Street -

Street was an American soul-rock band from New York City that released a 1968 self-titled album on Verve Forecast.

Members: Michael Lynne (guitar, bass, vocals), Will Betz (bass, guitar), Anya Cohen (vocals, tambourine, percussion), Tom Champion (drums, percussion), John Williamson (guitar, bass, vocals), Al Camardo (percussion)

Background

Street formed as Anya’s Street in 1967 in Manhattan, where barista and occasional solo-acoustic performer Anya Cohen ran the Wee Spot Coffee Shop. One day, customer and erstwhile soul singer Rick Shorter, a budding music manager (The Esquires, The Paupers), proposed she front a rock band. He linked her with bassist Michael Lynne, drummer Thomas Chamon, percussionist Alan Camarda, and guitarists John Williamson and Will Betz.

In May 1968, Anya’s Street released their first single: “There’s One Kind Favor,” a Cohen/Shorter-arranged Lightnin’ Hopkins song backed with Shorter’s “Boeing 707.” A third track from the session, “I Got Something Money Can’t Buy,” went unreleased. Verve Forecast issued the single and greenlit and album under the name Street.

Street (album)

Street released their self-titled album in October 1968 on Verve Forecast. It features eight originals (six by Shorter) and three covers: one each by George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Robert Higginbotham.

The opening track, “Multilevular Conversational Tightrope Walkin’ Shoes,” builds on driving chords beneath Anya Cohen’s forceful delivery. “Boeing 707,” previously issued as a B-side, pairs straightforward pacing with layered horns and percussion. “Some Thoughts of a Young Man’s Girl” offsets fingerpicked guitar with antiwar lyrics. Side A closes with a two-part medley: a reworking of Harrison’s “If I Needed Someone” in a sparse folk-rock frame, followed by Dylan’s “Tomorrow’s a Long, Long Time,” marked by Cohen’s heavy vibrato.

Side B opens with “See See Rider,” credited to Williamson, Lynne, and Shorter, but modeled on the Ma Rainey standard—delivered in a brisk, rhythmic setting. “What a Strange Town” stretches to six minutes with staged sound effects and narrative segments woven into its slow-paced progression. “It’s Hard to Live on Promises” features group vocals and orchestration in a subdued acoustic setting. “There’s One Kind Favor,” also from the earlier single, aligns Cohen’s commanding tone with distorted brass and rhythmic pulses. The closer, “High Heel Sneakers,” keeps a steady pace with unadorned instrumentation and prominent guitar leads.

Cohen handled lead vocals and tambourine. Instrumental duties rotated among Lynne, Betz, and Williamson, who alternated on guitar and bass. Drummer Tom Champion and percussionist Al Camardo completed the six-piece lineup.

A1. “Multilevular Conversational Tightrope Walkin’ Shoes” (3:19) – Opens the album with heavy guitar strums and assertive vocals over an insistent mid-tempo pulse.
A2. “Boeing 707” (3:15) – A reverb-laced rocker with tumbling percussion and horn bursts, originally the B-side to Street’s debut single.
A3. “Some Thoughts of a Young Man’s Girl” (2:53) – Gentle acoustic figure underscoring introspective, antiwar-themed lyrics.
A4. Medley: “If I Needed Someone” / “Tomorrow’s a Long, Long Time” (5:55) – Sparse cover of Harrison’s Rubber Soul number gives way to a mournful take on Dylan’s 1962 ballad, spotlighting Cohen’s deep vibrato.

B1. “See See Rider” (2:56) – Up-tempo adaptation of the blues standard with galloping rhythms and soul-rock phrasing.
B2. “What a Strange Town” (6:04) – Moody psych-soul vignette with spoken-word overlays, slow instrumental build, and ambient effects.
B3. “It’s Hard to Live on Promises” (3:10) – Low-key, orchestration-backed ballad with multivoice harmonies.
B4. “There’s One Kind Favor” (2:58) – Vocal-forward slow-burner with brass accents and distorted instrumental backing.
B5. “High Heel Sneakers” (2:53) – Street’s take on the Tommy Tucker classic with clean guitar licks and clipped rhythmic support.

Street arranged the material alongside Rick Shorter, who also oversaw production between April and August 1968 at New York’s Record Plant. The album was engineered by Val Valentin, with cover photography by Joel Brodsky.

For the album cover, Street posed in assorted period garb and regal attire for Joel Brodsky, whose photography also graces 1968 albums by Ars Nova, Beacon Street Union, Bear, Earth Opera, Eclection, Margo Guryan, Nazz, Puff, Shadows of Knight, and Van Morrison.

Final Activity

Street parted ways with Verve and cut a May 1969 standalone single: “Apollo… Amen,” written in anticipation of the upcoming Apollo moon landing, backed with “Why Concern Yourself,” both Shorter originals.

A. “Apollo… Amen” (2:30)
B. “Why Concern Yourself” (2:48)

Abroad, “Apollo… Amen” appeared on Reo (Canada) and London (UK, France). In the US, the single appeared on Traffic Records, a New York small-press whose other act, TCB, made the 1970 brass-rock album Open for Business, a Shorter production.

Discography: