Have you guys actually heard the '70's Graham Central Station albums?

I just picked up Mirror and Now Do U Wanta Dance having already had their first album and Ain't No 'Bout a Doubt It.

This is some of the best funk music I've heard absolutely up there with Sly and JB etc and you can really hear what Prince got from these records.

Ok so Larry witnessed to Prince and folks are pissed off about that but hey musically Larry gave Prince a lot of inspiration!

i think larry's fun to watch on stage. i like his playing and he's got good energy. his wife freaks me the hell out with that freakin' towel dance, but i guess as long as she's not hurting anyone...

Anxiety said:

Any pics of his wife? Does she sing also?? ~tina

tinababy83 said:

i haven't seen any pictures of his wife online, and i've never heard about her singing at shows. she usually just dances around waving a towel. it's, um...interesting.

soulyacolia said:

I bought most of those albums second hand in the mid 90´s when Prince was doing cover versions of I Believe In You and Hair and the Jam...this was three years before him and Prince hooked up.
There was this Larry Graham interview in a German jazz magazine where he mentioned Prince performing his GCS stuff and that they might meet one day and that he´s not really familiar with Prince´s work. The rest is history.

Larry was funking hard in the 70's. The Graham Central Station cd's are a must have for any funk fan!

eldog98 said:

Hell Yeah. He is one of the innovators in Funk Bass Technique. His work with Sly & The Family Stone and the Original GCS is some serious Funkin for sure and as the Org Funkologist I gotta testify on the smell of that Funk. So all you haters can keep hating b/c you don't know good Funk.

Hotlegs said:

Amen to that sista!!

Hotlegs said:

Preach Hotlegs Preach!!

Believe me when I say that the majority of the Larry bashing comes more from a fear (founded or not) that he's some sort of puppet-master with his hand up Prince's ass than anything to do with his music...

soulyacolia said:

meow85 said:

Trust me Meow, the real fear that the haters have is getting in touch with some strong Funk that they may not be able to handle ya dig.
[Edited 7/11/05 7:58am]

Those albums are pure classics - you always got the feeling that they were a true band, though Larry was undisputably their leader. Real tight unit.

I don't think anyone bashes larry because his music sucks (maybe some). I bash him because his philosophy (religion) had a negative influence on Prince in the artistic dept. He's a nice guy...I just disagree with some of his beliefs, and when he practices them

That's my piece.


Nero

Anxiety said:

I've seen her and she is just straight-up weird. Like she's "gettin' happy in church." That towel mes... I can't believe they let her go out there. She cheapens the whole thing.

meow85 said:

Well said! My point precisely.

meow85 said:

As the Org Funkologist , I see this as the problem. Trust me Meow, the real fear that the haters have is getting in touch with some strong Funk that they may not be able to handle ya dig.
[Edited 7/18/05 15:01pm]

Hotlegs said:

There U Go, I couldn't have said it better!

cranshaw62 said:

Preach As the Org Funkologist , I must say that us true funkateers can testify about Larry's commitment to the Funk and if the haters can't handle it then, they need to get the Funk Out Of My Face.
[Edited 7/22/05 8:58am]

wallysafford said:

Wally, I understand what you are saying. Well, my feeling on it is this. It still remains to be seen what P is going to do on the next album so its foolish to be jumping the gun just b/c we see P going to JW meeting. However, if P has Larry playing some thumpin bass on one cut cool, I'm all for the Funk being that I'm the Org Funkologist .

soulyacolia said:

Hi, you guys sound like newbies. My oldest brother is still a die hard larry graham/GCS fan, and I love Larry Graham too. I think there are good news bad news here: the good news is that he is with Prince and he is getting exposure from a new generation, the bad news is that he isn't doing much alone, sure he did that one cd but how many people bought it? But it's great to see he and his wife are still together, and still making music. Being a teenager back in the day during those funky black music days, living in LA, CA, it's nice to see that some of the old generals are still around and lucid, unlike poor Sly Stone, alive but is he lucid? Probably not. As for Larry witnessing to Prince, yeah I have issues with that, had he not done that would Prince still be nasty like he used to? One can only hope that he would have still been nasty!

lefty said:

Oh one more thing, pick up the CD where Larry's band is at the train station, I believe that is the first 'album', that is a must have!

lefty said:

If you read my post you'll see that I have the first album. I've had it a good few years and got Ain't No Bout A Doubt It a year or so ago. GCS albums aren't that easy to come where I live but I've been listening to Larry a while and don't really appreciate being called a 'Newbie' thank you very much.

IF you are not down with Larry's funk then you dont know funk. He is in a league with Sly and CLinton as far as being one of the grandfathers of funk. Prince did get alot from him and Sly - you can hear it plainly as far back as the early 80s on cuts like Hello.
[Edited 7/26/05 7:13am]

blade said:

Preach

soulyacolia said:

Man, come on! Have I heard them? U need to get out of this forum and come on over to where the big dogs play "Prince Non- Music". I've written threads about GCS's material. Larry was no joke! Stay away from this "Oh, we worship Prince. We hate Larry." bullshit.