More Top Stories: Phil Collins, Lady Gaga, Santana

Phil Collins Tops UK Album Charts
Phil Collins topped the UK album charts as his new Going Back beat out Manic Street Preachers' Postcards From a Young Man. It's Collins' first UK number one since his Hits took the top spot in 1998. [BBC]

Lady Gaga Adds More Monster Ball Dates
Lady Gaga has tacked on another seven U.S. shows to her already-stacked 2011 leg of the Monster Ball Tour. She'll now be visiting Oakland, Cleveland, Montreal and Long Island. [Gaga Daily]

Lil Wayne Calls MTV From Prison
Lil Wayne, who turned 28 yesterday, called in to MTV's new afternoon show The Seven from Rikers Island prison to talk about life behind bars and his new album I Am Not a Human Being. Weezy later called the show again to talk with Drake, who was a guest. [MTV]

Soundgarden Play Secret Show
The reunited Soundgarden played an eight-song set of hits at a secret show at Los Angeles' Paramount Studios last night to celebrate the release of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Soundgarden's new greatest hits collection Telephantasm will be bundled with the latest version of Guitar Hero. [Blabbermouth]

Nas, Santana Team for 'Back in Black' on 'Lopez Tonight'
Nas and guitarist Santana joined forces to give AC/DC's "Back in Black" the "Walk This Way" treatment on last night's episode of Lopez Tonight. The track is off Santana's new album, Guitar Heaven . [Nah Right]

Plus: Aretha Franklin cancels concert after son's beating, Wyclef Jean hospitalized and more.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
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  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
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  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »

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