellow tempo. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard R&B charts. It was followed by the juiced-up funk track "Entrow." Supported by its unwavering beat, group members take turns on vocals and musical exhibitions. While "Save Me" has an aggressive disco groove, the lyric is religious as the title reflects. "I Got a Reason" and "Forever" have similar religious messages. With Larry Graham being the writer on every song on the album, it is highly likely that he was experiencing a transformation in his personal and professional life.

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Benny Golson is hardly the first person one would expect to co-produce a funk/soul album. In the late '50s, the Philadelphian made a name for himself in the jazz world playing tenor sax alongside the likes of Lee Morgan and Curtis Fuller in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers -- and his name continues to be synonymous with hard bop. But there isn't a trace of bop to be found on My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me, a funk/soul LP that Golson produced with Larry Graham. This record marked the first time that Graham called his band Larry Graham & Graham Central Station (as opposed to simply Graham Central Station). But despite the name change and despite Golson's presence, Radio is state-of-the-art GCS - gritty 1970s funk jams ("Pow," "Boogie Witcha, Baby," "It's the Engine in Me") are right at home with sentimental soul ballads ("Is It Love?") and gospel-influenced message songs ("Mr. Friend"). Golson handles most of the LP's horn and string arrangements, but his jazz background doesn't make its presence felt - not even in a subtle way. Graham hired Golson to co-produce an R&B project, and he did what he was paid to do. My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me isn't GCS' most essential album, but it's a solid effort that is easily recommended to anyone with a taste for gutsy, horn-powered 1970s funk.

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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Graham Central Station - Five Albums Collection (1974-1978) [2008, Japanese Remastered Reissues]

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