11/04/2025
Cortez the Killer, by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
A killer track (ha!) from the 1975 album Zuma. This is a favorite from Young's repertoire, featuring one of his finest guitar solos. Introducing the song at a performance in 1996, Young said: “One night I stayed up too late when I was goin’ to high school … I ate like six hamburgers or somethin’. I felt terrible … very bad … this is before McDonald’s … I was studying history, and in the morning I woke up and I’d written this song."
Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, new member of Crazy Horse when the original version of Cortez the Killer was recorded for the album Zuma: “I had some angel dust. Conned Billy into smoking it with me. We recorded ‘Cortez,’ I’m sitting there nodding out. That was the take. I had the song all turned around—I thought the second chord was the first chord. It’s only three chords.”
Neil Young – guitar, vocals
Crazy Horse:
Ralph Molina – drums, vocals
Frank "Poncho" Sampedro – guitar, vocals
Billy Talbot – bass, vocals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX9k9aoX6gk
