Topper -

Topper was an American psych-rock band from Independence, Mo., that released the 1977 album At Last on the self-run Scot label. They used drummer-singer Jim Hodges’ Riverside nightclub Cosmos as a performance base and recording site. Drummer Bob Brown recorded earlier with the Winamill Music Band. Keyboardist Rudy Passonno later cut the album Mama Mama in partnership with singer-guitarist David M. Dawkins.

Members: Jim Hodges (vocals, drums, percussion), Larry Watson (guitar, vocals), Jackie Barrett (bass), Rudy Passonno (organ, piano, synthesizer, Mellotron), Bob Brown (drums, percussion)

Background

Topper formed at Cosmos after a lawsuit prompted Hodges to rename the venue from Daddy’s Money. The musicians took the band name from the 1950s television series Topper.

Passonno joined after years on the road and a long playing partnership with Watson. Their expanded club arrangements sometimes generated original material. Bassist Jackie Barrett joined two weeks earlier. She previously toured with her own band and played with Sugarloaf at Sturgis.

The group became the Cosmos house band, with Jim Stenner—Krazy Krell, a former KISS effects technician—handling smoke and fire for the stage act. Passonno then set up a half-inch eight-track machine for an album project.

At Last

Topper released their singular album, At Last, in 1977 on Scot Records.

At Last contains one Passonno cut and five co-writes with Hodges and Watson, plus their version of “Devil’s Rx” by St. Louis rock musician Jules Blattner.

“Astral Plane” gallops beneath forceful lead singing, a bounding bass line, Moog rise, and late guitar flare. “Say What You Feel” prowls from a wah-soaked figure into heated solo exchanges before circling back to opening strut. “Smile for the Clown” settles into mournful Mellotron strings and flute passages.

“Phaze 1 (Prelude)” swirls through analog electronic runs and unstable contours. “Phaze 2” surges across hard-edged figures and abrupt sectional turns. “Devil’s RX” loosens into close harmonies, ornate flourishes, and a rough, rolling shuffle. “Hell’s Fire” erupts through Leslie rotation and a fevered male cry.

A1. “Astral Plane” (5:18) – Hodges, Watson, Passonno
A2. “Say What You Feel” (7:20) – Hodges, Watson, Passonno
A3. “Smile for the Clown” (4:10) – Hodges, Watson, Passonno

B1. “Phaze 1 (Prelude)” (3:05) – Passonno
B2. “Phaze 2” (5:45) – Hodges, Watson, Passonno
B3. “Devil’s Rx” (3:17) – Jules Blattner
B4. “Hells Fire” (4:35) – Hodges, Watson, Passonno

Sessions spanned roughly four weeks in May 1977, with work divided between Recording Inc. and Cosmos, the Riverside club owned by Hodges. Passonno operated a half-inch eight-track machine after closing, and the band recorded from early morning until dawn.

Bob L. Cole mastered the LP at Liberty Recording Studios. In summer 1979, Passonno ran Liberty Recording and used a Tascam 80-8 system to produce and arrange Mama Mama with Dawkins.

Don Johnson designed the black sleeve around an outlined Topper wordmark and a white top-hat emblem crossed by a lightning bolt. The band pressed 5,000 copies through Scot Records and sold the run quickly.

Artisthead Music reissued At Last in April 2013 with two previously unreleased songs.

Later Activity

Topper recorded “Cosmic Rover” (b/w “Into Eternity”) in 1978, but the intended single never reached formal release. The group split as members pursued separate work.

Passonno issued “Dead Boys” in 1980 and adopted the Isotope Finis name for recordings from the 1990s. Barrett moved to Boston and helped form the Rockhouse Rebels. Watson retired after a series of strokes in the late 1990s.

Discography: