 | Police Car/On Parole (Stiff BUY22) Nov 1977 www.RollingStone.com review of 'Police Car': " "Police Car". "I howl when I get the scent/I turn on my flashing light," Wallis sings, carrying out an impeccable oddball conceit fraught with all sorts of dizzy implications: the police as rock & rollers? An official vehicle as an obsessed lover? This song is definitely a minor classic." |
 | Bunch of Stiffs |
 | Live Stiffs (Feb 78) (live) Aartists featured include Larry Wallis, Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds & Nick Lowe and Ian Dury, (with Bruce Thomas, Terry Williams, John Turnbull, Mickey Gallagher). Track: Police Car. www.RollingStone.com review of Stiffs Live: "Then there's "Police Car" by Larry Wallis' Psychedelic Rowdies (the band name—and maybe the band—of the year)." For RollingStone.com review of 'Police Car' see above. |
 | A Bunch Of Stiff Records - Various Stiff Artists 'Food' features on side two as track five by the Takeaways consisting of; Larry Wallis, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds and Sean Tyla. More info on the Takeaways? Click here |
 | Stiff Box Set - Various Stiff Artists |
Taken from the Forced Exposure # 11, (winter 1987) Nigel Cross interview.
READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE CLICK HERE
NIGEL CROSS: What about the "Police Car" single?
LARRY WALLIS: I got tricked into that. This roadie came over to my flat and said, "Hey man - let's have half a Mandy each and hang out."
So we took half a Mandy each and he said, "I have a great idea - let's go over and see Jake and Nick."
I'm going, "I can't go over there. I've got half a Mandy."
He's going, Aw come on. It'll be easy."
So we get in a cab and go over. So we're up there and out of the blue he says, "Lazza's got a great new song. Haven't you, Lazza."
He passes me an acoustic guitar.
"Play them 'Police Car'."
Jake says, "Oh yes, Laz. Turn off the telly, we all really want to hear it."
So I sat there and played "Police Car" and Jake said, "Right. What's today? Sunday? Well, Tuesday night you're in the studio with Eddie and the Hot Rods doin' 'Police Car'."
"Uh, no, I can't..."
"Hello, chaps? Tuesday night? OK great. Laz -- it's all fixed up. What's on the telly now?"
"No. I can't make a record."
"Too late. It's already done." I was railroaded.
NIGEL CROSS: How did the Bunch of Stiffs Tour come about?
LARRY WALLIS: Jake Riviera or Dave Robinson was wondering what had ever happened to those old Stax-style revues. where they'd have one let of equipment and the bands would just zip right out. Then they just figured, "Why not have a rock'n'roll revue?" So it happened. Just one bunch of equipment with a few variations here and there, a different person topping the bill each night depending on who wanted to be first and last in the pub, a different name for the band every night. It was a real show business affair. One night I didn't shave and I can remember one person saying, "It doesn't appear that we're paying Larry Wallis enough to afford razor blades".
NIGEL CROSS: But how did it feel to be getting all those full page spreads in the papers?
LARRY WALLIS: I was pleased as punch, but I always thought that I was out of my depth. I never felt up to Ian, Elvis or Nick. To be put in their company absolutely blew me sideways.
NIGEL CROSS: How did the press react to you?
LARRY WALLIS: Well, I was always aware of being the black sheep of the tour. I'd get up there and do Police Car" and "On Parole", but I was only in it for the laughs. I didn't realize what a good opportunity it was.
NIGEL CROSS: Then you started producing.
LARRY WALLIS: How I came to produce was that Jake and Dave said, "We found a band called the Adverts. You're producing 'em. Go down to the Roxy and see 'em."
So there I am in patchwork boots and velvet jacket, with hair down to my shoulders, So I go down and there's Johnny Rotten & Co. stabbing themselves in the face with broken bottles for fun while they're dancing. But I met the Adverts and we got on like a house' on fire 'cause Tim Advert really is a fucking talent. He had these songs I couldn't believe -- singing about what it's like to see the world from Gary Gilmore's eyes. I was pleased to be a part of it. One Sunday night we went into a fucking eight track studio called Pathway and I was scared shitless. I went to the engineer, "Look I never done this before."
"Don't worry. Look confident."
So that's what I did. The next day the tape was delivered. Jake phoned me and said, "Lazza, you've passed through the submarine net."
That gave me the confidence to do that. Then Nick Lowe left Stiff and I became the house producer. I did things like Wreckless Eric, the Realists, Youth In Asia, all these bands. Then when me and Dave fell out, I stopped producing.
