David Crosby - guitar, vocals; Stephen Stills - guitar, upright bass, piano, organ, vocals; Graham Nash - guitar, piano, organ, vocals; Neil Young - guitar, organ, vocals; Calvin Samuels - bass; Johnny Barbata - drums
This is the electric set on the fifth night of the legendary six-night run at the Fillmore East. The Four Way Street live album contains recordings from this run. This entire run of shows capture CSNY hot on the heels of success from the recently released Deja Vu LP and was during the group's most prolific phase, as all four were working on solo albums that would soon define them as individual artists.
Joined on stage by bassist Calvin Samuels and drummer Johnny Barbata, this set captures the group at the pinnacle of its powers. The politically volatile times are well reflected in "Long Time Gone," "Southern Man" and especially "Ohio" which had just been written following the recent shootings at Kent State.
By the time they get to "Southern Man" and "Carry On," they are ready to jam. And jam they do, with these two songs together clocking in at well over half an hour. Stills and Young really cook on these two and demonstrate what a great blend their dual guitar attack really is. Crosby's rhythm guitar playing is also outstanding and unique.
A somewhat disjointed version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" closes the set. Following the relentless demand of the New York City audience, they return for a lovely version of the "Ohio" single B-side, "Find the Cost of Freedom." This primarily a cappella number (other than Stills' acoustic guitar) is a quiet closer to a memorable night.