Paul McCartney Joins Neil Young For "A Day in the Life" In London

Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance at Neil Young's concert at London's Hyde Park on June 27th, running out onstage to sing his "A Day in the Life" verse after Young launched into the epic Sgt. Pepper closer. Macca stuck around for the rest of the song, which Young has frequently used to end concerts in recent years, then the duo wrapped the concert with an impromptu vibraphone solo before exiting the stage. The performance came one night after Young's headlining set at this year's Glastonbury Festival on June 26th. Young and McCartney previously shared the stage together at the Bridge School Benefit concert in 2004, with the pair performing Young's After the Gold Rush song "Only Love Can Break Your Heart."

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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."

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