Topper Headon
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| Nicky "Topper" Headon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nicholas Bowen Headon |
| Also known as | Topper |
| Born | May 30 1955 Bromley, Kent, England |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, soul, r&b, rock, punk rock, reggae, rock and roll, various genres |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer, percussionist, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Drums and percussion; bass guitar and piano occasionally |
| Years active | 1975 – present |
| Label(s) | CBS Records (1977–1982), Mercury |
| Associated acts | The Clash |
Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955, Bromley, Kent, England), known as 'Topper' (because of his resemblance to the cartoon monkey), is a British rock and roll drummer, best known for his membership in the punk rock band, The Clash.
Headon is commonly recognized as one of the best punk rock drummers of the late 1970s and early '80s; critic Greg Prato writes, "producer Sandy Pearlman dubbed Headon 'The Human Drum Machine,' due to his impeccable timing and skills."[1]
Contents |
[edit] Early life
A drummer from his childhood, Headon was a jazz fan, citing Billy Cobham as a strong influence. Headon played with a group that opened for American R&B legends The Temptations,[1] but he admits to occasionally lying to claim he actually played with the Temptations.[2]
[edit] The Clash
Before meeting Headon, the Clash went through several drummers, including Terry Chimes, who recorded on the UK version of the band's self-titled debut. Headon -- something of a 'journeyman' drummer -- originally planned to have only a brief stay with the band, to establish a reputation and then move on.[1] After a period in the Clash, however, Headon realized the full potential of the band, and abandoned his plan to leave the group. He played on the albums Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978), some tracks on The Clash (US version) (1979), London Calling (1979), Sandinista! (1980) and Combat Rock (1982). Also of note are his lead vocal on "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" (from Sandinista!) and his work on the hit single "Rock the Casbah" (from Combat Rock), on which Headon composed most of the music and played drums, piano and bass guitar.
Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer said that Headon's drumming skills were a vital part of the band: Headon had strength and stamina, and could play convincingly in funk, reggae and other styles, in addition to traditional rock drumming.[2]
[edit] Kicked out and years of addiction
Tensions rose between Headon and his fellow bandmembers due to his growing heroin addiction.[1] Eventually it began affecting his drumming so much that the band gave him an ultimatum: kick the habit or be kicked out. Topper was unable to give up drugs and left the band on May 10, 1982, at the beginning of the Combat Rock tour. The band covered up the real reason for Headon's departure, claiming it was due to exhaustion.
After Headon's departure the Clash re-hired original drummer Terry Chimes for the tour.
After his work with the Clash, Topper was considered briefly for the drumming stool in Mick Jones' post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite. However, this failed to work out because of Topper's continuing addiction.[1]
Headon subsequently focused on recording a solo album, which resulted in the mostly unnoticed Waking Up (1986) and a 12-inch recording "Drumming Man" and "DuKane Road" with his own composition "Hope for Donna", that was also included in the 1986 Mercury Records sampler Beat Runs Wild.[3] After this album Headon went to jail on drug supplying charges.
Headon has spent time in the Priory Psychiatric Hospital in North London to deal with his addiction; the hospital has an internationally renowned Addiction Treatment Program drug clinic as part of its structure.
[edit] Post-addiction work
Headon was interviewed extensively for the rockumentary Westway to the World. During the movie, he frankly apologized about his addiction and speculated that had he not been kicked out, the band might have lasted longer and might possibly still be together. Given the chance to repeat the experience, however, he states that he has no regrets and would do it all again, "because that's the kind of person he is".[2]
Since the Clash broke up, he has rarely been heard from, though he did produce albums for New York band Bush Tetras.
Although he has mostly moved out of the public eye, Headon continues to play gigs; it was after one of his shows at a pub that he was informed of the death of Clash frontman Joe Strummer. Obviously emotional, Headon said:
| “ | It's taken Joe's death to make me realise just how big The Clash were. We were a political band and Joe was the one who wrote the lyrics. Joe was one of the truest guys you could ever meet. If he said 'I am behind you', then you knew he meant it 100 per cent. | ” |
| —Topper Headon – 2002 , [4] | ||
Headon also lamented the fact that the classic Clash line-up had been considering a reunion at the time of Strummer's death after the positive reunion during the Westway to the World rockumentary.[2]
Headon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal. For example, Joe once slept with his girlfriend, which caused a lot of pain to Nick, and Mick Jones didn't want any bus-travelling without pot. Topper also said that seeing the video of "Rock the Casbah" with "someone else (Terry Chimes) at my place playing my song" caused him to fall in even greater depression and heavier drug addiction. It appears that his addiction was only part of the growing tension in the band that led to Mick Jones dismissal a year later and the eventual break-up of the band in 1986.
[edit] Drumming style
As drummer, Headon often employed a distinctive style which emphasized a simple bass-snare up-down beat, accentuated with closed Hi-hat flourishes. Such a method can be found in the songs "Clampdown", "Train in Vain", and "Lost in the Supermarket". His drumming on "Train in Vain" has been characterized as one of the most important and distinctive beats in rock music.[5] Writes Scott Kenemore, "[h]is contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many."[5]
[edit] Discography
- For recordings made with the Clash, please see The Clash discography.
Topper Headon has released one studio album, one EP, and three singles as a solo artist and featured on several other artists albums.[6]
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Title | Record Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Waking Up | Mercury 826 779-1 | |
| 1986 | Beat Runs Wild | Mercury | Mercury Records sampler. Topper Headon features on track B5. "Hope for Donna" |
[edit] EPs
| Year | Title | Record Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Leave It To Luck / East Versus West / Got To Get Out of This Heat S.O.S / Casablanca |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Record Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Drumming Man / Hope For Donna" | Waking Up | 7" vinyl | |
| 1985 | "Drumming Man / Ducaine Road (Special 12" Mix) / Hope For Donna / Drumming Man (7")" | Waking Up | 12" vinyl | |
| 1985 | "Leave It To Luck / Casablanca" | Waking Up | ||
| 1985 | "Leave It To Luck (Double Pack)" | Waking Up | Mercury MERD 201 | |
| 1986 | "I'll Give You Everything / You're So Cheeky" | Waking Up | ||
| 1986 | "I'll Give You Everything (Full-Length Version) / When You're Down / Got To Get Out of This Heat (Extended Mix Version) (CAN)" | Waking Up | ||
| 1986 | "I'll Give You Everything (7" version) / I'll Give You Everthing (Dub Ruj) / I'll Give You Everything (Douce Ruj) / You're So Cheeky"[7] | Waking Up | 12" vinyl |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Prato, Greg. allmusic ((( Topper Headon > Biography ))). allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. “a) Sandy Pearlman dubbed Headon "The Human Drum Machine," due to his impeccable timing and skills.
b) Headon grew up a soul and jazz fan (an early influence was ace fusion drummer Billy Cobham), and he was once a member of a local group that opened a show for the Temptations.
c) Headon's original plan was to stay with the Clash for only a year — which he figured would give enough time to get his name known so he could move on to another more "suitable" group. But Headon quickly realized that the group was not just a one-dimensional punk band, as they branched out and touched upon a wide variety of styles — all the while never losing sight of their original punk ideals.
d) a heroin addiction had drawn a wedge between Headon and the rest of his bandmates.
e) After a planned reunion with Jones (who was expelled from the Clash himself a year after Headon's dismissal) in the group Big Audio Dynamite failed to work out, Headon focused on recording a solo album.” - ^ a b c d Letts Don; Rick Elgood, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, The Clash. (2001). The Clash, Westway to the World [Documentary]. New York, NY: Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films. Retrieved on 2007-11-26. ISBN 0738900826. OCLC 49798077.
- ^ Cooke, Brandon; Pete Shelley, Tom Verlaine, Topper Headon, Hipsway, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Wet Wet Wet, Love and Money, Swing Out Sister, Zerra One. (1986). Beat Runs Wild [LP recording]. London: Mercury. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. OCLC 51782857.
- ^ Celebrity Tributes to Joe Strummer. strummernews.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. “It's taken Joe's death to make me realise just how big The Clash were. We were a political band and Joe was the one who wrote the lyrics. Joe was one of the truest guys you could ever meet. If he said 'I am behind you', then you knew he meant it 100 per cent.”
- ^ a b Kenemore, Scott (2007-03-21). All Talk and No Stick. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. “a) Rock fans everywhere recognize his opening beat to the Mick Jones song “Train in Vain.” A typical example of Topper’s excellent work, the beat is both catchy and deceptively complicated.
b) Despite his personal failings, his contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many.” - ^ Albums by Topper Headon - Rate Your Music. rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ Headon, Topper. (1986). I'll Give You Everything [LP recording]. England: Mercury. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. OCLC 29290615.
The Clash | |
|---|---|
| Joe Strummer · Mick Jones · Paul Simonon · Topper Headon Nick Sheppard · Keith Levene · Pete Howard · Terry Chimes · Vince White · Rob Harper | |
| Studio albums | The Clash · Give 'Em Enough Rope · London Calling · Sandinista! · Combat Rock · Cut the Crap |
| Compilations and lives | Black Market Clash · The Story of the Clash, Volume 1 · Clash on Broadway · The Singles · Super Black Market Clash · From Here to Eternity: Live · The Essential Clash · Singles Box · The Singles |
| Related articles | Discography · Punk rock · The 101ers · London SS · Public Image Ltd. · Big Audio Dynamite · Havana 3am · The Latino Rockabilly War · The Pogues · The Mescaleros · The Libertines · Carbon/Silicon · The Good, the Bad and the Queen |
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