Years in the Making

Over two decades after this album was initially recorded, it is finally being polished off and released to the public. Neil Young and his frequent collaborators, Crazy Horse, have shelved the album since 2001 and so it gives the audience a snapshot of the artists in the early millennia. The psychedelic wail of Young’s complicated and expressive guitar solos feels heavy. Young was not the only guitarist playing on the album, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, an old friend and guitarist for Crazy Horse added another layer to these seven songs. Together, along with Ralph Molina on drums and Billy Talbot on bass, Crazy Horse is a band full of talented musicians. Of course being an album made during the turn of the century, it’s punctuated by a dark and strong rhythm section, the bass line keeps a high energy to the album while retaining a somber tone.

Toast opens with a breakup song. “Quit” is a frantic apology from the author, while also acknowledging an enduring fault in the relationship. On the other hand, when Young sings “I’m never quitting you, even if you quit me,” it feels almost like a denial of the situation. That there is no more quitting, because the relationship has already ended.  The whole album has a more morose tone to it, the fifth piece, “Gateway of Love” is written from the perspective of someone with a broken heart, and there is no way to fix what has been changed. It is as if someone was locked out of heaven. “If I could just live my life / As easy as a song / I’d wake up someday / And the pain would all be gone.” 

According to Rolling Stone, some members of the band Crazy Horse, who have a decades-long history in the music industry, recall the writing process stalling in the recording studio. This gave everyone an opportunity to step away and work on their other projects. Either way, this album was not ready to be made public until now, and audiences are just as excited to finally hear it as they are to cherish it.