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brothers johnson vs Graham central station

kalakala 3,362 Posts
edited July 2014 in Strut Central
sorry i had to go there.....
as a follow up to the war vs mandrill thread
it's a tough call
major label mid 70'a funk par excellence
i remain undecided but lean towards GCS

turbo gospel thrash moves with white space suit moves


vs
smooth ass quincy propped dashiki moves

  Comments

  • kalakala 3,362 Posts
    i know its vouge to hate on slap bass...but ...funk you




  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Graham Central Station

    Bros. Johnsons Quincy Production > GCS production

    GSC is a darker/murkier Funk that can Rock the fuck out when it had to.

    BJ > GSC in the Love/Smooth Funk category...but GSC is more Pimp.

    BJ better Disco(read club funk) Funk but GSC better Str8 Dance Funk Funk.

    GCS retained their "Psychedelic" edge up until Larry went dolo.



    Bass vs Bass??????
  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    I gotta go with Bro Jo. GCS never did it for me. Not even close IMO.
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    The_Non said:
    I gotta go with Bro Jo. GCS never did it for me. Not even close IMO.

    Agree. Loved Larry G when he was with Sly, but GCS never worked as a band for me.

    I'd take the 12" of Strawberry Letter over the whole GCS catalog.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    The_Non said:
    I gotta go with Bro Jo. GCS never did it for me. Not even close IMO.

    Agree. Loved Larry G when he was with Sly, but GCS never worked as a band for me.

    I'd take the 12" of Strawberry Letter over the whole GCS catalog.

    This. A bunch of Brothers Johnson 12"s were among my first digging finds - I still play them and Looking Out For #1 is also a really solid album but can't remember the last time I pulled out any GCS. Great concept, the music less so.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Rockadelic said:
    I gotta go with Bro Jo. GCS never did it for me. Not even close IMO.
  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    still though, gcs has the dopest break.. classic status!

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,960 Posts
    Flomotion said:
    Horseleech said:
    The_Non said:
    I gotta go with Bro Jo. GCS never did it for me. Not even close IMO.

    Agree. Loved Larry G when he was with Sly, but GCS never worked as a band for me.

    I'd take the 12" of Strawberry Letter over the whole GCS catalog.

    This. A bunch of Brothers Johnson 12"s were among my first digging finds - I still play them and Looking Out For #1 is also a really solid album but can't remember the last time I pulled out any GCS. Great concept, the music less so.

    +1 for Bro Jo.

    Louis also played on Off The Wall AND Thriller. THEEE MACK of Old Skool Slap. So fonkay.

    Plus I heard Larry G is batshit cray with the Jo Ho Biz...
  • Sobriety WonSobriety Won 74 Posts
    Not a fan. Only the breaks.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    batmon said:
    Graham Central Station is a darker/murkier Funk that can Rock the fuck out when it had to.


    And that's why I prefer GCS over the Brothers Johnson.

    The first Johnsons album, Lookin' Out For #1, was excellent funk, but they smoothed out fairly quickly. They had their moments, but for every undisputed classic like "Strawberry Letter 23" there were quite a few cheesy discotheque moves.

    The Brothers Johnson's "Stomp" DOES NOT live up to its' name. GCS's "Earthquake" sure as hell does.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I love that Disco Funk of BJ, Heatwave, latter EWF, The Jacksons, and Rufus type steez, but its glossy compared to what Graham was continuing after leaving(escaping) Sly and The Family Stone.

    GSC is way more Gutbucket.

    Its something about the dirty drum machine shit that gets me, along with Grahams Bass that wasnt all warm n shit.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    I went on a major GCS binge a few years ago and was amazed at how unslick they still were by 1977-78.

    I'm not saying they weren't disco-friendly, but they still let their rough edges hang out. By that time, most funk bands who weren't P-Funk or the Isleys were usually compromised by disco or jazz-fusion in some way. In the meantime, the GCS crew were still playing blazing funk with a rock edge, with Graham playing bass like it was the lead instrument.

    If Sly Stone still had his shit together by the mid-seventies, he might have sounded like Graham Central Station.
  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    pretty dope..

  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    jam drums was up there with funky drummer and impeach the president, did help pave the way for some of the early greats, what would biz have sounded like without gcs..

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