4 Way Street
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Album Summary
4 Way Street is one of those records that came straight from the soul of a generation — a double live album captured during the fire and fury of 1970 performances at the Fillmore East in New York and the Forum in Los Angeles. Released by Atlantic Records in April 1971, the album was produced by Bill Halverson alongside the band themselves, and it arrived in the wake of the massively celebrated Déjà Vu, catching Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at the absolute height of their collective powers. What the studio could only suggest, these stages delivered in full — raw, unfiltered, and gloriously alive.
Reception
- Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and earned multi-platinum certification, a testament to the extraordinary hold CSNY had on the hearts and ears of the early 1970s music landscape.
- Critics celebrated the album for preserving the crackling energy and deep musicianship of the band's live performances, with special reverence paid to the sprawling, extended arrangements that gave familiar songs an entirely new dimension.
- The album reinforced CSNY's standing as one of the most important live acts of their era, with the sequencing across four sides of vinyl painting a complete portrait of a band operating at a fearless creative peak.
Significance
- Stands as one of the earliest and most influential live albums ever released by a supergroup, helping to legitimize the live album as a serious artistic statement and commercially powerful format in the early 1970s rock world.
- Bore witness to a band deeply entangled with the political and social upheaval of their time — tracks like Ohio and Chicago carried the weight of real events, real grief, and real outrage, making this album as much a historical document as a musical one.
- Showcased the rare and breathtaking convergence of four-part harmony, acoustic intimacy, and electric intensity that defined the California rock sound and set a standard for ensemble playing that artists have chased ever since.
Tracklist
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A1 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes —
0:24
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A2 On The Way Home —
3:19
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A3 Teach Your Children 76
2:46
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A4 Triad —
5:07
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A5 The Lee Shore —
4:14
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A6 Chicago —
3:03
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B1 Right Between The Eyes —
2:19
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B2 Cowgirl In The Sand —
3:50
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B3 Don't Let It Bring You Down —
2:35
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B4 49 Bye Byes / America's Children —
5:30
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B5 Love The One You're With 107
2:57
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C1 Pre-Road Downs —
2:48
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C2 Long Time Gone 179
5:33
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C3 Southern Man —
13:15
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D1 Ohio —
3:24
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D2 Carry On 118
13:06
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D3 Find The Cost Of Freedom —
2:16
Artist Details
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were a legendary supergroup that came together in Los Angeles in 1969, weaving together the individual genius of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young into one of the most achingly beautiful walls of harmony rock and folk music the world had ever heard. These cats weren't just making records — they were speaking truth to power, pouring the heartbreak of Vietnam, political turmoil, and a generation's lost innocence into anthems like "Ohio" and "Teach Your Children" that cut right down to the bone. They stand as one of the most influential ensembles in rock history, their lush vocal harmonies and socially conscious songwriting casting a long shadow over every folk-rock and country-rock artist that dared pick up a guitar after them.
