The Birth of Rock & Roll

Well....  I was unaware that album even existed, so thanks.

I used to have a cassette I bought from a discount bin that claimed to be bootleg recordings of Lennon doing Rock and Roll. The sound quality was terrible but it contained some these songs (I just played the album on youtube) such as Rip It Up, Ready Teddy, Peggy Sue, Boney Moronie, Ya Ya and I think Slippin' and Slidin'.  

A few comments/questions:
Do you find Lennon's song choices kind of odd?  He picked a lot of nonsense songs, like Be Bop a Lula, Ya Ya, Boney Moronie, Slippin' and Slidin', not exactly up there with the cream of Rock  Roll.

I don't care at all for his covers of "Sweet Little Sixteen"  and "Do You Wanna Dance" but I like his cover of "Rip It Up/Ready Teddy." "Peggy Sue" was too much a Buddy Holly imitation, but "Bring It Home to Me" was pure John Lennon.

Does "You Can't Catch Me" sound eerily like "Get Together"?

My favorite cover of Be Bop a Lula (and also my first exposure to it) was that by the Phil and Don. It sounds like it was written just for them.

When I first bought the album years ago I read it was a tribute album. I suppose it still is but Wikipedia claims it was forced on him by some copyright lawsuits. It seems he had to include certain songs. "You Can't Catch Me" was one of the songs because it was deemed he copied it too closely with "Come Together". I have a Beatles guitar book with some of their songs I've learned or tried to learn. The songs are arranged so that one person can accompany themselves on guitar so they're not exactly faithful to the originals. "Come Together" was one of the "tried to learn" songs. It was interesting because the top E string was tuned down and used to imitate the bass line in the song.

No offense but I prefer the Lennon version. I'm sure that's because you come to it from a folk angle and I'm from a harder rock and roll. The Everly Brothers are often too smooth for my tastes.

This post is off topic but I feel no shame or remorse. I just discovered a Beatles song that never made it to any album I'm aware of. What struck me is that it was obviously rehashed by Lennon and released on his Imagine album. Some of the music on Imagine was apparently directed toward McCartney after the breakup of the band. The two traded musical barbs on a couple of their early solo albums. "Crippled Inside" has been sped up from "Black Dog" and the lyrics changed but it's essentially the same music. If "Black Dog" had ever been released I'm sure that could have been a lawsuit in the making.
The Beatles - Black Dog (1969 Rehearsal)
John Lennon - Crippled Inside - from Imagine

The lawsuit thing at least makes sense.  6th string tuning is pretty common, I think. I know I tune it to a D on several songs such as P. Simon's "Peace Like a River."  Joni Mitchell is famous for her alternate tunings (of all the strings), something that put her in the Rolling Stone list of the greatest guitar players of last century. 

As far as liking different versions - that's what it's all about: different strokes for different folks. 
Actually, I'm working on a new music thread - in my head and on notepad at this point- in which the Everly Brothers lack of edginess plays a part (although one could argue that Don Everly's rhythm guitar playing style more than made up for their syrupy harmonies).

Taking about preferences, I rather like the original:

A lot of slide guitar songs tune down one or both E strings and often one or more others. Neil Young tunes them down on songs like "Cinnamon Girl", "The Loner", and "The Old Laughing Lady". I love the backup vocals on The Old Laughing Lady. They're better than the rest of the song.

I never knew that song existed. Lennon should have been sued for his obvious copy with "Crippled Inside".

This was the only Black Dog I was aware of. I doubt you'll like it.

I know Led Zeppelin's song and though it's not something that reverbs with me,  I do rather like the guitar riffs.

Lennon's "Rock n Roll" album is great. Be bop a Lula is a highlight and Stand by me is my favourite ever version of that song. McCartney did "run devil run" which never captured the raw rock n roll quality of the early beatles. They were (in my opinion) the greatest rock n roll band. I'd love to see them in 61 or 62 as they honed themselves from playing in Mona bests basement to a band that conquered the world6

In 61 and 62 the Beatles had a couple stints in Hamburg, Germany where they played six to eight hours a day, every day. With that kind of schedule and practice you either get good fast or give up. We know where that went.

Yeah. Sorry. I meant to say 61 and 62 on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg. I had a double album of them live at the star club in 62. Awesome rock n roll

  The blue car in the video is a 57 Chevy man...                                                       

totally not rock n roll but i like it 

I was saving that for...... part 2

I think the original HotRS lyrics were about the plight of a young woman, fallen on hard times

Same Bat time.  Same Bat channel.

This thread reminds me that recently I listened, for the first time, to some Big Bopper songs.

You'd never heard Chantilly Lace?