4 Way Street

4 Way Street
Live album by
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
ReleasedApril 7, 1971
Recorded
Genre
Length85:59
109:44 (w. bonus tracks)
LabelAtlantic
ProducerCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young chronology
Déjà Vu
(1970) 		4 Way Street
(1971) 		So Far
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[2]

4 Way Street is a live album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their second album as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was originally released as Atlantic Records SD-2-902, shipping as a gold record and peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. A document of their tour from the previous year, the live recordings presented were taken from shows at the Fillmore East (New York City) on June 2 through June 7, 1970; The Forum (Los Angeles, California) on June 26 through June 28, 1970; and the Auditorium Theatre (Chicago, Illinois) on July 5, 1970.

Background

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At the time this album was recorded, tensions between the band members were high, with their dressing-room fights becoming the stuff of rock legend, even being referenced by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in their 1971 LP Fillmore East - June 1971. The tensions led to CSNY dissolving shortly after the recording of 4 Way Street; they would reconvene for a stadium tour in the summer of 1974. The next release of new studio material by the group proper would not be until CSN in 1977, without Neil Young.

Content

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The original double album LP came packaged in a gatefold sleeve without a track listing. On the gatefold was a black-and-white picture of the band sitting on a bench, with the heads of Graham Nash and David Crosby framed by a wire clothes hanger hanging in front of them, with recording information and credits in the lower-right-hand corner. The only track listings appear on the album's labels and on the fold-out poster that also included full lyrics.

At the time of these concerts in mid-1970, many songs included on the eventual album had yet to be released as part of the combined and individual work of the four principals. Crosby's "The Lee Shore" had been recorded during the sessions for Déjà Vu but would not appear until the band's 1991 box set, and his controversial ménage à trois composition "Triad," which had been recorded but not released by his former band The Byrds, had been recorded by Jefferson Airplane on their Crown of Creation album but this is the first issued performance by Crosby himself. "Love the One You're With" would be the hit single taken from Stephen Stills, Stills's debut solo album, released later that year. "Chicago" by Nash would appear on his Songs for Beginners released in 1971, the same year as 4 Way Street, while "Right Between the Eyes" would be later surface as a demo on his box set Reflections. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and "Southern Man" by Young would be released on After the Gold Rush, his third album also released later that year. Young's "On the Way Home" had appeared on the final Buffalo Springfield album, but with a lead vocal by Richie Furay rather than Young. Stills' "49 Bye-Byes/America's Children" medley interpolates the only top ten hit by Buffalo Springfield, his song "For What It's Worth." The band did include both sides of what was at the time of the shows their new record, the single "Ohio" and its B-side "Find the Cost of Freedom."

Sides one and two featured acoustic guitars and demonstrated the band as a group of individuals also pursuing independent careers while sides three and four featured the full band playing electric guitars and rock and roll. On sides one and two and on the 1992 bonus tracks, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young all performed solo while Crosby & Nash previewed their later partnership with "The Lee Shore" and "Right Between the Eyes" performed by the pair.

On April 13, 2019, for Record Store Day, Atlantic Records released a three-LP version of the 1992 Expanded Edition. It was mastered by Chris Bellman and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Sides 1, 2, 3 and 4 contained the original track listing of the 1971 version, while the additional tracks "King Midas In Reverse", "Laughing", and "Black Queen" were pressed on Side 5, and "The Loner/Cinnamon Girl/Down By The River" were pressed on Side 6.

Reception

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The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 upon its release[3] and also garnered a positive review in Rolling Stone, in which critic George Edward Kimball called it "their best album to date."[4] Other contemporary reviews have also been positive.[1]

Nash produced an expanded form of 4 Way Street for compact disc, released on June 15, 1992. The expanded edition included four solo performances on acoustic guitars, one by each member. Neil Young performed a medley of three songs from his first two solo albums; Stephen Stills included the at-the-time unreleased "Black Queen" from his eponymous debut; Crosby contributed his also yet to be issued "Laughing" from his 1971 debut LP; and Nash performed "King Midas in Reverse," The Hollies' single from 1967, which although credited to Allan Clarke, Nash and Tony Hicks, was written solely by Nash.[5]

Additional tracks from the tour appeared on the CSN box set released in 1991, as well as Young's The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972 released in 2009.

Track listing

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Bonus tracks for 1992 compact disc reissue appear appended to disc one after sides one and two. Disc two contains sides three and four.[6][7]

Disc one: 42:58, 66:43 with bonus tracks

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (coda)"Stephen Stills0:33
2."On the Way Home"Neil Young3:47
3."Teach Your Children"Graham Nash3:02
4."Triad"David Crosby6:54
5."The Lee Shore"David Crosby4:28
6."Chicago"Graham Nash3:10
Total length:21:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Right Between the Eyes"Graham Nash3:36
2."Cowgirl in the Sand"Neil Young3:58
3."Don't Let It Bring You Down"Neil Young3:30
4."49 Bye-Byes/America's Children"Stephen Stills6:35
5."Love the One You're With"Stephen Stills3:25
Total length:21:04
1992 bonus track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."King Midas In Reverse"Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks3:43
13."Laughing"David Crosby3:36
14."Black Queen"Stephen Stills6:45
15."Medley: The Loner/Cinnamon Girl/Down by the River"Neil Young9:41
Total length:23:45

Disc two: 43:01

Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pre-Road Downs"Graham Nash3:04
2."Long Time Gone"David Crosby5:58
3."Southern Man"Neil Young13:45
Total length:22:47
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ohio"Neil Young3:34
2."Carry On"Stephen Stills14:19
3."Find the Cost of Freedom"Stephen Stills2:21
Total length:20:14

Personnel

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Musicians

Production

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[25] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. 4 Way Street at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ 4 Way Street – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  4. ^ Kimball, George (May 21, 1971). "Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 4 Way Street > Album Review". Rolling Stone. No. 83. Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  5. ^ Zimmer, Dave, and Diltz, Henry. Crosby Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography (First edition), St. Martin's Press, 1984. ISBN 0-312-17660-0, p. 51
  6. ^ "4 Way Street". allmusic.com. May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  7. ^ "4 Way Street". open.spotify.com. May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  8. ^ "CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  9. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (2013-04-16). "The RPM story". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  10. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Albums (CD) de 1970 par InfoDisc". 2016-01-02. Archived from the original on 2016-01-02. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  11. ^ "Billboard Hits of the World 26 July 1971" (PDF).
  12. ^ "norwegiancharts.com – Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  13. ^ "Swedish Charts" (PDF).
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.
  15. ^ "Dutch Charts – dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  16. ^ "Hit Parade Italia – ALBUM 1971". www.hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  17. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ^ "クロスビー,スティルス,ナッシュ&ヤングの売上ランキング". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  19. ^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  20. ^ "RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  21. ^ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1971" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Hit Parade Italia – ALBUM 1971". www.hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  23. ^ 1971 Year-end Albums – The Billboard Pop Albums. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 December 1971. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  24. ^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  25. ^ "French album certifications – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 4 Way Street" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 1 October 2012. Select CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG and click OK. 
  26. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; '4 Way Street')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 4 Way Street". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
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