4 Way Street/11-17-70
This weekend marks 50 years since the release of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s ‘double-live’ masterpiece 4 Way Street. Also released was Elton John’s ‘live’ broadcast LP 11-17-70. We will air the Record Day Legend double-LP ’17-11-70+. On The Turntable this weekend we will spin all four sides of each lp without interruption.
4 Way Street
4 Way Street is the third album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, their second as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and their first live album. The album was released this very week in 1971 and was certified gold at shipping … The album was recorded during their 1969 tour and taken from the shows at The Fillmore in New York, the Forum in LA and the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. The album shipped as a gold record and rapidly moved to #1 on the Billboard 200. Side one showcases their incredible ability to harmonize on “Teach Your Children.” Side two features Young’s “Cowgirl In The Sand” and Stephen Still’s “Love The One You’re With”
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 … the band broke up shortly after the recording of 4 Way Street … they would re-group for a Stadium Tour in 1974 which I saw at Watkins Glenn, NY. Side three which features Neil Young’s 13-minute version of Southern Man. Side four features Young’s ‘tragically good’ performance of the protest song “Ohio.”
4 Way Street was one of the great rock documentaries of its time … Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers the album to be the 75th best of 1971 and the 744th of the decade … Digital Dream Door Dot Com ranked the album 44th on its Top 100 of the year.
Notable Tracks – ‘Southern Man’ ‘Ohio’ ‘Chicago/We Change The World’ ‘Cowgirl In The Sand’
17-11-70+
Our extended version of On The Turntable this coming weekend will feature a “Record Day Legend” release of Elton John’s 11-17-70, entitled 17-11-71+ … I have owned a copy of the US version of this LP since 1971 and it is one of my most treasured albums … This double ‘live’ album was released in 2017 and features the seven songs from the radio broadcast that were left off of the US release.
This was Elton’s fifth LP and his first live vinyl release … It was recorded at the A&R Studios in New York … The album is considered obscure … not in its popularity, but in it’s content .. It consists of “deep cuts” from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ and ‘Madman Across The Water’ and, a couple cover songs …. Side two features a fantastic medley of Burn Down The Mission and the Beatles Get Back.
11-17-70 is the only example of what Elton John’s band sounded like as a trio … Davey Johnstone joined the band as the regular guitar player for the ‘Honky Chateau’ LP. John has cited in many interviews that this was his best live appearance … Side three feature a fine live version of Amoreena from Tumbleweed, a favorite of mine.
The album did not sell well … It was not planned to be released as an album, however, bootleg copies were showing up and Dick James Music decided to release the show as an album. This was Elton’s fourth album released within a 12 month period and was a lot of product on the market at one time … It is one of my favorite live LPs … it ranks with ‘Get Yer Ya Yas Out’, ‘Live Bullet’ and ‘Frampton Comes Alive’.
Notable Tracks – ‘Honky-Tonk Women’ ‘Burn Down The Mission’ ‘Bad Side Of The Moon’ ‘Country Comfort’
On The Turntable can be heard each Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 7am on KVOL 1330AM/97.7FM The Rewind. Listen live over-the-air, on line @ www.kvol1330.com and on The Rewind App. The Rewind also has Alexa skills. Listen on your Echo device. On the Rewind App.