Freebird and Stevie's remake of Little Wing are both great pieces of music. However, I think Joe Satriani and some of the "surfing with the alien" stuff should be up here. As well as Hendrix's Machine Gun.
I agree - I like Hendrix a lot but I think the Stevie remake of Little Wing is better!!!! I saw Lynrd Skynrd 3 years ago - not bad considering they weren't the real band.
SRV's "LIttle Wing" got me back into classic rock a few years back. Listening to rock again with an ear exposed to many different types of music has given me a new appreciation for guitarists such as SRV, Duane Allman, and Jimi Hendrix, and the realization that many "great" guitarists are all flash and no feeling. While any number of guitar players can play faster than most of the greats from the 60's and 70's, the playing lacks feeling and sounds out of place with the rest of the song. I would put Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhodes in that group. Great technique and some great riffs, but the solos are too often just notes played real fast. Unfortunately, there isn't a local radio station that will touch anything by the likes of Joe Satriani or Yngwe Malmstien (sp?), so I can't comment on them until I can get my hands on some of their records.