“Stunning”: The drum performance Jimmy Page never understood
Rock music today would look very different had Led Zeppelin not come along at the end of the 1960s, completely revitalising the British rock scene and paving the way for all future hard rock and metal music.
There are many superlatives that can be used to accurately describe the discography of Zeppelin, but much of the praise heaped onto the band is limited to the work of guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page. In reality, every individual aspect of the group was as revolutionary as the rest.
It makes sense that Page would be the target of most praise. After all, the guitar hero was the one who decided to form Led Zeppelin in the first place, following his stint with The Yardbirds. Furthermore, it was the iconic guitar riffs and distinctive playing style of Page that formed the backbone of the band’s most legendary songs. Nonetheless, Page could not have reached that upper echelon of rock and roll royalty without the help of his inspired bandmates, particularly John Bonham.
Although drummers rarely get the same reception as a lead guitarist or singer, a good band cannot exist without a great drummer. Luckily for Led Zeppelin, Bonham was among the finest drummers of his generation. A devotee of old-school jazz and blues drumming, Bonham took inspiration from a range of figures, including Buddy Rich, Joe Morello, and Gene Krupa. However, the Zeppelin drummer was adept at adding his own hard rock influences into the complex playing style that first inspired him.
If you listen to any half-decent rock or metal drummer in operation today, the vast likelihood is that you will be able to identify Bonham’s drumming style in there somewhere – such was the trailblazing nature of his performance. It should come as no real surprise, therefore, that Bonham’s drumming forms an indisputable highlight to multiple Led Zeppelin anthems. Even if Page’s riffs tend to get the limelight, Bonham’s drumming on songs like ‘Good Times Bad Times’ is an apt explanation to why he became such an iconic figure within rock.
Featuring as the opening track on their 1969 debut album, ‘Good Times Bad Times’ acted as a stunning introduction to the world of Led Zeppelin. Awash with Page’s screaming riffs and Plant’s unique vocal style, the track was unlike anything that mainstream audiences had heard prior, offering a wonderfully abrasive alternative to the hippie counterculture rock that had dominated the scene for multiple years by that point.
According to Jimmy Page himself, though, the ultimate highlight of that opening track came with Bonham’s awe-inspiring drumming. Speaking to Guitar World, the songwriter once revealed, “The most stunning thing about the track, of course, is Bonzo’s amazing kick drum. It’s superhuman when you realise he was not playing with double kick. That’s one kick drum! That’s when people started understanding what he was all about.”
As Page suggests, a lesser drummer might have employed a double kick drum pedal to create the pounding rhythm of ‘Good Times, Bad Times’, but Bonham decided to work with what he had instead. This innovative approach to rock and roll drumming, in addition to the “superhuman” stamina needed to play with such fury, are two prevailing reasons why Bonham continues to act as the blueprint for rock and metal drummers everywhere.
Nobody had heard anybody drum like Bonham prior to the release of Led Zeppelin’s debut, and very few drummers since could stand up to his unparalleled energy and innovation. Although you could argue that he had many moments with Zeppelin that triumphed over ‘Good Times Bad Times’, the song was pivotal both in the development of the band and in establishing Bonham’s unique drumming style.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.