Neil Young Thread

Powderfinger · Post by **Powderfinger** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 9:23 pm

I downloaded two versions of this song. I think it's an incredibly beautiful song.

Here are the lyrics:

CORTEZ THE KILLER
He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.

On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.

And his subjects gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see.

And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.

They carried them to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up with their bare hands
What we still can't do today.

And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way.

He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.

Powderfinger · Post by **Powderfinger** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:38 pm

I just got the two discs from a friend, it's awesome, what do you think of it. I think it's his best album from his "rocking period".

Post by **drafsack** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 4:03 pm

I prefer his rocking period to his acoustic stuff but have not heard Weld

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 6:40 pm

Syd, have you bought Greendale yet?

If not i would highly reccomend it and you should look in to it, definitly the best album done by Neil since Rust Never Sleeps in my opinion

Powderfinger · Post by **Powderfinger** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 7:28 pm

No, haven't seen it yet, I have read something about the film.

fossilhippie · Post by **fossilhippie** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 2:45 am

I just heard that Jan Berry passed away Friday. If you don't know who Jan was, he was the Jan in Jan and Dean, very popular in the early sixties for hits like Dead Man's Curve, Surf City, Little Old Lady from Pasadena and lots more.

Anyway, Jan was severly injured in a car wreck and was paralyzed for quite a while. He owned a lot of musical equipment, and his brothers started renting them out under the name Studio Instrument Rentals. Neil Young was a customer.

Neil became friends of one of the brothers named Bruce, and eventually hired him as a roadie. Bruce also worked for CSNY and a few others.

Unfortunately, Bruce got involved in junk, and eventually overdosed and died. Neil, who got shook up, wrote a song "Tonight's the Night", and recorded the album by the same name in the back of Studio Instrument Rentals. Bruce is mentioned in that song in the first line, "Bruce Berry was a working man, he used to load that Econoline van."

I think Tonight's the Night is on Weld, as well as a few other albums.

As Neil would say, "Kinda innaresting."

If you like Weld, I suggest the cd Year of the Horse.

fossilhippie · Post by **fossilhippie** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 2:51 am

David Smith wrote:Syd, have you bought Greendale yet?

If not i would highly reccomend it and you should look in to it, definitly the best album done by Neil since Rust Never Sleeps in my opinion

Greendale is already one of my favorite works by Neil. The CD, recorded with Crazy Horse, is very good, but the bonus DVD which is a solo performance of the same material aand recorded in Dublin, is way better. Neil's ability to paint a picture with words really shines through. I wish I'd been to one of those performances.

(Of course, most anything by Neil Young is my favorite while I'm listening to it. He's the second best songwriter of his generation, right behind Dylan.)

Flame-Sky Diver · Post by **Flame-Sky Diver** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:29 pm

I've been going through his discography recently after years spent knowing (and loving) only the Dead Man soundtrack. Amazing songs, rich mind. Cortez the Killer is one of the very best for me.

Sonic Destruction · Post by **Sonic Destruction** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:14 pm

A timeless classic, even by the standards of Mr Young. Having said that, "Powderfinger" is even better.

Post by **henno** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:39 pm

One of my favoutite Young songs......

however it does show his limitations as a guitarist......

Flame-Sky Diver · Post by **Flame-Sky Diver** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:47 pm

henno wrote:One of my favoutite Young songs......

however it does show his limitations as a guitarist......

As I view it, he's Neil Young the songwriter. And his style does not require a Gilmour. It's just honest and it works on me... that's what I like. His style of playing the guitar is idiosyncratic. He can ballance on the edge of awfulness and being off-key, but it works damn well for me.

J Ed · Post by **J Ed** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 2:48 am

easily one of my fave Neil songs
a dark tragic epic where he shares a lot of his sympathies with native folk
and I think these huge feedback melody epics he does do sound Floydish
Id love to hear what kind of jam him and Gimourd come up with together

it does romanticize the Monteczuma regime a bit though
those Aztecs were into human sacrifices and other real bloody stuff that was as bad or worse as the Inquisition scene that was about to colonize them

oldhippy · Post by **oldhippy** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:11 am

Yep it?s a goodie. Play it often and loud. Also another one to bend your ears to is Hurricane. Great favourite of mine is Neil.

wiped · Post by **wiped** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:28 pm

Yeah It's on my list of Mr Young's top tunes ... lately cannot stop listening to Birds from After The Gold Rush - a beautiful tune

cwta eugene · Post by **cwta eugene** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:12 am

Great tune! I used to play it in a highschool band. Odd thing is, I play the guitar mostly but in this band I played the drums.

Every once in a while I find myself playing Young's "Harvest Moon" around the campfire. Such a beautiful tune and it's perfect under a moonlit sky.

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