Throughout the recording of the album, Young and his colleagues consumed a homemade concoction dubbed "Honey Slides," a goop of sauteed marijuana and honey that "felt like heroin", at the behest of session musician and "de facto" producer Rusty Kershaw. This may account for the mellow mood of the album, particularly the second half of the LP. Young has said of it "Good album. One side of it particularly—the side with 'Ambulance Blues', 'Motion Pictures' and 'On the Beach'—it's out there. It's a great take."