I think we sometimes confuse youthful energy and exuberance with talent and insight. Hendrix's initial recordings had all of the first two, but I believe his talent was maturing, and he died before he could open yet another set of doors. And then there's Clapton, who has "peaked" and "vallied" numerous times since he first burst onto the scene. I think he is at his peak right now, at least as a blues guitarist, combining talent with discriminating taste.

Dylan peaked early as a poet, although in his latest album he's exploring some tongue-in-cheek lyric territory that he's avoided lately. I also like his addition of acoustic folk instruments and his hot back-up group which is reminiscent of Robbie, Levon and the lads.

Spaw is pretty close to the truth, though. A lot of these guys will never come back up to that early standard they set when their youthful brashness was matched by our own.