I still, to this day, think Steve Vai did the best cover of Little Wing... event trumping the original by Jimi.

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Kidding of course haha

Actually it is interesting that Steve Vai was brought up. And I must say he does do a killer rendition of the song, and even vocally sounds a bit like Hendrix. You Tube "Steve Vai Little Wing" and have a looksie..worth it although his sound is a bit harsh on my ears.

What Steve Vai has in common with Hendrix, is he took the guitar playing to another level, and it was accepted and appreciated on a mass scale. Not many players out of the millions who are really good, can achieve that level of success.

Granted, from a technical standpoint Vai could play circles around Hendrix. Vai could probably play a solo identical every time he plays it, where as Hendrix would improvise.

Where the difference lies, and this may be the key point...is in song writing ability. Has Steve Vai written any songs that that are so touching and timeless many bands want to cover it? Has Steve Via written a single song millions (or even hundreds for that matter) of people could name if asked?

This is the difference. It is not just about techincal skill that makes a legend. It is the ability to touch the souls of the masses. What is Little Wing really but a chord progression that lends itself to soloing? But...did the Hendrix version have any kind of extended soling in it? Did it really need it?

Don't get me wrong, I am sure if Jimi is looking down and listening, he is honored by the number of artists covering his songs and mimicking his styling, and some even taking it to another level. But..could anyone but Hendrix really have made this song so popular? Guess what I am trying to say is there is no real point in stating another artist trumped or does a better version of the original. If an artist is at the level of an artist they are covering, why not write a song that others would want to cover for like 40 years?

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For example..check out this version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5rVgxme ... re=related

If you have any kind of ear...it becomes apparent that it is simply a beautiful song....written by Jimi. Unless my ear is lying. I do not think the ears lie.

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Just in case it messed up.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5rVgxme ... re=related

Or You Tube "The Corrs little wing unplugged". For some reason on this site you tubes often lead to some "never gonna give up" $@!&.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p10Y1cmN ... re=related

Actually, this is a great version of Little Wing, performed by Hendrix LIVE in 1969. It is not 9 minutes of boring solos and technique...it is just a dude who understood music and how to play a Strat. Tell me Ynivie yaugnie whatever the heck his name is or Hammit bevis and butthead mattelica whatever or however you spell these clowns names could EVER simply write or even play a 3 minute and change song like this, and capture an ounce of what Hendrix did.

You simply can not take something original and classic and innovative and real...and compare it to a trained well practiced group of poser chimpanzies and say it is worth anything more then some other copy cats could do in their garage. It takes a little bit more then mastering a few chops to become a legend...or to even write ONE song that will last as long as a Hendrix song..not to mention inspire others.

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