4 Way Street (Jewel Box)

 (96 customer reviews)

As I have stated in other reviews, 4 WAY STREET along with STICKY FINGERS made the soundtrack to the summer of 1971. I listened to it over and over and when I left home for college in late summer I discovered thousands of others were doing the very same thing. Its influence cannot be overstated. Both the earlier CROSBY STILL & NASH and DÉJÀ VU were critical and popular successes; but this live album filled out the legend and presented CSNY as the band has remained in memory and imagination.

Many of my contemporaries hate this album. John Mellencamp has gone on record stating it is the worst record in the world. While this is unduly harsh, there is a grain of truth to one complaint. 4 WAY STREET is very much an artifact of its time. It was made in the shadow of social upheaval that included racial riots, assassinations, disturbances at several hundred colleges and universities, the divisive Vietnam War, and the "massacre" four protesting students at Kent...Read more

From the very beginning of their fateful collaboration, it was clear that this was to be the first of the new super-groups, composed of discontented refugees who either quit or were bounced from monster groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies. And after an initial success with a first album the group added Still's former partner in crime from the Buffalo Springfield group Neil young to the line-up, the strange witches brew of creative energy and talent that resulted exploded onto the contemporary rock scene at Woodstock to an amazed audience with such power and originality. Of course, this number one album was the result of their original collaboration, and it shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for years!This live album is full of smash hits and breath-taking sounds, from the opening truncated version of "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" to the elegiac "Teach Your Children" to the provocative notion of multiple lover relationships in David...Read more

This album is very representative of how these guys sounded live way back then. The acoustic part of the album, though it shys away from CSN's reknowned harmonies for the most part, highlights each guy rather well. Most noteworthy here is David Crosby. His readings of "Triad" and "The Leeshore" are absolutely gorgeous, and it reminds one that although David may not be the greatest musician on earth, there's no disputing his ability to sing. Maybe the finest voice around in those days. Neils "Cowgirl in the Sand", "Don't Let it Bring You Down", and the "Loner/Cinnamon Girl/Down By the River" medley really showcase Neil's acoustic guitar skills, and probably set him apart from the other guys for all around talent. Stills' performances, "49 Bye-Byes/For What it's Worth", Love the One You're with sound very dated now, and the sloppiness of those performances make them even harder to savor today. I was hoping that...Read more