Customer Reviews

Pretzel Park

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Four independent musicians have teamed up to perform as the folk rock band, 4 Way Street. The only thing better than seeing this band live is to listen to this album. The vocal ability and flexibility of each of these men is evident in the rich harmonies heard throughout these recordings, particularly in "No Blood" and "Barbed Wire." These musicians have contributed individual songs to this album and have transformed them in an undeniable group effort (e.g. "Maze," "Several Thousand," "Counting on You," and "Sister Moon"). As a collaborative entity, these gifted songwriters have also composed three songs ("Change Gonna Come," "Shoot the Moon," and "No Blood") that are a testament to their synergistic relationship. This album travels an entire spectrum of emotions, from despair to joy, touching on many others along the way. Pretzel Park is guaranteed leave any listener richer for the experience.

Let's set a frame of reference... It's 1994 and a friend is letting you listen to a song by some strange little group out of South Carolina. The chorus goes, "Hold my hand" and you can't get seem to get the tune out of your mind. As you listen to the CD, you find almost every song to be that way, catchy and fun. A few months later, you know that your experience was not an isolated one as America "discovers" Hootie and the Blowfish to the tune of over ten million purchased copies of "Cracked Rear View." Not bad for a debut album from an unknown band, hmm?

Get ready, America. It can happen again right here, right now.

Meet 4 Way Street, a collection of four immensely talented and quite different performers from Philadelphia. Ben Arnold, Jim Boggia, Scott Bricklin and Joseph Parsons have all had individual success in past years. However, together they create a musical synergy that is remarkable, memorable and downright infectious (in a good way!)

How does a gravelly sounding keyboard/guitarist (Ben), a guitar- wizard pure popster (Jim), a sweet-but-funk hammering bassist (Scott) and a classical-style guitarist with roots deep in European traditions (Joseph) all manage to write both collaborative and individual songs and make it sound like it was always meant to be? Such questions should not be asked. One ought to merely sit back and be swept away in wonder and delight.

"Pretzel Park" has been awaited in their hometown of Philly for almost a year. Such are the birthing pains of a great album that gets picked up by a major label. Right from the jangly guitar stirrings of "Change Gonna Come," the first song on the CD, your attention is grabbed and you hope that no let down ensues. Fear not, friend, for the two-and-four part harmonies that await you along with the catchy chorus will get your personal "hum machine" off and running. Follow that up with Ben growling through "Maze" and then you are all set for one of the catchiest pop tunes about to hit the airwaves, Jim Boggia's "Several Thousand."

Every tune could stand alone as a potential single. Scott Bricklin's bass-heavy hook on "Counting on You" will have your car stereo thumping. The band makes a statement of brotherhood and solidarity in a world-gone-violent with the anthem "No Blood." It's one incredibly solid, delightful body of work.

If you get the chance to see them play live (Right now, they are packing the prestigious Greenwich Village club "The Bitter End" weekly in NYC), you will discover that as good as they sound on the CD, they are geometrically more powerful live. Joseph Parson's "Sister Moon" absolutely blows the audience away as a set-closer.

4 Way Street and their debut album Pretzel Park is delightful, twisted, toasty pleasure. Enjoy it now before the bag is empty and all you've got left are the crumbs.

This disc rocks, socks, sings and rings. Well-produced, well-crafted and almost unbelievably well-sung songs. "Several Thousand" and "Anne Also Ran" are such supreme power pop that its hard to believe more folks haven't heard of this band. Buy the disc, call your local radio station and ask them to play it, and get out the word.

and it is deserved. This album is one of the best I heard for long.
4 singers with individual and extraordinary voices. One cannot decide if one is better than the other. But there is no need anyway, as they are unbeatable together.
Would like to see you live but I learned that this will not happen anymore. Such a shame!!!

When four great independent artists come together as a group, you get this wonderful album. I've seen all these guys individually and as a group, and have always been enthralled and inspired. Ben Arnold's "Everywhere You Go" is haunting and majestic; Jim Boggia's Harry Nilson-inspired pieces are playful and enchanting; Joseph Parsons' flamenco styled "Ceremony" pierces your heart --it is that sublime. As collaborators, these musicians bring out the best in one another. It is true, if we still had free radio in this country, these poetry kings would be rockin' the airwaves till our hair turned gray.

4-Way Street is a grouping of four Philadelphia singer/songwriters--Ben Arnold, Jim Boggia, Scott Bricklin and Joseph Parsons. All four have recorded and performed as soloists or leaders of their own group (Scott's band Bricklin, released an eponymous album on A&M and later reformed as Martin's Dam, which released a CD on Sire; Arnold's "Almost Speechless" came out on Ruffhouse/Columbia). Now they've banded together, first as a casual one-off thing, to form this spectacular band, the sum of four very great parts. Like CSNY, the band whose live album inspired their name, the four members equitably share the spotlight. All have solo spotlights as singers and writers, nimbly supported by their cohorts with strong, character-filled harmonies. Some songs, like "Change Gonna Come", are collaborations of all four members as singers and writers. Most bands are too fragile to contain even one major talent--this band has four. And it shows each in their best light. Kinda folkie, Beatlesque at times (especially on Bricklin's songs), soulful, poppy, spiritual--this CD has it all, does it all well and deserves to be in your collection. It rocks, it moves, it touches...it's a very worthwhile trip to Pretzel Park.

i,ve been listening to a burned copy of this album for many months. these guys deserve any revenue we send their way, so i'm buying it (you, too). there is that west coast/eagles sound, with hints of john waite (OH MY GOD!), and a huge nod to csny. more so than the thorns and with greater songwriting and craft than i've heard in years. if you like the jayhawks, wilco, matthew sweet, csn and y (in all incarnations), the eagles (except of late...), gram parsons you'll find their diversity and harmonic aptitude overwhelming. go on, have a listen or twelve.

If you have never seen the boys live...PLEASE do yourself a favor. You'll "GET EM" too ;-)

Although I have not gotten the CD yet -- waiting for release party in Philly that had to be rescheduled due to Isabel I know it will be great. I have the 5 song ep and love it and have seen 4 way Street numerous times and always enjoy their show. Very talented group of musicians who do well together and in their solo careers.

Get ready to buy the best cd in your collection. You'll listen to it non-stop. One of the few albums that are actually full quality albums and not just a way to push one single. Solid throughout.
Anxiously anticipating cd#2