Album of the Day

As a founding member of Sly and the Family Stone, Larry Graham helped lay the foundation of funk and broaden its sonic range by pioneering the slap-pop technique on bass. Branching out on his own, the performer formed Graham Central Station, which signed with Warner Bros. to cut an eponymous debut and an even better follow-up, RELEASE YOURSELF, in 1974. While not as flashy as Sly or Parliament/Funkadelic, GCS made music that was just as trippy and propulsive, and the eight songs here (all but one a Graham original) are sure to take you higher. Such tracks as "Got To Go Through It To Get To It," "'Tis Your Kind Of Music" and the title number are driven by dazzling instrumental work (particularly on keyboards) and flavored with touches of gospel and psychedelia. Today we'll wish Larry Graham a happy birthday with one of his finest and funkiest albums, RELEASE YOURSELF.