Early Rock ‘n’ Roll Covers Discussion

Write a total of 400 words for each question 1-4 combined (You can answer with 100 words per question). The links to the songs are listed below:

Shake, Rattle, and Roll”: original version recorded by Big Joe Turner, 1954; cover version by Bill Haley and the Comets,

• “Mystery Train”: original version written and recorded by Junior Parker, 1953; cover version by Elvis Presley, 19
• What are the main similarities and differences between the original and cover versions of each of these songs?

Compare and contrast the vocal performances of Big Joe Turner and Bill Haley, and Junior Parker and Elvis Presley in their versions of these songs.

• In each case, do you think that the cover version was a “rip-off” of the original, or that it was a new treatment of the original?
• In your opinion, which version has a better “feel”? Why?

Then, answer question 5 with a total of 150 to 200 words:

5. What influence do you think rock n’ roll has on the music world today? When analyzing something so old, it is natural to think, “How has this impacted us today?”. It is even more so when the thing in question, Rock n’ Roll in this case, has had a major historic impact on a subject. What do you think the influence of rock n’ roll has on society today, if any at all? Why do you think that it’s the way it currently is? What do you think the biggest impact was?