There’s a great video on www.uncut.co.uk at the moment of Neil Young singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in affectionate celebration of Willie Nelson, who was, astonishingly, 80 last month.

It reminded me of a YouTube clip I came upon a while ago of Willie jamming with Neil and Crazy Horse on a typically raging Neil version of “All Along The Watchtower”, Willie looking more than a tad bemused by where he seems to have found himself and Neil utterly lost in the noise he’s making.

I’ve posted it here in belated birthday tribute to Willie along with some terrific footage of Willie with other of his friends, including Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Paul Simon and Merle Haggard. The version of “Wild Horses” with Keith, Ryan Adams and Hank Williams III is especially rocking.

The Uncut website, I should also mention, now has a dedicated features section, with plenty of our best long pieces archived there. You can find it here.

Have a good week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsR0Y-sWk-E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vvWiL3pifE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkqdQ2dnPFg

Willie Nelson and Neil Young pic: Ebet Roberts/Getty Images