Little Wing – A few different versions

This is another test, and hopefully I’m not doing the “new blogger, blogs about absolutely anything” thing. But I’m still playing with what works in a blog and what doesn’t; plus whether I’m adding any value to the great toilet wall that is the internet. This is a look at different versions of Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing.

The joy of covers

I’ve always been a big fan of when a good song is covered by different bands in different ways. If you’ve Australian you’d recall the “Stairway’s to Heaven” from Andrew Denton’s The Money or the Gun where bands were invited on to play any song they liked, as long as it was “Stairway to Heaven”. Other than the awful Rolf Harris version, there was also some great versions including the Doug Anthony Allstars and the one by Kate Ceberano and The Ministry of Fun.

I also grew up with the Doug Parkinson version of Dear Prudence (made famous by the Beatles). There was also a brilliant version by Siouxsie & The Banshees. Another fave is Sweet Jane by the Cowboy Junkies (of which Lou Reed was impressed).

Little Wing – A few different versions

My mom and I grew up with Billy Pinell on a Sunday night (thanks for the Genesis albums) and one of the regular features on the show was Stevie Ray Vaughan. I still have a tape of the tribute show after Stevie died. Anyway, one of my favourites was Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing. I didn’t realise how many people had covered it. Last year (2007) my brother got some tickets to Eric Clapton playing in Melbourne. The first half of the show focussed on his blues and included a version of Little Wing.

So the next day I went surfing and found some great, and often varied, versions of Little Wing. I didn’t realise Sting regularly played it. The following sections show some of the great versions that can be found on YouTube.

Eric Clapton & Sheryl Crowe

This version is the classic Eric Clapton take, similar to the version played in Melbourne. It includes Sheryl Crowe.

Monte Montgomery

This is a brilliant acoustic instrumental version by Monte Montgomery. I’d not heard of him before, but there are some great versions he does on Youtube.

There’s also a similar, and equally great, version played at Luckenback, Texas. This is a tiny “town” in the Hill Country near Fredricksburg, Texas (not too far from Texas). I’ve been through there on a friends borrowed BMW F650 (thanks Nancy). It has great BBQ, and bands, and heaps of bikes on a nice Sunday. Note that this one is truncated.

The Coors

A very different version of Little Wing has been done by the Coors. I must admit to shedding a tear when I hear something a little bit Irish (I love some of the music in Riverdance); must be the Irish heritage. Anyway, here’s an acoustic version done very well featuring the bodhran, fiddle and whistle.

Pearl Jam

Another of my favourite bands, Pearl Jam, have included Little Wing on a few live gigs. Most of the YouTube clips are from fans at concerts and are of dubious quality. This one is probably the best I could find (The sound is a bit crappy).

Carlos Vamos

This is another accoustic guitar version, but the playing is truly beautiful.