More "TOAST": Neil Young Unreleased 2001 Album w/ Crazy Horse Set for 8th July, 2022

"TOAST":  Neil Young Unreleased 2001 Album w/ Crazy Horse 

As mentioned here over the years, the elusive unreleased 2001 album by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse "TOAST" may eventually see the light of day and the ears of rusties.

Per Warner Music, release date is now set for  8th July, 2022 

A 7-song unreleased album from Neil Young and Crazy Horse, recorded at Toast studio in San Francisco in late 2000 and early 2001. It was shelved at the time and Are You Passionate was the next album Neil released. Different versions of 4 songs appeared on Are You Passionate, but the other 3 songs are completely unreleased. This is one of the legendary “lost” albums in Neil’s catalog.

Toast Track Listing

01. Quit ...5:24
02. Standing in the Light of Love (previously unreleased)...4:18
03. Goin' Home ....7:52
04. Timberline  (previously unreleased and never played live)...4:10
05. Gateway of Love  (previously unreleased)...10:10
06 .How Ya Doin'? (aka "Mr. Disappointment")...7:00
07. Boom Boom Boom (aka "She's A Healer")...13:10

 

Neil Young with Crazy Horse - Standing in the Light of Love (Official Audio from Toast)

"TOAST": Neil Young Archives

 

Previously, Neil Young shared his deeply personal thoughts on the unreleased and most curious 2001 album "Toast" with Crazy Horse  -- one of the “great lost masterpieces”. (See  "Toast" - A Roadstory: Neil Young Shares Thoughts on Unreleased 2001 Album.)

This week, Neil Young posts on NYA:

The music of Toast is about a relationship. There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the break up, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.

The sound is murky and dark, but not in a bad way. Fat. From the first notes of Toast, I can feel the sadness that permeates the recording. One song, with its refrain, ”Don’t say you love me”, is called ‘Quit’. The next one, sort of like a Deep Purple hit, is called ‘Standing in the Light of Love’. “I don’t wanna get personal, or have you put me on the spot” is the opening line. Then came ‘Goin Home’. A lady is lost in her car. The dark city surrounds her - past present and future. It’s a scary place. You be the judge.

Now the scene changes to a religious guy who just lost his job. He’s turning on Jesus. He can’t cut any more trees. He’s a logger. Finally, The ‘Gateway of Love’ beckons with “background noise on a changing sky”.

I had forgotten about these songs, put them out of my mind and went on living my life.

It must be said that here Crazy Horse shows a depth never seen or heard before on any other Horse recording. For the greatest group I have ever met - CRAZY HORSE, this is a pinnacle. Where they let me go, where they took me, was unbelievable. I couldn’t stay.

 

Poncho
Köln, Germany - July 12, 2013
Photo by Roel van Dijk's
(Click photo to enlarge) 

In addition, the recent interview with Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Neil Young, Crazy Horse Guitarist | The Aquarium Drunkard contained further revelations on the album "Toast":

Frank “Poncho” Sampedro: Toast is whole ‘nother story. 

Here we are in the Mission District in San Francisco, where we open the back door to the studio and smoke a cigarette and we watch giant rats running all over the place. They’re so evolved. Not just black and brown. They’re pintos. They’re big. The whole neighborhoods is just crazy dilapidated. Usually, Neil would call us, and he’d have songs. [This time] we got to that place and he didn’t have that many songs. He was writing. We spent a lot of days just walking around the studio and watching TV. 

There was really nothing to do. There was a donut shop on one corner and a Mexican place about a block away. So, we’re in that environment and we’re watching Neil sit there with his legs crossed on the floor, holding a yellow pad of paper and a pen. And that’s not just for a couple of days. That’s for a couple of months. 

Then out of nowhere, we start playing the songs and we’re not really getting them great.

Then all of a sudden, Elliot says he’s got this tour for us. So, we take off and we go to South America and holy shit, man. That was a blast. We’re playing giant places. One hundred and eighty thousand people or two hundred thousand. In Buenos Aires, the whole crowd got so into it [they were] doing these soccer chants of the melodies and… I’d love to hear some of those tapes. Louder than us. It was really fun. Plus, Billy’s Italian, Ralph’s Puerto Rican, both my parents are from Spain. So, we have this Latin influence in the band. We were big into salsa music. When we got back from that, we went right back into Toast. It’s funny that all the songs kind of have a little Latin feel to them. Things were different. It was like a different session from the time we got back. 

And then those sessions ["Toast]  ended.

More on  recent interview with Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Neil Young, Crazy Horse Guitarist | The Aquarium Drunkard. 

Are You Passionate? - 2002

by Neil Young w/ Booker T & M.G.’s

(See thoughts on would there have been a "Greendale" without "Are You Passionate?"?  And is there a linkage back to "Sleeps With Angels"?  on Comment of the Moment: "Toast" - A Roadstory: Neil Young Shares Thoughts on Unreleased 2001 Album by Meta Rocker)

 

Which brings us to the Comment of the Moment on "Toast" - A Roadstory: Neil Young Shares Thoughts on Unreleased 2001 Album by Tony "Hambone" Hammond in the UK.

 

So "Toast" is a long time coming while sitting on the sidelines always overtaken by other releases.

Also, see Whatever happened to... “Toast” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse? 

Also, see ‘Are You Passionate?’ Turns 10 Years Old and Neil Young's Album of the Week: 'Are You Passionate?' + Defending AYP?

'Are You Passionate?' by Neil Young w/ Booker T & M.G.’s
NYA Album of the Week - Friday, December 13, 2019

 

---

---

Ragged Glory #2: "Smell the Horse’" by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse

Ragged Glory : Massive Discoveries in the vault! | NYA

Back in 2018, Neil Young announced that a new, extended Ragged Glory edition will be titled ‘smell the horse,’ with four added tracks.

Subsequently, we learned that Ragged Glory II, will be a the double album, released as a stand alone LP in vinyl, CD and High resolution digital.

"We are presenting this in all analog for the first time, remastered from original analog 2 tracks under the loving care of John Hanlon. John has wanted to do this for years and now it’s here, coming in triple vinyl and remastered for CD and Hi Res from the original analog mixes. This will most definitely be the greatest version of this record ever made."

‘Ragged Glory - ‘smell the horse’ features 4 added tracks:

• Born To Run
• Interstate
• Boxcar
• Don’t Spook the Horse

"Love To Burn" - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
via Song of the Day | NYA (Thanks Darren!)

Neil Young w/ Crazy HorseThe Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA - November 11, 1990(via  ‘Way Down In The Rust Bucket’ )  

‘Way Down in the Rust Bucket’  - Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse(See  NYA FIRST LISTEN/WATCH: ‘Way Down In The Rust Bucket’ - Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse )

Also, see Ragged Glory II - Neil Young and Crazy Horse Found Tapes.

Also, see more on Neil Young's Ragged Glory Sound & Equipment - Guitar World, October 2009.

Neil Young's Rig
Neil Young's Ragged Glory Sound & Equipment - Guitar World, October 2009
(Click to enlarge)

Analog vs. Digital: infographic for the ragged glory sessions| Rusted Moon
(Click photo to enlarge)

More on why Ragged Glory Is The Perfect Summer Album Soundtrack.

"Ragged Glory: A Perfect Summer Soundtrack"
Neil Young's 1990 Album w/ Crazy Horse(Also, see Ragged Glory : Massive Discoveries in the vault! | NYA)  

Ragged Glory @ 30: Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse Returns to Glory   
Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse:
"3rd Best Garage Band in the World"
~~Bill Graham 

In tribute to Crazy Horse, the "3rd Best Garage Band in the World", here's a look back at some highlights:

• EXCLUSIVE: Crazy Horse Drummer Ralph Molina Interview  
• "Smell the Horse": Ragged Glory Extended + Comment of the Moment: NYA FIRST LISTEN/WATCH: ‘Way Down In The Rust Bucket’ - Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse
  
• Year of the Horse Film Review and Interviews on the making with Crazy Horse, Neil and Director Jim Jarmusch
• Year of the Horse - Interview in France's Les Inrockuptibles, July 1997
• Year of the Horse - Film Review
• Crazy Horse Biography - Reprise Records, 1997
• Frank Sampedro Interview - Torhout Festival, 1996
• Poncho Interview - Halifax Daily News, 11/1/96
• Interview: Crazy Horse and Neil Young Maintain Special Relationship, by Barry Gutman, Music Wire, ~9/96
• Billy Talbot Interview - Rip it Up, ~8/96  
• Crazy Horse Album Reviews- by Robert Christgau
• Years of the Horse

#DontSpookTheHorse 

Induct Neil Young w/  Crazy Horse
Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
#CrazyHorse4HOF 

 #MayTheHorseBeWithYou

---

---

"Toast" - Neil Young on Unreleased 2001 Album w/ Crazy Horse

"Toast" by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse
 “It's got everything that the best Crazy Horse albums have had.” - Neil

 

Back in 2021, we covered the news that Neil Young had shared some deeply personal feelings on the unreleased 2001 album "Toast" with Crazy Horse.  

Similar to the long unreleased  album "Homegrown" - which Neil felt was too personal to release back in the 1970's --  "Toast" it seems was also too personal to release. Neil writes:

The music of Toast is about a relationship. 

There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the break up, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.

Which brings again to a previous the Comment of the Moment on  "Toast" - A Roadstory: Neil Young Shares Thoughts on Unreleased 2001 Album by Setz:

I frequent here often but comment seldom, cause it just doesn't flow out in type as it feels. 

But I can't get past the short time frame between two of Neil's albums that could maybe be the least received at release but maybe the most coherent stories he has told. It seems clear that AYP [ "Are You Passionate?"] came from deep places of love and changes within it. Tours with CSNY in between, which always has had ups and downs, then Greendale comes to light. If you're a forward person, who wouldn't want to turn up the light? Greendale shows happiness, love of family and community around the dark shadows we all deal with every day. So I wonder if there would be Greendale without AYP? 

Now that we've had twenty more years of our own light and shadows, does this art become more relevant? 

Thanks Setz for sharing your thoughts on "Toast". Very interesting, as others have noted.

So, would there have been a "Greendale" without "Are You Passionate?"?  Good question.  Of course, we'll never know and will only begin to conjecture once we do hear "Toast" someday.

We've always found "Greendale" to be very uplifting and inspiring. And maybe as you suggest, "Greendale" was a boomerang reaction to the downcast vibe of "Toast".

Are You Passionate? - 2002

by Neil Young w/ Booker T & M.G.’s

 

More on "Toast" - A Roadstory: Neil Young Shares Thoughts on Unreleased 2001 Album.

In February 2021, we attempted to calculate  Neil Young's upcoming releases (see on Expecting to Calculate Neil Young 2021: Numbers Add Up To Nothin') and mentioned the album "Toast" with Crazy Horse.

Back in 2008, we posted here on TW that:

 ""Toast" is named after a defunct recording studio. "Toast" is "perhaps one of the most under-estimated and deceptive Crazy Horse records of all time, with many songs originally discarded, and then re-recorded with Booker T. and the MGs."

On Roadstories | Contrarian-Times | NYA, Neil Young shared his thoughts on the unreleased album "Toast" with Crazy Horse.  As a comment by Dionys summarizes:

"Obviously this is not about some lost album of the 70’s a la "Homegrown". The Roadstory shines an unexpected and dazzling light on the difficulties to maintain one’s autonomy as an artist."

From Roadstories | Contrarian-Times | NYA by Neil Young:

Toast is an album that stands on its own in my collection. 

Unlike any other, Toast was so sad that I couldn’t put it out. I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place. I couldn’t handle it at that time. 2001.

John Coltrane, one of my heroes, made some music at ‘Toast’ studio back in the day. It may have been called ‘Coast’ then, but maybe not. The name changed a few times back and forth. It was on Mission in SF. The back door opened onto an alley. It was so stuffy in there that we left the door open until one day we saw rats coming in and out. After that, we just went outside for a smoke.

The music of Toast is about a relationship. There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the break up, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.

The sound is murky and dark, but not in a bad way. Fat. From the first note, you can feel the sadness that permeates the recording. That song, with its refrain, ”Don’t say you love me”, is called ‘Quit’. The next one, sort of like a Deep Purple hit, is called ‘Standing in the Light’. “I don’t wanna to get personal, or have you put me on the spot” is the opening line. Followed by ‘Goin Home’, these songs paint a landscape where time doesn’t matter - because everything is going south. A lady is lost in her car. The dark city surrounds her - past present and future. It’s a scary place. You be the judge.

Then the scene changes to a religious guy who just lost his job. He’s turning on Jesus. He can’t cut any more trees. He’s a logger. Finally, The ‘Gateway of Love’ beckons with “background noise on a changing sky”. I had forgotten about these songs, put them out of my mind and went on living my life.

It must be said that here Crazy Horse shows a depth never seen or heard before. The greatest group I have ever met. This is a pinnacle. Where they let me go, where they took me, was unbelievable. I couldn’t stay. Then, “I’d like to shake your hand, Mr. Disappointment.” I see you now eye to eye. Murky and dark. There’s no mistaking it. How can you be so real and intangible? 

So we continued on down on the path. “She’s a healer”. But not this time. 

It’s Toast.

 

GREENDALE by Neil Young & Crazy Horse (See  RETURN TO GREENDALE by Neil Young & Crazy Horse | NYA )

Recall, Neil Young discussed the release of the record with “Rolling Stone” in 2008:

“Toast is done. 

It's an amazing listening experience. It was recorded in 5.1. It's a mind blowing record, and I don't think it's a commercial record, but it's great rock and roll, very moody, kind of jazzy. It was recorded in the same place where Coltrane was recorded, so there's a lot of heavy stuff in there. All of the live ambience for everything was all recorded, so the whole thing has got a massive sound about it. I want to have a premier of it that's in a large art gallery with speakers in all four corners of the room, and huge speakers and really spend some time on the acoustics of the room, so you could have two or three hundred people in there that are in the middle of the sweet spot listening to this thing all around. 

So you came to a real listening experience that you wouldn't be able to get in any other location than right there.”

So "Toast" is a long time coming while sitting on the sidelines always overtaken by other releases.

Also, see Whatever happened to... “Toast” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse? 

Also, see ‘Are You Passionate?’ Turns 10 Years Old and Neil Young's Album of the Week: 'Are You Passionate?' + Defending AYP?

'Are You Passionate?' by Neil Young w/ Booker T & M.G.’s
NYA Album of the Week - Friday, December 13, 2019

---

---