I thought the stuff I've been listening to (country, folk-rock, rockabilly, etc.) was only a half-step above three-chord garage rock until I looked up a friend's son's rock band on MySpace today at lunch and was reminded of how basic three-chord rock really is, and why the term "three-chord rock" is a put-down. Holy cow. Made Hank Williams sound downright symphonic.

I have to confess, though, that I don't know enough about all but the earliest jazz to make a comparison.