Cortez the Killer
Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Artist Essentials
First released: 1975 (year verified)
Original studio album recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: Listen for the measured development of the guitar before the vocal enters.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1975 (year verified)
Year of the selected original commercial recording; later remasters and compilation dates do not determine first release.
Recording: Original studio album recording
Credit: Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Role in this collection: Neil Young with Crazy Horse; retain the credited band collaboration
Original album: Zuma
Neil Young / Warner - Zuma
Original 1975 release and original program including Cortez the Killer. The selected recording is not a later live performance or a newly released session outtake. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma, licensed artist billing
Licensed original album metadata names Neil Young & Crazy Horse and identifies 1975; track credit is retained in the collection. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
In the yearly lists
This selected recording is beyond the current yearly lists.
About Neil Young
Neil Young is a Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist whose career includes Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, solo releases and recurring work with Crazy Horse. Albums such as After the Gold Rush and Tonight's the Night sit alongside electric group recordings and experiments such as Trans. His catalog spans folk, country-oriented writing and extended guitar rock.
Artist background sources
Apple Music - Neil Young licensed artist biography
Read the substantive licensed artist biography supporting the historical identity and recording career summarized here. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-19. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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