Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cortez The Killer, live version from Weld 1991

ICBM

It's mainly the "hate was just a legend and war was never known" line, although some of the others are a bit grating too. That one is just total hippy bollocks, the Aztecs were an extremely violent and warlike society... they just ran into someone even more ruthless and murderous.

monquixote

ICBM said:

It's mainly the "hate was just a legend and war was never known" line, although some of the others are a bit grating too. That one is just total hippy bollocks, the Aztecs were an extremely violent and warlike society... they just ran into someone even more ruthless and murderous.

I'd never noticed that line before. 

The Aztecs were if anything more psychotic than the Spanish they just lacked the technology (and diseases) to kill on the same scale.

Jez6345789

I have known the Neil Youngs version forever and was sort of yeah it Neil Young.

ultimately I love this version by Dave Matthews and Warren Haynes. Who,d playing I adore.

purists will hate it but this version really got me.

RandallFlagg

monquixote said:

ICBM said:

It's mainly the "hate was just a legend and war was never known" line, although some of the others are a bit grating too. That one is just total hippy bollocks, the Aztecs were an extremely violent and warlike society... they just ran into someone even more ruthless and murderous.

I'd never noticed that line before. 

The Aztecs were if anything more psychotic than the Spanish they just lacked the technology (and diseases) to kill on the same scale.

Come on, It's just a song, it's not so bad if put in contact of the time and age he was when he wrote it, especially if it is true that he did write it at school.

It's tome of gravitas compared to Black Lace's 'Agadoo' or 2 Unlimited's 'Faces' 

The only bit that grates a bit with me is Neil Young's voice when he sings 'what a killuuuuuuuuurr' with his long American drawl but the tone and playing more than makes up for it

dindude

ICBM said:

It's mainly the "hate was just a legend and war was never known" line, although some of the others are a bit grating too. That one is just total hippy bollocks, the Aztecs were an extremely violent and warlike society... they just ran into someone even more ruthless and murderous.

Fair point, but since when have popular music lyrics needed to be historically accurate. 

ICBM

They don't really, but it's a bit like films... there does come a point where being complete nonsense breaks the suspension of disbelief, no matter how good the acting and direction.

Neil has written some brilliant songs with great music and meaningful lyrics - so it puzzles me why this one is so rated when it only half works.

But whatever... I like Arc .

monquixote

RandallFlagg said:

monquixote said:

ICBM said:

It's mainly the "hate was just a legend and war was never known" line, although some of the others are a bit grating too. That one is just total hippy bollocks, the Aztecs were an extremely violent and warlike society... they just ran into someone even more ruthless and murderous.

I'd never noticed that line before. 

The Aztecs were if anything more psychotic than the Spanish they just lacked the technology (and diseases) to kill on the same scale.

Come on, It's just a song, it's not so bad if put in contact of the time and age he was when he wrote it, especially if it is true that he did write it at school.

It doesn't change the fact that I like the song I just agree it's a bit of a daft lyric.

HAL9000

Lew said:

Yep that's the tone and playing isn't it :-)

This is from a film called 'Dead Man'. The Johnny Depp character loses his job, his girl, and even his name. Beautifully filmed, haunting music by Mr Young, and totally mesmerising film. If you haven't seen it then I'd highly recommend getting yourself a copy. Brilliant.

Sassafras

If he was writing songs instead of getting on with his schoolwork, is it any wonder he's made such a mess of his life?
He'll never get anywhere with that attitude.

HAL9000

Jez6345789 said:

I have known the Neil Youngs version forever and was sort of yeah it Neil Young.

ultimately I love this version by Dave Matthews and Warren Haynes. Who,d playing I adore.

purists will hate it but this version really got me.

Hmmm, if that Mr Haynes practised a bit he could be quite good. Only joking - that was superb. Thanks Jez.

Iamnobody

Gagaryn said:

shaunm said:

SRich said:

Iamnobody said:

Didn't he write the lyrics to Cortez When still at school? 

I think it was during the double History class on a Thursday..........

Bet that is true

He got a C - must try harder.

Surely it was a D for coursework and a D in the exam?

I'm not offended by the lyrics; the overall feel of the song, structure, melody and playing make it a good tune.

paulk

Weld is just an awesome live album.

brojangles

Love Neil but it strikes me as statistically improbable that the women all were beautiful and the men stood straight and strong. His claims that war was never known and that they built things with their bare hands that we still can't build today don't stand up to historical scrutiny either. It is almost as if, rather than being a serious student of Mesoamerican culture, he is a hippie singer-songwriter or something. 

Still love this song though - even the ultra-embarrassing bit in the version on Live Rust where he comes over all reggae and starts singing 'He came dancing across de water mon!' in an accent seemingly modeled on Dan Ackroyd's when he's blacked up in Trading Places.

RandallFlagg

brojangles said:

Love Neil but it strikes me as statistically improbable that the women all were beautiful and the men stood straight and strong. His claims that war was never known and that they built things with their bare hands that we still can't build today don't stand up to historical scrutiny either. It is almost as if, rather than being a serious student of Mesoamerican culture, he is a hippie singer-songwriter or something. 

Still love this song though - even the ultra-embarrassing bit in the version on Live Rust where he comes over all reggae and starts singing 'He came dancing across de water mon!' in an accent seemingly modeled on Dan Ackroyd's when he's blacked up in Trading Places.

There's one thing the men did with their bare hands back then that they still do today.

brojangles

Also I love it on Live Rust when it starts raining and someone with a mic goes 'Maybe if we all think real hard, we can stop the rain! No rain! No rain!' and you can hear Neil going 'My guitar!' in a forlorn way.

MagicPigDetective

Love Live Rust, it's the album that got me into Neil Young. “When I get big I’m gonna get an electric guitar,”

brojangles

When I get real big! 

Blueingreen

Well it's all subjective.  Bought this album on the back of stellar reviews at the time.  Never grew to love it.  "Cortez" is the most interesting track and has some really great bits in it, but long outstays its welcome for me. 

goat

"What the fuck am I doing writing about Aztecs in "Cortez the Killer" like I was there, wandering around? 'Cause I only read about it in a few books. A lotta shit I just made up because it came to me."

Theres a great CDLC of the live version if any rocksmithers havent tried it yet.

brojangles

Further complaints about Neil's Mesoamerican scholarship detailed here: http://thrasherswheat.org/fot/cortez.htm

Also contains the interesting fact that the song was banned in Franco's Spain (Franco supported The Killer).