ahsmith33 wrote:funny you should mention Free Bird, it is actually nine solo takes in the studio mixed brilliantly by Al Kooper. Al asked each of the 3 guitarists to play 3 tracks apiece, and he asked them to play it exactly the same way they rehearsed it on each track. He then blended the solos together to create that monster sound, but my human ear cannot tell that there are 9 tracks.
Interesting version of events, and I'm not doubting you, but that's not the way I saw the story:
"On the studio version of the song, which appeared on Skynyrd’s debut album, Collins played the entire solo himself on his Gibson Explorer, with Rossington playing rhythm on his Les Paul, “Bernice,” and adding the slide fills on his SG. “The whole long jam was Allen Collins, himself,” Rossington says. “He was bad. He was super bad! He was bad-to-the-bone bad. When we put the solo together, we liked the sound of the two guitars, and I could’ve gone out and played it with him. But the way he was doin’ it, he was just so hot! ! He just did it once and did it again and it was done.” "
(Emphasis added, above.) Quote came from the following source:
http://www.guitarworld.com/100-greatest … rossington
I'll add that back in the too short days of the Rossington Collins Band, I got to meet and talk with them both about it, and the above was how I heard it, directly from them. (Doesn't necessarily make it "the truth", I guess....)
Play like you've worked at it, and don't worry about sounding like your influences. You can't cheat on them, or your practice, anyway. If you've worked hard at your skill, your audience will know it.