May 01, 1979
Police - The case of the bleached blonds: "Street credibility...," mutters Stewart Copeland, the American drummer in Britain's Police, as he wearily runs a hand through his peroxide blond hair. "Street credibility is full of shit. It's something journalists invented to pass the time of day. Anybody who claims to have street credibility is lying through his teeth." Guitarist Andy Summers and bass player Sting nod their peroxide-blond heads in agreement...
Apr 04, 1979
Police lock up Paradise: od Stewart married George Hamilton's ex-wife today, Linda Ronstadt and Governor Jerry Brown arrived in New York apparently bound for vacation in Africa. And the Police sang 'Peanuts' in Boston. 'Peanuts' is a song to a corrupt rock star, a "fallen hero". The lyrics scream "Don't want to hear about the drugs you're takin' / Don't want to hear about love your makin'" and generally tell the decadent old codger to stop prancing around and get off to Hollywood Squares or wherever old rock stars go. I didn't expect Sting, the Police's lead vocalist/bassist/songwriter to give me a straight answer about the song...
Apr 01, 1979
Marketing The Police - Ten years ago, "Support the Police" was a bumper sticker you'd expect to see outside a Ronald Reagan rally. Today the slogan is part of a huge promotional campaign for the police, a sassy trio from A&M Records growling stable of young British rock attractions...
Apr 01, 1979
Pulling in America for questioning: 'Would they drop the bomb on us while we made love on the beach?' I think this song's gonna be a classic," bawls the publicist, her voice just audible above the strains of the Police belting full-tilt through their frantic 'Born in the '50s'. We were the class they couldn't teach because we knew better... "It's gonna be used in films," she enthuses with speed-freak gusto. "It's gonna be recognised as a sociological document, you knowww???"
Feb 03, 1979
Police lean to America: It's smoky and crowded in that dusty old shoebox they call CBGB, and there's a band called the Police onstage - so what else is new? They're from Britain - so big deal. And they all have bleached blond hair - swell. But jeez, if you listen - hey, this is hot stuff! The bassist is jumping around in a boiler suit and he's singing in this neat, kinda high-pitched voice - and the drummer's bashing away so hard he's gonna bust those drumheads. I mean, he's careening from snare to tom-tom like a percussion machine! And there's a twinky little guitarist in striped tee and leather jacket, standing there with a look of distraction his face. kinda like a child whose face momentarily looks old when deep in concentration. Just scrubbing away while the others steam along - whoops, where did that solo come from...?
Feb 02, 1979
The Police are not punk or disco: s day-glo bumper stickers proclaimed back in a bygone era: "If you don't like cops, call a hippie the next time you're in trouble!" And vice versa, if you don't like hippies, call the cops, right? Or better yet, The Police...
Jan 01, 1979
"If punk doesn't move, it'll die." The words sound odd coming from the mouth of someone who has just stepped off the stage at CBGB, but then again, the Police are not your everyday headbangers. For instance: the drummer, Stewart Copeland, formed the group as a reaction to the reigning anti-fun, mega-bucks attitude in rock, after leaving his post a latter-day member of the overhyped British progressive outfit Curved Air. The bassist and singer/writer, who calls himself Sting, recently wrapped up filming a lead role in Quadrophenia, the film based on the Who album of the same name. Guitarist Andy Summers, who considers himself a guitar craftsman, has put in time with the likes of Soft Machine, Neil Sedaka, the Animals and David Essex, among other more esoteric organisations. And (excuse the inevitable but irresistible pun), this "arresting" trio of blond Britons recently completed its first U.S. tour, covering most of the major Eastern markets, without the benefit of record company backing...
Dec 01, 1978
You should have seen the faces of the people at the Rat, not to mention proprietor Jim Harold, who was sure someone would end up in the clinker before the night was old. The Police had raided the Rat. Now, our more observant readers probably know that the Police are a new English rock and roll band, but more than that, there were these mysterious men and women running around in police uniforms. After playing Kojak for awhile, I found out these people were from A&M Records. Phew, the heat was off but musically still on. The Police (r&r band) were tres hot...!
Jan 01, 1977
Making it - Any band with fire in it's belly, sooner or later, has to gamble on that make-or-break trip to London. This is an account of how Newcastle's highly rated Last Exit sought fame and fortune in the Big City. Dingwall's felt more like the warehouse it used to be than the key new-band rock venue it has become. It was a downbeat Monday night. The pubs were only just chucking out when the DJ announced the support act, a name no Londoner had ever heard of, and the few dozen present hardly raised an eyebrow...