Happy 45th: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 4 Way Street

45 years ago today, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released an iconic live album, one which apparently could just as easily have turned into an onstage melee, given the state of relations between the four famous gentlemen at that point in their careers.

Recorded during CSN&Y’s summer 1970 tour, the tracks on 4 Way Street are taken from three different venues: the Fillmore East in New York between June 2 and June 7, the Forum in Los Angeles between June 26 and June 28, and the Chicago Auditorium – which, you will be surprised to learn, is in Chicago – on July 5. As Cameron Crowe once wrote in Rolling Stone, “CSNY shattered into four directions several months after recording the single ‘Ohio,’” which means that they didn’t even manage to survive until 4 Way Street was actually released.

In fact, the performances from the Chicago show documented on the album were literally the last ones the band would do before calling it quits: Nash, Crosby and Young called off the tour and took the first flight out. They did not, however, tell Stills, who reportedly only found out when he came back for what was to have been the group’s next performance. Whoops.

4 Way Street features a variety of material from the foursome, some from CSNY, some from their Young-less incarnation, and a few solo compositions as well, including Crosby’s “Triad,” which had only been released by Jefferson Airplane up to that point, Stills’ “Love the One You’re With,” Nash’s “King Midas in Reverse,” the Hollies song he co-wrote with Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks, and Young’s “Southern Man.” The guys might not have been getting along 100% of the time, but they were on fire when they were onstage, and you can hear it throughout this audio document.