RevDahlia

... and their ambassador wanted to know what this "rock and roll" thing was, what would you play for him/her/it?

Inspired by the essential albums thread, I was going to restrict this to just full-length records, but since a lot of early rock was single- as opposed to album-driven individual songs are allowed too.

I would probably start with Robert Johnson, probably the recent "King of the Delta Blues" compilation, and the London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (Chess.) That one's a good segue as it features a lot of the pimply white English boys who brought the blues to everyone's attention in the early 60s.

paul30

Anything but Boston.

echoes

AC/DC, Back in Black. 'cuz rock and roll ain't noise pollution

kwigibo

that's who I'd have picked too, good choice.

j-ogenes

I teach intro Composition on the college level, and this Fall I'm teaching a theme class on rock and roll history, so I've been thinking about this. Of course, if you don't play forty records or so, it's like a dart toss, but...
personally...
I'd think Buddy Holly would work well to illustrate country and western's influence. He was the first guitar player/singer/song writer, in rock and roll anyway.
Some early Elvis wouldn't hurt.
You'd probably need some 60's stuff to illustrate "Rock" as opposed to "Rock n Roll." Some Beatles songs like "Ticket To Ride," "Lovely Rita" "I Feel Fine," "Help," or "Come Together" may suffice. Maybe some Jefferson Airplane or the Stones or the Doors. Should punk be treated? Some Ramones, maybe. I'd think something "alternative" like the Talking Heads, Joy Division, Replacements. For harder stuff, probably Black Sabbath if not early Aerosmith.

I guess playing some blues like Lightnin' Hopkins or Leadbelly or some Louis Jordan or Fats Domino or even Hank Williams could show how rock evolved, but showing examples of rock itself would probably suffice.

Straight Hate

I'd play them some Arcturus because then they'd realize how advanced I was and offer me asylum on their utopian planet.

JohnR

Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry

Brahma's atheist

What about Led Zep?

Shadowy Man

Well, RevDahlia already mentioned Robert Johnson.

RevDahlia

I would include both, if only because rock involves a lot of creative plagiarism.

For the purpose of edifying someone who had never heard the Devil's music before, I'd have to go with Led Zeppelin 4... but not before playing the Yardbirds, the first Stones album (mostly directly cribbed from the great bluesmen) and a liberal sprinkling of Elvis, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard.