American Rock, American Jazz

I tend to shop around for credit cards. I usually manage to pay everything off by the end of the month so I've taken to using loyalty cards which give either cash back or money off vouchers for credit card use. Last year I had the Shell card which saved me a stack on petrol until they closed the scheme. This year I have an Amazon discount card which rewards use with Amazon vouchers. This is a handy way of indulging my love of music on the cheap. Recently I have had a few vouchers which is bad, as it means I am racking up huge credit card bills; but good in that I've managed to buy a few CDs. For the latest batch I've been filling in gaps in my American rock collection and continuing to explore the Jazz world.

I've always tended to prefer European hard rock bands over their American counterparts. I always thought that the US bands were more about showmanship than the music but I have gone for some acts that I thought were worthwhile. The first collection is Bon Jovi - big in the 1980's but who I always regarded as being big hair poseurs. The songs on their Greatest Hits collection are all good but, after a while, I've noticed how samey they become. The problem is that they are all big power ballads and there is no variation in Mr Jovi's voice. It's all high emotion from start to end. It's a case of more being less and is a pity as some of the songs have really decent arrangements and some, such as Living on a Prayer, are actually accomplished lyrically.

The second pick is that bete noir of right thinking American Christians, Marilyn Manson. He follows a great tradition of theatrical rock going back to Alice Cooper but following a much more extreme form of heavy metal. I can see why they are such a favourite of disaffected adolescents and why they really get up the noses of their parents. Musically, they fall somewhere between glam rock and a stilted misanthropic grotesque of other established artists - in fact the covers of Sweet Dreams and Personal Jesus are very good and would make great horror film music (I suspect that they have done). The singing style usually involves screaming angrily at some point - although this is less the controlled anger and seething political resentment of the likes of Metallica and more tantrum throwing. Still, an interesting act and worth a listen.

The third rock album I went for was Guns and Roses. I liked these when they first came out but never got round to buying anything. Their Greatest Hits is the best of the three rock albums and contains most of their well known songs and does stand up to repeated listening. It's mostly original material with a few covers, although I did think their version of Live and Let Die lacks the power of Paul McCartney's original. Their own songs are very good and it's easy to see why they became so popular.

The Jazz compilations I went for consisted of two pianists and a bass player. I think the piano is a nice link between the classical and jazz worlds and many of the performers will actively draw from both disciplines. This is certainly true of Oscar Peterson with many of his tracks showing a great understanding of classical composers - particularly Bach. His playing on the double CD is superb throughout, but it does show one of the big differences between classical and jazz. Classical music does emotion - jazz does moods. An operatic aria may be able to elicit the most exquisite form of sorrow; but to do melancholy takes jazz. A couple of the tracks did sound like they came from rather scratchy acetates - I can only assume the original tapes were missing but the music does make up for it.

The second jazz compilation was also a pianist but a somewhat different one - Thelonious Monk. I have often sat at a piano and randomly pressed the keys. Sometimes, something vaguely musical emerges and, with some effort, a rather eccentric tune can be produced. As far as I can tell, this is what Thelonious Monk did all the time. It's surprising how good this technique can be with a little perseverance and a good deal of natural talent. Most interesting is his version of Caravan when compared to the Django Reinhardt version I have. It's certainly quirkier but is none the worse for it.

The third jazz CD was a revelation. Charles Mingus was a bass player but his ability as a composer was astonishing - just as well as he was a complete psychopath by all accounts. Given that jazz is often associated with improvisation, Mingus' vision for the possibility of the form as a formal art was incredible. The album opens with Pithecanthropus Erectus - a tone poem depicting the rise and fall of hominids which is up their with Richard Strauss in ambition. The album continues on in similar fashion. However, I looked up some of his other works and it appears that some of his most famous albums are not even represented here. It's worth bearing in mind. I've been buying "Best Of" and "Greatest Hits" compilations of various jazz artists but it is quite possible that these only represent what was available to the label releasing the album - and even then only one person's opinion of what is best.

So, much to think about. I'll certainly be digging out more Mingus and I'll maybe have a good look around for decent compilations. I seem to keep receiving huge credit card bills so I will no doubt be ordering more soon.