Why have I never seen this video? Nick (Topper) lives 100 yards from me and I have known him well for many years, still I never knew this little gem existed
@@masayorimoto6499 not exactly, everyone in Dover knew who he was during the punk glory days but he had moved to London during this time but moved back to Dover shortly after his exit from the bank. I bought a house in Dover in the 80s and it just happened to be 2 doors from Nick (Topper) we saw each other most days and became mates. The Clash were my favourite
Sorry don’t know what happened there, the Clash had always been my favourite band during this time and to this day so it is a privilege to live so close
@@brendanirish2170 sorry Brendan, this message has only just reached me, I am happy to ask him, he is a very friendly and amiable guy, he does not live in London however but in a village near Dover
Hi all, my mum was the singer on this track and is not the woman in the video. My mum still sings for the railway swing band elsewhere on RUclips, check her out.
Story checks out. Your mum is credited on the 12"record sleeve, and that is her singing in those Railway Swing Band videos. Cool! Too bad they had some actress mime over her singing in this video though.
Joe said they were not as good after sacking him . Maybe they should have given time to sort himself out but as Joe said at the time things moved very fast in the group . Although of course Joe later said his biggest regrets were sacking both Topper and Mick.
Mate, I cannot tell you how many times I have searched for this video clip over the years and never found it. I grew up with it in the 80's and always loved it so much! I haven't seen this since then and it brought tears to my eyes. I'm forever greatful, thank you so much :D
Wow, Topper looks wasted away here. This is four years after he was booted from The Clash for his heroin problems, time during which he did not get better. He continued to get worse, apparently (by his own account) living in squats, offing his possessions for drug money, and picking up a case of hepatitis C, before finally getting clean in the early 2000s. He looks and sounds much healthier and happier today. Go Topper.
Got the album - can't blame him for trying and loving the soul and jazz influences close to his heart. One talented guy wrecked by heroin but what a drummer, Topper - the Clash's man/weapon to reckon with and still an inspiration to watch. Get back in there, Topper !
Topper tells a story in the book Mad, Bad & Dangerous: The Book of Drummers Tales by Spike Webb. He says that what got him to clean himself up was when he was watching The Clash get inducted into the RnR HOF on telly without him while he was in a soup kitchen.
One of the very few rock drummers of all time to use paradiddle on toms over the execution. Unique drummer. A stellar reference together with ian paice for who approached drumming early 80ies
Just a few add ons -Topper wasn't really 'a jazz drummer' before the Clash - he had played in a hard rock bands ,one called Fury (but sacked for 'not hitting the drums hard enough')also played as a pick up musician ,often playing Clubs& US military bases doing soul, blues ,charts etc .but was a fan of jazz- his post Clash lp 'Waking up' is worth a listen -& to my knowledge didn't usually wear eyeliner -thanks for upload TS99 .
wow never knew he could drum like this.I see clash in a different light now.matched grip looks strange for this style of music but the man's got some technique. buddy probably wouldn't approve but what the heck.great stuff topper!
Amazing. I refuse to get into subjective debates about who the best guitarist, drummer, etc. of all time is. All I can say is that if I had my choice of what drummer I'd prefer to listen to above all others, Topper is my pick.
Which drum set are you referring to; white or red? 😂 I would take both kits and this brass snare drum.. I don't see what Premier series of drums and snare he use in this video. The only thing that sounds strange is the snare drum sound, especially when Topper play solo on snare drum.. Sound engineer or producer, made that snare sound too muffled with an overtighted snarewire, and on this recording lacks natural "ringing" sound and sustain of a metal drum with a stronger top and slightly less tighten bottom drum heads, and pretty slacked snare wires. Then you would have a "singing snare" sound, a real "big band" snare sound..
Love this! Tops and Gluggo looking stylish, flashy, and classy (and Clashy) as always! Topper looks a bit like a Bowie here with the eyeliner, except his forehead is way too big. Sort of like a Numan or Kraftwerk member, I think. I can't think who it reminds me of.
agreed that it's creepy - he look really rough - I bought this when it came out and just loved it - never knew there was a video - strange as it is it's good to see. Topper will always be the Drumming Man!
This is a nice cover which captures much of the spirit of the original recording. The vocal and instrumental tracks were pre-recorded in a studio and later lip-synched and acted out for the filming of this video. Although she does a good job in the video, I have read that the girl acting as the singer in the video did not do the singing on the audio recording. She was hired just to act as the singer for the filming of the video at some point after the voice and instrumental tracks were laid down and finalized. I don't know if that's true since there don't seem to be any photos of "Didi Sketcher" online for comparison. I'm not sure about the musicians in the video other than the drummer. They may or may not be the same musicians we hear on the audio recording, which is all pretty standard "making of a music video" stuff. I'm reasonably sure it's actually TH on the drum track, though.
G'day, do you still have your raw video source or even VHS of this video? I'm after the best source possible for a doco I am working on.... would really appreciate the help! Please reply here and let me know the best way to get in touch, as youtube has disabled private messages... thanks!
On first album The Clash, drummer was Terry Chimes. Topper was played drums on second album and all touring (even before second album Give'em enough rope), and last album with The Clash was Combat Rock. After he's been sacked im May 1982, the band was dead.
AAAhhhh... are you disappointed? I feel so bad for you. He wasn't trying to be Buddy Rich, just having a bit of fun. And his drug use is nobody's business but his.
Topper is so underrated but this video/song is painful. Imagine if he had presented this to Joe, Mick and Paul for Combat Rock instead of Rock the Casbah?
He's so good he can change his clothes in between drum rolls without missing a beat. That was a little weird. Jacket changed from a white one to a red one and an Adidas jacket in there too. Must be freezing time or something.
10 лет назад+6
sexy girl. Bad song (or average one). Great Topper. But look at the damages of heroin…
For those surprised by this Topper was a Jazz drummer before he joined the Clash, he had to change his style of playing for the Clash
He also played rock with Pat Travers Band.
He could play all styles ,and could play guitar and piano also.
He said he didn't.like punk at first
Why have I never seen this video? Nick (Topper) lives 100 yards from me and I have known him well for many years, still I never knew this little gem existed
Does he mind if I come visit? I'm a Canadian and just happen to be in London next weekend!
You mean he is your childhood friend?
@@masayorimoto6499 not exactly, everyone in Dover knew who he was during the punk glory days but he had moved to London during this time but moved back to Dover shortly after his exit from the bank. I bought a house in Dover in the 80s and it just happened to be 2 doors from Nick (Topper) we saw each other most days and became mates. The Clash were my favourite
Sorry don’t know what happened there, the Clash had always been my favourite band during this time and to this day so it is a privilege to live so close
@@brendanirish2170 sorry Brendan, this message has only just reached me, I am happy to ask him, he is a very friendly and amiable guy, he does not live in London however but in a village near Dover
this guy, topper is a world class drummer. one of the best.
Topper Headon is a brilliant drummer!
I love Topper, one of my favourite drummers in the life
only such a tight drummer could keep that Clash bunch together.. they owe a lot to him
Well they did record their classic 1st lp without him . He was/is a great drummer & certainly covered up some of their 'faults' when performing live .
Hi all, my mum was the singer on this track and is not the woman in the video. My mum still sings for the railway swing band elsewhere on RUclips, check her out.
***** she has one hell of a voice. perfect.
+Bradley Basford Why did they use this girl and not your mum ? I mean this girl was also at the rehearsals .
Yeah it is.
She now sings in a band called the railway swing band.... They are in youtube
Story checks out. Your mum is credited on the 12"record sleeve, and that is her singing in those Railway Swing Band videos. Cool! Too bad they had some actress mime over her singing in this video though.
Richard Simmons on the sax down there. The man sure knows how to blow.
To me, the Clash wasn't really the Clash without Topper
Joe said they were not as good after sacking him . Maybe they should have given time to sort himself out but as Joe said at the time things moved very fast in the group . Although of course Joe later said his biggest regrets were sacking both Topper and Mick.
Today is his birthday! Happy birthday, Topper!
Btw, he is such a good drummer that he can change suits while drumming. Just watch!
You can read! He is indeed Topper Headon. Well done lad.
He should join up with Brian Setzer, He was Strummers mate and the best contender for a Clash get together.
Everytime I see him he surprises and impresses me more
Joe and Mick think Topper's drums were the whole key to the Clash's development
Mate, I cannot tell you how many times I have searched for this video clip over the years and never found it. I grew up with it in the 80's and always loved it so much! I haven't seen this since then and it brought tears to my eyes. I'm forever greatful, thank you so much :D
Joe strummer called topper the engine room,the human beat machine, the source and heart of the band !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic 😎
Wow, Topper looks wasted away here. This is four years after he was booted from The Clash for his heroin problems, time during which he did not get better. He continued to get worse, apparently (by his own account) living in squats, offing his possessions for drug money, and picking up a case of hepatitis C, before finally getting clean in the early 2000s. He looks and sounds much healthier and happier today. Go Topper.
Serious comment. Seconded. Topper's healthier now and that's what matters.
Got the album - can't blame him for trying and loving the soul and jazz influences close to his heart. One talented guy wrecked by heroin but what a drummer, Topper - the Clash's man/weapon to reckon with and still an inspiration to watch. Get back in there, Topper !
Pretty good junkie too having survived. Better drummer though.
Topper tells a story in the book Mad, Bad & Dangerous: The Book of Drummers Tales by Spike Webb. He says that what got him to clean himself up was when he was watching The Clash get inducted into the RnR HOF on telly without him while he was in a soup kitchen.
The singer's name was Didi Sketcher. Nothing much is known of her other than this recording.
One of my favourite drummers with Rod de'Ath, Jordi Vila and, of course, John Bonham
Never knew James Woods was such a good drummer.
Happy birthday Tupper, we love you drumming man!!!!
The Human Drum Machine with a Metronome instead of a heart inside him
GREAT DRUMMER!!!!
Fantastic!
The man with the golden arm
KRAFTRONIK Not many people got that reference I see! Great movie!
Topper had troubles with heroin like Frankie in the movie.
Topper is the real deal!
One of the very few rock drummers of all time to use paradiddle on toms over the execution. Unique drummer. A stellar reference together with ian paice for who approached drumming early 80ies
Einfach nur so super. DANKE an den uploader. Suchte es eit ewig
He's the closest any rocker has ever been. Then again, buddy Rich was no Gene Krupa. Krupa was the leader, the innovator.
best drummer.
Just a few add ons -Topper wasn't really 'a jazz drummer' before the Clash - he had played in a hard rock bands ,one called Fury (but sacked for 'not hitting the drums hard enough')also played as a pick up musician ,often playing Clubs& US military bases doing soul, blues ,charts etc .but was a fan of jazz- his post Clash lp 'Waking up' is worth a listen -& to my knowledge didn't usually wear eyeliner -thanks for upload TS99 .
wow never knew he could drum like this.I see clash in a different light now.matched grip looks strange for this style of music but the man's got some technique. buddy probably wouldn't approve but what the heck.great stuff topper!
screw buddy lol
Maake Klein he was really the best musician in the band.
Amazing. I refuse to get into subjective debates about who the best guitarist, drummer, etc. of all time is. All I can say is that if I had my choice of what drummer I'd prefer to listen to above all others, Topper is my pick.
Ottimo batterista , bella voce la bionda
Thank you MP!
Fantastic drummer! Beautiful singer. Nice drumset.
He was the drummer of the band The Clash!
Which drum set are you referring to; white or red? 😂 I would take both kits and this brass snare drum.. I don't see what Premier series of drums and snare he use in this video. The only thing that sounds strange is the snare drum sound, especially when Topper play solo on snare drum.. Sound engineer or producer, made that snare sound too muffled with an overtighted snarewire, and on this recording lacks natural "ringing" sound and sustain of a metal drum with a stronger top and slightly less tighten bottom drum heads, and pretty slacked snare wires. Then you would have a "singing snare" sound, a real "big band" snare sound..
I miss hearing Dukane Road right after it
I'm obviously in the Twilight Zone
Love this! Tops and Gluggo looking stylish, flashy, and classy (and Clashy) as always! Topper looks a bit like a Bowie here with the eyeliner, except his forehead is way too big. Sort of like a Numan or Kraftwerk member, I think. I can't think who it reminds me of.
Number one!
Bei dem Hammervideo ist es doch vollkommen egal wer da singt oder nicht. Das Endprodukt stimmt und das mit Pravour. Bestnote!
Wow ! Topper !
Jess thought you might like this. Drumming😅😅😅
Living Legend
Respect.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Wowwww, it´s groovy !!!
I was gonna upload this.. so thank you for beating me to it. :)
Ich in sooooo froh das du das hier hochgeladen hast
Topper!
agreed that it's creepy - he look really rough - I bought this when it came out and just loved it - never knew there was a video - strange as it is it's good to see.
Topper will always be the Drumming Man!
Simpley the best 💙
This is a nice cover which captures much of the spirit of the original recording. The vocal and instrumental tracks were pre-recorded in a studio and later lip-synched and acted out for the filming of this video. Although she does a good job in the video, I have read that the girl acting as the singer in the video did not do the singing on the audio recording. She was hired just to act as the singer for the filming of the video at some point after the voice and instrumental tracks were laid down and finalized. I don't know if that's true since there don't seem to be any photos of "Didi Sketcher" online for comparison. I'm not sure about the musicians in the video other than the drummer. They may or may not be the same musicians we hear on the audio recording, which is all pretty standard "making of a music video" stuff. I'm reasonably sure it's actually TH on the drum track, though.
Bradley Basford's mum sang the track. He commented below.
Keeps it nice and simple and tight , a real deal rock and roll drummer ! Only 3 of us do this with ease Earl Palmer is the other
Wow, I had no idea?!
Too true. London Calling may be one of the best "drum albums" of all time, and the drums aren't even the main focus!
G'day, do you still have your raw video source or even VHS of this video? I'm after the best source possible for a doco I am working on.... would really appreciate the help! Please reply here and let me know the best way to get in touch, as youtube has disabled private messages... thanks!
I am a huge fan of The Clash and I think the band come to the end when Topper has gone. With all my respect for Terry Chimes... Topper was better.
Thank you very much for the upload! Does anyone know who the singer is per chance? Thanks
the railway swing band
way better than sid's my way.Clash drumming man got talent! Who's the doll singing?
What is the name of this band? Who is the singer?
Who's the beautiful singer?
Wow. I never knew Topper did anything like this.
Listen to some tracks from off the album i.e 'Time is tight " Talented Clash man and solo artist.
Does anyone know when this was filmed????
Why does he look like James Woods?
,,,✌️
What is the name of "singing" girl?
I wonder if phil seaman had an influence on topper? Probably in multiple ways
Yes, it's either him or Tony Kinsey and Bobby Graham
Who is the girl singer ?
It's actor James Woods on drums.
Huh, swanky
Who is the singer?
who's singing?
But is he rushing or is he dragging?
he sure looks bowie-ish but its also down to hard drug use
~ come check out Gag-bit Vinyl in Bushwick NYC for forgotten early 80s/post punk/new wave gems ~ :-D
From 1986?
Are those eyebrows bleached?
Who's the girl?
Without Topper there was NO Clash! I was hooked 🥁 the first time I heard The drum intro to Jenni Jones ! ✊🏼
On first album The Clash, drummer was Terry Chimes. Topper was played drums on second album and all touring (even before second album Give'em enough rope), and last album with The Clash was Combat Rock. After he's been sacked im May 1982, the band was dead.
@@Clash_CT_Rocker69 I did NOT know that Chimes was their first drummer , I thought Topper was! You learn something new, and thank you 🙏
@@Nunzi3
Cheers mate!
@@Clash_CT_Rocker69 🍻
I love terry's 1st record drumming too!
Mick Jones was also doing heroin at the time.
What song is this off of?
it's from Walking Up the solo album of Topper Headon of Clash
thank you.
It's an old Big Band tune by drummer Gene Krupa.
A bit of a leap, stylistically, London Calling to this.
No, London Calling had Jimmy Jazz on it already
@@mariuspoppFMWhich is absolutely nothing like this
Topper's the man!...57 likes and 2 Justin Bieber fans.
terrythekittie yeeeeeeeaàaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He couldve done so much more with the solo, honestly. Considering how great of a drummer he is, Im just a tiny bit dissapointed
he had serious drug problems
AAAhhhh... are you disappointed? I feel so bad for you. He wasn't trying to be Buddy Rich, just having a bit of fun. And his drug use is nobody's business but his.
Needs more lawn mower
Topper is so underrated but this video/song is painful. Imagine if he had presented this to Joe, Mick and Paul for Combat Rock instead of Rock the Casbah?
fat charlie sheen on the piano
Good drummer. Drummers supposedly get the most girls, but I have not yet seen this (I was a drummer).
His "Jazz" drumming is remedial at best. It is nice to know he appreciates the history of drumming. The women singing is hot tho...
🙄
He was already in jazz before Clash actually
The effects of smack are plan too see here
He's so good he can change his clothes in between drum rolls without missing a beat. That was a little weird. Jacket changed from a white one to a red one and an Adidas jacket in there too. Must be freezing time or something.
sexy girl. Bad song (or average one). Great Topper. But look at the damages of heroin…
Laurent Francois-Eugène yeah, Gene Kruppa. Bad song.
Oh puh leez. Go see Krupa do this number, then re-visit.
Nirgends zu kaufen
obviously he needed the money for heroin
What an odd song...looks like something out of a weird post modern, art flick.
Coke made this music.
This is about a million times better than The Clash.
How is this statement possible to state?
instead of looking in the mirror dig out your clash records and listen to them
@@neil681 compare the Clash 'Time is tight' and Topper's version. His is more tasteful and tighter. Nice one Topper !
Topper was a great rock drummer, but for jazz, this is just bog-standard.
bullshit
but you couldn't
You Tube viewer but could Buddy Rich do the things Topper did as a rock drummer?