‘Rock the Casbah’: Topper Headon’s Clash classic
Transcending their punk roots in ways that many other bands tried and failed to do, The Clash were a truly original outfit. With frontman Joe Strummer at the helm, their incorporation of dub, ska, hip-hop and jazz set them apart from their punk rock contemporaries and helped to create some of the most unforgettable material of the era. One of their defining moments came with Combat Rock, particularly the single ‘Rock the Casbah’.
Much is made of Joe Strummer’s leadership within the group. His incredible songwriting talent, strong image and staunch political principles made him a poster boy of the punk rock movement, along with the boyish charm of Simonon on bass and Mick Jones on guitar. Within the group, the talents of drummer Topper Headon are tragically underrated. Perhaps this came as a result of the fact that Headon was not even on board for the band’s incredible debut album, which set out the anti-authority manifesto of The Clash.
Nevertheless, from the point of joining the ranks in 1977, Topper proved himself to be an essential aspect of the band’s signature sound. His defining moment with the group came with ‘Rock the Casbah’, a 1982 single taken from Combat Rock. The track arose from a studio session in which Topper found his three bandmates absent. After toying with a piano track, he went on to record the piano, bass, and drum tracks entirely on his own.
After returning to the studio to discover the fruits of Topper’s labour, The Clash were astonished by the fact that the instrumental track was essentially complete, requiring only minor overdubs and, of course, vocals. Although his bandmates were impressed by his instrumental work, the page of lyrics Topper had composed for the track was met with disapproval from Strummer. Reportedly, the lyrics were all about how much Headon missed his girlfriend, which is not very in keeping with the radical lyricism of Jones and Strummer. Luckily, Strummer decided against including the original lyrics, opting for something more appropriate for Headon’s funk-ridden track.
‘Rock the Casbah’ is a fairly unique track within The Clash’s discography, incorporating elements of disco and jazz, largely arising from Topper’s own influences. It is also one of the few Clash tracks that is not credited to the songwriting partnership of Jones and Strummer.
The songwriting efforts of drummers are usually received with scorn from fellow bandmates and are often buried within the B-sides and obscure album tracks of a group’s discography. Even within The Beatles, Ringo Starr’s songs are often the butt of a joke, despite being pretty solid. This is where ‘Rock the Casbah’ differed. Not only was the track released as a single, but it was a hit. Reaching 30 in the UK singles charts and earning the band one of their few top ten hits in the US, the song is a testament to the musical genius of Topper Headon.
Topper was sacked from the band in 1982, before the Combat Rock tour even began, as a result of his increasing dependence on heroin. The steep decline of the group that soon followed, ultimately culminating in the departure of Mick Jones and the horrendously bad album Cut the Crap, speaks volumes about how essential Headon was for The Clash’s sound.
