The drums John Bonham recorded outside of Led Zeppelin
Drummers rarely take the spotlight within the world of rock and roll, yet they are the ones who have been beating out the rebellious rhythm of the genre from its very earliest origins. If there was ever a drummer who perfectly encapsulated the sound, energy, and lifestyle of rock and roll excellence, though, it was John Bonham.
It was a recommendation from Robert Plant which first secured Bonham’s place within the ranks of Led Zeppelin, and he wasted no time in proving his otherworldly credentials. A lot of emphasis is placed upon Page’s guitar stylings and songwriting during those early years, and that should come as no surprise, but Bonham’s percussion was just as essential in carving out the progenitive sound of the band – if not more so. In fact, the drummer was such a vital aspect of their output that his untimely death in 1980 spelled the end of the band in its entirety.
You could fill an entire library with discussions about Bonzo’s greatest performances with Led Zeppelin, as his drumming genius never appeared to be in short supply. From ‘Good Times Bad Times’ to the technical wizardry of ‘Fool In The Rain’ or ‘Achilles Last Stand’, there isn’t a drummer out there who has not, at one point or another, dreamed of boasting a percentage of Bonham’s incredible skills. Those skills, however, were not always limited to Led Zeppelin’s discography.
Like every band member, Bonham had a life before Zeppelin emerged from the clouds, and one of his only pre-Zeppelin performances to ever see a widespread release was on The Senators’ obscure mod-rock single ‘She’s A Mod’ from 1964, although he may have also appeared on ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ by Donovan – although seemingly everybody was so tripped out back in 1968 that there is no concrete evidence either way.
Even during his days with Led Zeppelin, Bonham somehow found time in between the exhaustive touring schedule, recording sessions, and rock and roll lifestyle to hire out his talents to various other projects. Seemingly, you can get a lot done when you forgo sleep. In the case of Bonham, those extracurricular activities included everything from the folk-rock obscurity of The Family Dogg, and their 1969 record A Way of Life, to the Maurice Gibb-produced mastery of ‘Everybody Clap’ by Lulu.
One of the drummer’s most prominent side projects involved his collaboration with shock rock stalwart Screaming Lord Sutch on Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, an album which you would be forgive for assuming is a supergroup masterpiece. Despite featuring the likes of Bonham, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins, and Noel Redding, the final record is of a much lower quality than the sum of its parts. Still, it is difficult to deny the drumming mastery of Bonham, even on an album as lacklustre as that 1970 effort.
Other projects were far more successful with Bonham as a for-hire percussionist, namely, Bonham’s brief collaboration with Wings on their Back To The Egg album, on which he is credited on two tracks. Along with his Roy Wood collaboration that same year, in 1979, these non-Zeppelin tracks made up some of the drummer’s final recordings before his tragic passing the following year.
Ultimately, the drummer’s extracurricular recordings outside of the Led Zeppelin camp hardly stand up to the sonic mastery of records like ‘Fool In The Rain’, but they do offer another perspective on the multi-dimensional talents of John Bonham. Not only was he the master of hard rock percussion, but he was equally capable of elevating other people’s recordings, too, regardless of genre.
The drums John Bonham recorded outside of Led Zeppelin:
- The Senators – ‘She’s A Mod’
- The Family Dogg – ‘A Way of Life’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘Wailing Sounds’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘’Cause I Love You’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘Flashing Lights’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘Thumping Beat’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘Union Jack Car’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘Brightest Light’
- Screaming Lord Sutch – ‘Baby, Come Back’
- Lulu – ‘Everybody’s Got To Clap’
- Jimmy Stevens – ‘Don’t Freak Me Out’
- Jimmy Stevens – ‘Is It Me Babe’
- Roy Wood – ‘Keep Your Hands on the Wheel’
- Paul McCartney and Wings – ‘Rockestra Theme’
- Paul McCartney and Wings – ‘So Glad to See You Here’
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