Neil Young Says His Songs On The ‘Toast’ Album Were Too Sad To Release

CSNY icon Neil Young shared a post on his website and reflected on the details of his ‘Toast’ album, which will be released this summer. The singer stated that he couldn’t put it out earlier since the songs were so sad.

Neil Young started to dig into his vaults and released several lost albums in recent years. One of them was ‘Homegrown,’ originally recorded in 1974 and planned to be released in 1975, but another album took its place. The record remained unreleased for decades until June 2020. The other album Young decided to put out after years was ‘Summer Songs,’ containing eight tracks recorded in 1987. The album arrived on December 25, 2021.

The rocker recently announced that he would also release the shelved album ‘Toast‘ on July 8, 2022. Neil Young and Crazy Horse recorded the album in 2001 at Toast Studios in San Fransisco. The singer thought it would be better to put it out another time. The listeners will finally have a chance to hear what Young and Crazy Horse worked on.

Recently, Neil Young talked about the album on his website. The singer stated that he skipped the album at the time and released another one instead of it since it was too sad to put out. He went on to say that the record was ‘about a relationship.’ He was going through a tough time, so it would be painful for him to release that album.

Young speaking on the details of ‘Toast’ album:

“‘Toast’ is an album that stands on its own in my collection, unlike any other. The songs of ‘Toast’ were so sad at the time that I couldn’t put them out. I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place. That was 2001. Crazy Horse and I recorded at ‘Toast’ studios in San Fransisco. John Coltrane, one of my heroes, made some music there back in the day. The place had a vibe.

It may have been called ‘Coast’ then, but maybe not. The name changed a few times back and forth. It was on Mission Street 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.”

In the rest of the article, Young stated that he could feel the sadness of the entire record from the very first notes. The singer thinks that this album has a particular depth, so he can’t wait to share it with the listeners. They edited it numerous times, and the final version will ultimately arrive on July 8.