Neil Young and Crazy Horse-Zuma (1975)

On his seventh album, Neil Young once again collaborated with Crazy Horse, although this would be the first without his original guitarist Danny Whitten, who had passed away three years prior and was replaced here by Frank “Poncho” Sampedro. It is also one of the Canadian musician's most melodic albums, yet it maintains his signature hard-hitting rock sound, subtly infused at times with acoustic guitars and a touch of country rock. For the recording of this new album, released as Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Canadian guitarist enlisted the help of his three former CSN&Y bandmates: David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash, who lend their vocals to the folk track “Through My Salis”. The rest of the musicians include drummer and vocalist Ralph Molina, bassist and vocalist Billy Talbot, and the aforementioned guitarist Frank Sampedro. “Zuma” echoes albums like “Harvest” in the acoustic “Pardon My Heart”, and “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” in the country-rock “Lookin’ For a Love”. The rest of the album consists of melodic rock tracks such as “Don’t Cry No Tears”, “Barstool Blues”, and “Stupid Girls”, but the expansive and superb “Danger Bird” and the iconic “Cortez The Killer”, both clear examples of Neil Young’s penchant for guitar improvisation, are the most outstanding and fundamental pieces in the career of the legendary Canadian musician.