Jimmy Page on the best drummer he ever worked with: “Without a doubt”
Any great rock and roll band is always worth more than the sum of its parts. There may still be bands that feel like glorified solo acts half the time, but there’s a certain magic between musicians whenever they go onstage or into the studio where some kind of telepathic mindset takes over half the time. It’s never easy to replicate, and for a band as powerful as Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page knew that nothing could have ever equalled the kind of bombast that came from John Bonham.
And that’s saying something, considering this is the drummer we’re talking about. Looking at any band dynamic, the person who does the percussion is usually last on the totem pole in terms of musical importance, but if you peel back the layers of any great tune, they actually have a lot more power than anyone realises.
Aside from giving a song its pulse, the drummer is the one who’s able to push and pull the band in just the right way. Say what you want to about someone like Ringo Starr, for instance, but no matter how many lacklustre vocal performances he gave in The Beatles, the entire band would have collapsed without him. Any good percussionist is the engine, but in the case of Zeppelin, they had a freight train at the back of the stage.
There had been many powerful rhythmic geniuses before Bonzo, like Buddy Rich and Ginger Baker, but hearing him pound the life out of every drumkit he played made him look like a man possessed whenever he sat on his throne. It didn’t even matter what kind of setup he had to work with, either. He could be just as damaging on the kit without sticks in his hands, and by switching it up on every record, it wouldn’t be shocking if he were just as powerful with just a tambourine in his hand.
But being able to play fast isn’t the measure of a great musician. It’s about chemistry with your bandmates, and throughout Zeppelin’s tenure, there was always a great tension between Bonzo and Page whenever they played. Since Bonham trailed behind the beat and Page kept himself in front of the beat, there was always a great push and pull whenever listening to their classic records.
Even though Page would later work with everyone from Phil Collins to Dave Grohl, he admitted that no one could touch what Bonham did, saying, “Bonzo was without doubt the most creative, powerful, technical drummer that ever lived. It’s as simple as that.”
But don’t just take Page’s word for it; just look at the back catalogue. Even on iconic tunes like ‘Kashmir’, Bonham was already shifting things on their head when he played, including developing a polymetre in the middle of the tune by staying in 4/4 while the rest of the band plays on in ¾.
Sure, he might have the reputation of being one of the few reckless loonies of rock and roll but don’t mistake one’s partying habits for lack of skill. Because for as much excess that Zeppelin indulged in during their 1970s prime, it’s no mean feat to match one’s excesses with pure musical craftsmanship like this.
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