What Makes John Bonham Such a Good Drummer?

Great video. Definitely worth watching.

 

Not a huge Zeppelin fan but I always loved the "sound" of his drums. When you hear that bonus Paul McCartney track he plays on, you can just tell it's him and it's awesome!

 

I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin as they're one of my Dad's favourite band. I'd been listening to them for years when the Led Zeppelin DVD was released. I expected Bonham to be hitting the drums hard and aggressively during performances like In My Time Of Dying. I was so surprised that wasn't the case and he looked quite laid back! Phenomenal.

 

He was one of the rare drummers who could tune his kit uniquely.

Also his rolls were fantastic....listen to Tea For One.

 

Four Sticks. Great song, and I'm sure it wasn't easy playing with 4 sticks....

 

The greatest ever...having Jonesy on Bass doesn't hurt either

 

power and feel

 

His feel, his inventiveness and his technique.

His groove was all about swing.

Ginger Baker is a bitter, hugely overrated drummer who hates being smoked by a long gone Bonham.

 

I was about to say something similar. Plant could wail, Page could riff, Bonzo could pound the skins, but only John Paul Jones could hold it all together. JPJ and Bonzo were meant for each other.

 

He doesn’t use sticks

 

His talent

 

He was the best Led Zeppelin style drummer in the world

 

He played drums like a melodic instrument. His playing tracked the song and melodies of the other players and sometimes drove it. See: In My Time of Dying, Nobody's Fault But Mine.

Also, Black Dog and When the Levee Breaks are rock drum clinics.

 

He really does swing. Some folks think he's all power, but it's how he plays too. Listen to a song like "Darlene". That's tasty playing.

 

Incredible power, intricate understanding of rhythmatic drive combined with swing.

 

I don't hear it, quite possibly that's just me and my loss, but just for the record I really don't.

 

The drums didn’t sound anything special on that cut ( Beware My Love). In fact, Joe English’s version on ATSOS was much better. I could never make it through one of his long solos.

 

John was one of the best rock had to offer. He was among the greats. Glad I got to see the Zep live in '74. My favorite drummer though will always (until someone better comes along), be Buddy who went where no drummer has ever gone as far as speed and ingenuity go. Those solos, oh my god.

 

The Song Remains The Same, drums at end of Rock &Roll, Black Dog, and Dazed and Confused. Next topic please.

 

He was Bonhambastic.

 

Do you have the album Presence?
If you do put on the song Candy Store Rock and listen to what Bonham's doing.

 

Uh-oh. Shouldn't have used the word "swing."

 

I still think Tony Thompson had Bonzo beat on loudness and rhythm.... then again the world will never know.

 

This. Bonham listened to the other instrumentalists and tailored his playing to fit in accordingly.

 

I love Ringo but he's no Bonzo. Ringo was a great steady drummer who provided a consistent steady beat but didn't practice nor was that interested in improving. He didn't even have a set of drums at his house during the 60's. He only played in the studio or in concert.
I asked on another thread why Bonzo is considered one of the best but never got a good answer. Supposedly he had a knack for tuning his drums but don't know what specific drumming patterns or techniques he excelled at that were superior to his peers. Can any drummers out there elaborate?