Topper Headon - Drums
http://music.lovetoknow.com/Topper_Headon
"Topper Headon is the Human Drum Machine, the man behind the kit for most of the Clash’s recordings. Without him, it is hard to imagine the Clash would have been as influential as they were. Joe Strummer said “We would have been absolutely lost if it wasn’t for Topper Headon”. He brought in soul and jazz influences, along with impeccable timing and songwriting skills.
During the recording of “Give ‘Em Enough Rope”, Sandy Pearlman gave Headon the nickname “The Human Drum Machine”, because he never made mistakes. In many gig reviews, the phrase “Headon’s drumming carried them through”, or something like it, will appear. The Clash recorded an amazing first album with Terry Chimes, but without Headon, the band would have been lost. Headon’s drumming continued onto London Calling, where he was more than a match for the numerous genres the Clash took on. Soul, jazz, reggae, ska, none of it was a problem for him. On Sandinista!, it was more of the same, only with more styles of music."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topper_Headon
'As a 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. Writes Scott Kenemore, "his contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many."'
http://www.total-drums.com/best-rock-drummers-2.html
"With his background in jazz and soul music, Topper brought many new dimensions to The Clash's punk sound. Reggae, rockabilly, funk and more can be heard in their songs, and Topper played them all with power and grace."
Topper's drumming is so key throughout the Clash's entire catalog that I could post up any of their songs, but these are a couple that come to mind where the drums are particularly prominent.
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One of my favorite drum fills is the staggery one here in "I Fought the Law" at 1:22:
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