“The greatest drum solo of all time,” according to Dave Grohl
Initially starting out as a guitarist in high school, Dave Grohl made the switch to drumming and changed an entire generation of percussionists.
As the man behind the kit for the era-defining Nirvana, it became clear quickly that Grohl was a generational talent. He combined disco swing with the power of punk rock and, with it, would demonstrate just how impactful a drummer could really be to a band. Nirvana would change the world, and certainly Kurt Cobain was the leader of that movement, but he could have done it without Grohl and his sticks.
Grohl taught himself by listening to Rush records and punk albums, saying that he would practise by “playing on pillows with big thick marching band sticks”. In fact, he cites Neil Peart of Rush as the reason he decided to become a drummer: “When I got 2112 when I was eight years old, it fucking changed the direction of my life,” Grohl said. “I heard the drums. It made me want to become a drummer.”
After spending time in a series of different bands, including Mission Impossible, Dain Bramage, and Scream, Grohl joined Nirvana, which would change his life. He recalls meeting the band for the first time, saying, “I remember being in the same room with them and thinking, ‘What? That’s Nirvana? Are you kidding?’ Because on their record cover they looked like psycho lumberjacks… I was like, ‘What, that little dude and that big motherfucker? You’re kidding me.'”
Nirvana reached the height of their career when they released Nevermind, which was a commercial success. The band became the face of a generation and the champions of the alternative scene. By 1994, Grohl’s time as Nirvana’s drummer was cut short when Kurt Cobain was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This marked the start of Foo Fighters, Grohl’s present band, as well as his time playing in other bands such as Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures. Grohl has widely been considered one of the greatest and most influential musicians of the past 30 years, contributing to some of the greatest alternative albums of all time.
Grohl has been known for his thunderous drumming, mimicking guitar riffs with his drums, and working in perfect harmony with his fellow bandmates’ playing. He cites one of his biggest influences as John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, inspired by his classic rock rhythms, which Grohl blends with a punk sound. Bonham would be perhaps the greatest influence on the young man trying to understand his new instrument.
Grohl once made the bold claim that “John Bonham is the greatest rock drummer of all time. Bonham played directly from the heart. His drumming was by no means perfect, but when he hit a groove it was so deep it was like a heartbeat. He had this manic sense of cacophony, but he also had the ultimate feel. he could swing, he could get on top, or he could pull back.”
He added: “Led Zeppelin, and John Bonham’s drumming especially, opened up my ears. I didn’t truly discover Led Zeppelin until I was 16. I was into hardcore punk rock; reckless, powerful drumming, a beat that sounded like a shotgun firing in a cement cellar. But when CDs first came out in the ’80s the first one I listened to was Houses Of The Holy. It changed everything. I played that CD thousands of times. I listened so hard I could hear the kick drum pedal squeaking!”
He has also said: “I learned to play by ear. I wasn’t trained and I can’t read music. What I play comes straight from the soul – and that’s what I hear in John Bonham’s drumming. I’ve watched Bonzo on the Led Zeppelin DVD and it looks like the film has been speeded up because he’s playing so fast. I don’t know anyone who thinks there’s a better rock drummer than John Bonham: it’s undeniable!”
Grohl even claimed that Bonham was responsible for “the greatest drum solo of all time.” He awarded the statement to ‘Moby Dick’ from the 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. He said: “What can I say? Fucking ‘Moby Dick’, man! You’ll never find another drummer willing to play a solo with his bare hands. I’ve tried and it hurts. You’d have to drink a bottle of vodka just to think about doing that.”
The drum solo on this instrumental is incredible. Bonham covers every part of the drum kit, and his expert use of the toms and the bass drum sends the listener into an almost trance-like state. Primal and containing jazz influences, it is no surprise that this always ranks as one of the best drum solos of all time; it manages to blend the well-thought-out with the improvisational. Here, Bonham really shines.
As Grohl neatly summarises: “Drum solos are usually just wank, crap, but the one in Moby Dick is the greatest drum solo of all time.”
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