Chesterfield Kings – live onstage … if you want it
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Chesterfield Kings – live onstage … if you want it (Wicked Cool)
At the start of ‘live onstage … if you want it,” an announcer introduces the Chesterfield Kings as “the second greatest rock and roll band in the world.” For those who don’t know, he’s riffing on the oft-repeated intro to Rolling Stones concerts — “the greatest rock and roll band in the world.”
Guess the Kings know their place, huh? Then again, it’s pretty cocky of them to assume the second spot, when you come to think about it. Progenitors of the garage-rock revival, the Kings have been playing the post-punk generation’s version of gutbucket blues since the late Seventies. “live onstage … if you want it,” - a paraphrase of, you guessed it, a live Stones record, “Got Live If You Want It” - is by most counts their thirteenth record. As an introduction to the Chesterfield Kings you probably won’t do better.
These sons of Rochester, New York (singer Greg Prevost and bassist Andy Babiuk are the perennials) have made a career out of imitating the Rolling Stones, especially the various sub-genres of Stones between approximately 1964 and 1973. There are almost inevitable shards of New York Dolls-speak and “Nuggets” moments (their first single was a cover of the Brogues “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker”) , but even the stuff they rip off that ain’t the Stones is Stones derived.
You might wonder – what’s the point? True, the Chesterfield Kings are supremely and almost absurdly derivative. On the other hand, their own material is just good enough to cut the Mick-mustard, and without horns and sixteen backup singers the Kings at this point do a better job of evoking vintage Rolling Stones than the Stones themselves. Guitarist Paul Morabito is Keith and Ronnie minus the addled, errant guitar spew (not that their spew isn’t without charm). Morabito plays a concise, stinging version of rock lead guitar that gets straight to the point.
You get rhythm n’blues Stones (“I’m So Confused, Baby”), psychedelic Stones (“Transparent Life,” a “Paint it Black” surrogate), Graham Parsons-lovin’ Stones (the Gram inspired Merle Haggard cover, “Sing Me Back Home”), and even Rolling Stones, well, Rolling Stones (“Flashback,” a “Jumpin' Jack Flash” cop - right down to the tongue in cheek title). When it comes to the Stones (again, 64-73) the Kings have studied hard. And turned their apprenticeship into a kind of mastery.
The second greatest rock n’roll band in the world? I’m afraid that would require a bit more in the way of individuality then the Chesterfield Kings proffer. Damned entertaining rock n’ roll? Indeed it is
Reverberating: 8.0
Steve Wilson is the manager of Kief's Downtown Music and a lifelong musician and music writer. His weekly bundle of music reviews, "Reverberations," will be appearing in KCFreePress each Tuesday.
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