Bonham had a very rare gift indeed, my piano teacher once said to me to play Chopin to an extremely high level is 25% accuracy and rhythm,25% technique,25% expression and 25% of a very special thing that very few humans are born with, the closest thing to it she said, is being able to literally transfer your emotions through your body and in to your instrument. I believe this is what made Bonham to this day stand out from others. It’s not about technical ability or how fast you can play,it’s something that can’t be learned you either have it or you don’t.
How Robert Plant met John Bonham: John was at a club that Robert was singing at, Robert walked by and John told him "your a good singer you would be better if I was your Drummer."
I thought he said "... the best drummer in the world." Plant asked who's that then?" Bonzo said, "Me." Long time ago so I'm just paraphrasing but it stuck with me.
@@nicknitro4420his sister said he had a few lessons, but stopped, his mother wanted him to go back, & learn to read music. He also didn’t have a semi decent kit, until he was 15. He was kicked out of a couple bands, because he played to loud. I bet he really loved being appreciated in Zeppelin, & getting that first Ludwig. For a short time in Zeppelin he had two kick drums, Plant said they use to hide the one. They finally told him he didn’t need two, & he certainly didn’t.
Achilles Last Stand is Jimmy's magnum opus and it isn't surprising that it may also be Bonham's best drum performance. This song is nothing short of a masterpiece.
I agree 100%. it's proggy, but not overly so. it has a perfect balance of emotional drive & technical prowess. it's deep & dark & compelling AF!! definitely one of my faves of the zeppelin's incredible body of work.
You are right! 100% I’ve been stuck on this song for the last year and a half. I listen to it multiple times daily. I can’t get enough. It seems I discover something else. Whether i it’s another layer of a musical magic or something small like a symbol crash. This song takes training of the ear too fully appreciate. It gets deeper and changes. It’s been a great experience
@@fromthesky1050 when the beater hits the drum skin air starts to move in the drum to the front skin ( resonant skin) , hits the skin and returns to the main skin. Air transports the sound. In vacuum system you hear nothing cause air is missing.
He is probably the most 'in the pocket' player ever. It's like he is more perfect then drum machine, and yet, still milion times more musical. Accents, power, timing, slight delays in perfect moments, groove, musicality. It's insane and impossible to actually explain, you have to hear it to understand it.
Old bands had the time & money to rehearse & record enough good takes for a timeless song/album. In cities like NY in the 70s & 80s, you only needed a part time job to cover rent/food, plenty of Americans had fun money to buy records, attend shows & sustain an economy around art. Add in a drinking age of 18 & the cultural zeitgeist of Rock N Roll rebellion amongst the then-young that had never been paralleled in history… Yeah, music was better. Almost everything was, compared to 2024. I’d trade the access to knowledge & hyper-awareness the internet brought & plastic in my body for the blissful ignorance of a superstitious, authoritarian world that at least gave a generation & a half the best material time to exist
Jimmy Page, after hearing Bonham play: "That's exactly the sound I want for my band!" Thanks for your great musical sense Jimmy. The same Jimmy, some time later: "Bonzo is the backbone of Zeppelin" There never was nor will be another like him. Bonzo is different. There is something about its beat that awakens strong, transcendental, almost wild sensations. Anyone who doesn't feel anything listening to him playing is dead inside
There's a heartbeat-like quality to his approach, very organic, that few drummers can capture. It's never so precise that it can be adequately duplicated by humans or machines, hence, why the band folded once the heartbeat gave out. A subtle irony, I suppose. They might've been able to record with someone else but live shows couldn't have worked. Wouldn't have been a Zeppelin show.
@@lovewinsall77 I can say that Bonham keeps me in good shape. My daily hiking is to the Zeppelin’s sound e John. I made a playlist with his isolated drum tracks and it’s so stimulating! It’s like the heartbeat, something organic, it has a life of its own, as you said. And I also agree, Zeppelin would never be the same if they had continued without Bonzo. I don’t think any drummer could escape John’s monumental shadow. Jimmy, Plant and Jones were right to stop, a sad but correct decision I think.
I thoroughly agree and I love both those quotes from Jimmy and am forever thankful he put LZ together so perfectly...however if I have one teeny JP gripe, it is that in live shows, he just always seemed to put himself *right* in front of Bonzo. I know we have the solos, but I still watch some stuff and crane my neck trying to see him behind Jimmy!
Yep, brilliant performance and a real statement of purpose from him. There's also a video with him and Jones isolated in this song (on the Mirko Visi channel) that shows - if anyone needed proof - how tight they were.
@@MarkanVaran7 perfect swing within the context of that band. That’s pretty well all you need. Very few have it, except EVERY great band’s drummer. Without that they may have the world’s most technical drummer, but it’s just noise & doesn’t count for diddly for me…
@@68Bards nobody hits the hi hat better than Phil Rudd. Like someone said, he basically opens up the hi hat on every hit with a stick so instead of 4/4 its basically 8/8 beat. The way he hits it I have never heard a drummer do it.
He was just so dynamic the way he stretched the beat, the ghost notes, his awesome use of the hi hat. He also does something that a machine can’t do - he subtly speeds up and slows down and also hits the drums harder on crescendos to give the Zep sound that runaway train feeling when they take off. Examples are the second solo on Heartbreaker, Stairway and Ramble On at the end. Lots of examples actually. He either drives or matches Jimmy’s guitar intensity to make the song explode. Really the secret sauce to Zep I think.
How do you feel about the military drum parts? I'm not sure if that was the best choice. They were pressed for time. It does help to divide up such a long song. Sometimes I think it was the right choice. Sometimes I think it sounds too simple and perhaps a little obvious. (Not corny quite, but just....I don't know).
@@Frip36 Zep did that a lot but it’s intended to sound powerful with the guitar rather than be analyzed stand alone. The military style rhythn with guitar shows up in In My Time of Dying and live versions of Bring it on Home.
The intelligence of the bass parts and the subtle dynamic sensitivity and feel for instinctive "human" tempo (like you mentioned) in the drums and how the two combine are really what make this band great. It's the cement between the stones.. if you didn't have it the wall would fall apart and you'd be left with a an out of time guitar and a guy in tight jeans shouting.. "Baby, baby..." etc Lol!
Achilles last stand is the zeppelin best song. Reason being its a ten minute marathon, where all 4 have there foot hard down for the duration of the song. And I mean hard down. Bonzo going mad on the drums as per, page and jpj playing as if there lives depended on it and plant excels as usual. Zeppelin where lightning in a bottle. Just unreal how good they are.
Right, so the Knebworth live version is all the more impressive, Plant's cracking voice at the end notwithstanding. My feeling is that a GOD was listening and got a bit jealous, as these mere mortals were storming heaven.
There's this Keith Richards interview where he sort of disses on Bonham a bit, basically slagging his "heavy handed"/less-than-subtle style, etc. But this too easily overlooks how subtle & tricky Bonham could be...he could really swing; it's not all crashing & bashing, a la "When the Levee Breaks." Besides, Page's overall style and the riffs he wrote--it's hard to see how that would work with a Charlie Watts type drummer--Page knew what he needed and recognized it in Bonham. Watts was perfect for Keef riffage, and Bonham was exactly what Page's flavor of hard rock required...no need to diss on Charlie for that!
Bonham got me started back in 1980 or so. I started playing drums with marching band in 5th grade at prep academy back in the early 70s. I moved to Saxophone in 7-8 grade. I went back to drums because they were cooler for a teenager to play I was more interested in the drums. When I discovered Zep with my friends I would play his parts on tables and on my legs I played everywhere I went. when I finally got a set I could play a lot of his stuff like whole lotta love and black dog. His playing is so inspiring when you start out. He's still just amazing to listen to at 59.
Yeah a lot of drummers that never really created their own iconic sound like to take shots at bonzo these days… they didn’t call the man the hammer of the gods for nothin’..
I mean, I admired Ginger's playing but Bonham's sound just captured my ear more. Plus Ginger always came across as a snob who thought he was better than everyone else.
@@David-lb5ot i recall ginger really pissed off jimmy when in an interview jimmy page complained that ginger said the problem with bonham was that he didn't have any "swing" to his drumming. jimmy was like "are u effing kiding me, ginger?? that's what he had the MOST of! God!" Totally agree with Jimmy!
He was Phenomenal in person, the Moby Dick of Drummers, Fleetwood was Good, he was ahead of his time, but I saw Keith Moon once at a Warehouse, and he Blew me away, if they lived, We would be the recipient s of some kind of Great Music, RAMBLIN, I am too Stoned, jűs sāyīn !😎✌️😎!
This is one of the best drums beats for a song but the power of it is amplified by page but the most overlooked part of the song is how much Jones’s bassline influences the power of the drums during the song. That’s the hidden gem in this song I believe.
I'm a life long zep fan since 71 hearing just Mr Bonhams drum tracks really blows me away of the level of his drum skills I became a drummer solely because I wanted to play these amazing drum rifs triplets of course I'm no John Bonham but I owe my love and passion for drumming to the greatest rock drummer of all time !!
I'm so glad you wrote that. I went to 9:08 and listened to his bass drum. He does the same pattern on the bass drum on "In My Time of Dying" from Physical Graffiti. The difference is that song is much slower than "Achilles Last Stand". I know because I'm a drummer and I used to play that song. Go listen to it because it sounds so badass even though it's slower.
2:30 is one of the most jarring, sucker punch fills I’ve ever heard. It’s iconic. It was placed at the right time in the structure of the song but yet felt so spontaneous. It’s what makes Bonham a legend.
What makes Bonham so special is no other drummer can pull off what he achieves. It'a the same with Keith Moon, both drummers who stitched their personality into their instruments
I did this one too a few years back.. the only Zep song we did. You could always tell who the decent musicians in the room were because it would get their attention and it was the song they always approached you to talk about after the show.
I think hes the only drummer you notice in a song. Most people like a riff or tune but that machine behind is pushing thru. And once you are aware you cant ignore his magic. Truely unique. Since then weve all been loving you. 🇬🇧
Something like a miracle, this percussive hold-down to this song. I think Zep's greatest secret weapon - they had several of them - was the musical simpatico between old friends Plant and Bonham. And I don't mean only in the sonic way (voice/drum interplay), but in Bonham's unusually pronounced ability to find the apt, exciting groove and rhythm to match Bob's poetry. Drummers mostly aren't given to such subtleties. Another who had this exceptional skill was Roxy's Paul Thompson. And of course, Bruford. But very, very few others.
I took drum lessons with Buddy Rick’ book. I never took them long enough to be a decent drummer, but even you really appreciate John. He was one of a kind.
@ that may be right, but this track heard here is obviously “gated” to my perception. Nothing to debate though, it’s true that JB was accomplished at composing great drums parts and execution & implementations of such. Thx. Drum on. D
There's another you tube video out there that talks about how Bonham tends to play along/follow Page's guitar parts rather than the bass line, which I found enlightening.
JFC…He’s SO CONSISTENT it’s terrifying. His sound, how he get’s his feel. He’s perfection without sounding sterile (a lot of that is the sound of his drums). He’s got killer feel, and flows with it the time, but NEVER leaves the pocket. Old School funk is like that. Bonham’s a producer’s dream drummer. Alex Van Halen is a lot like that as well. Perfectly imperfect. I listen to AVH play on Pleasure Dome, and you can hear Bonham’s influence all over it. It’s a feel almost more than a groove. I’m rambling. These Bonham isolated tracks are spectacular. Us old guys never got to hear stuff like this.
I remember buying "Presence" when I was ten years old. I'd been learning how to play, training my ear without really even realizing it, by just, say, if I wanted to learn "S.O.S. Too Bad & Train Kept a Rollin' " from Aerosmith's "Get Your Wings" vinyl LP; I knew I had to be in tune with the album - so I'd find a piece of a song where Joe or Brad just left an A or E string ringing open long enough for me to tune to it... Blah blah blah... All Led Zeppelin LPs up to "Presence/Song Remains The Same," all Queen LPs up to "The Game." But especially "Queen 1, Queen 2, Sheer Heart Attack, Night At The Opera/Day At Races, News Of The World, Jazz, The Game," and I just couldn't do "Hot Space" etc... Theodore Nugent's first LP only. "Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush - Live." All Blue Oyster Cult up to and including "Cultosaurus Erectus." I learned Rick Derringer stuff especially "All American Boy" and "Derringer - Live." But I fckn especially loved "Presence" and still do.
I can remember seeing Jason Bonham play at the Fforde Green venue in Leeds in the 80s but his band were too loud? Always liked his father's drumming and had every album Zep did. He was the ultimate power drummer. I was quite upset when he died he was to me power drums 🥁 God bless John Bonham.
John had so much feel and pocket!! And that right foot was something special too!!! He was my favorite without a doubt. I would rather have great feel like him any day than some chop monster. John had more than plenty of Chops though. Like fool in the rain. He came up with that half time shuffle. A lot of the greatest drummers learned that one off of him. Like Jeff Parcaro used it on Rosanna.
When Jason inquired Robert about a Led Zeppelin reunion, Robert emphatically stated his love for Jason in memory of his father can't and won't take the place only Robert personally knew Bonzo fulfilled as it was unnamiously decided by Jimmy in the band's inception.
Incredible drumming from the greatest of all time. 🤘🏽🤘🏽 The sad thing is that you can't get a studio performance like this these days. A producer would want everything to fit on a grid, which would completely kill the energy and force of a performance like this.
No other drummer has impacted music like Bonham. His parts were brilliant, he always laid down the perfect groove for each tune, and is still the most influential. That includes Rich and T Williams
Bonham had a very rare gift indeed, my piano teacher once said to me to play Chopin to an extremely high level is 25% accuracy and rhythm,25% technique,25% expression and 25% of a very special thing that very few humans are born with, the closest thing to it she said, is being able to literally transfer your emotions through your body and in to your instrument.
I believe this is what made Bonham to this day stand out from others.
It’s not about technical ability or how fast you can play,it’s something that can’t be learned you either have it or you don’t.
over analyzing . it was his gift of drinking beer that made him play better
John Bonham drummed circles around Ginger Baker...No contest
@@albuquerqueturkey1567 Watch Toad drum solo and come back . John Bohnam is the Hobbit and Ginger Baker is the appendices to LOTR
@@albuquerqueturkey1567beware of Mr Baker or he will break your nose
@@mdg1089So drinking beer makes you a great drummer? You don’t know what you’re talking about.
How Robert Plant met John Bonham: John was at a club that Robert was singing at, Robert walked by and John told him "your a good singer you would be better if I was your Drummer."
Plant told that story and added, "..and he was right."
That's why Plant nominated Bonham for Jimmy. The right people at the right time, result: the best rock band in the world!
I thought he said "... the best drummer in the world." Plant asked who's that then?" Bonzo said, "Me." Long time ago so I'm just paraphrasing but it stuck with me.
"I Never had drum lessons, I just played the way I wanted, and got black-listed in Birmingham ....." John Bonham 6/21/1975
@@nicknitro4420his sister said he had a few lessons, but stopped, his mother wanted him to go back, & learn to read music. He also didn’t have a semi decent kit, until he was 15. He was kicked out of a couple bands, because he played to loud. I bet he really loved being appreciated in Zeppelin, & getting that first Ludwig. For a short time in Zeppelin he had two kick drums, Plant said they use to hide the one. They finally told him he didn’t need two, & he certainly didn’t.
Achilles Last Stand is Jimmy's magnum opus and it isn't surprising that it may also be Bonham's best drum performance. This song is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Led zeppelin was unique in all the way!!
Absolutely agreed
I agree that this is probably Led Zeppelin's best overall song.
I agree 100%. it's proggy, but not overly so. it has a perfect balance of emotional drive & technical prowess. it's deep & dark & compelling AF!! definitely one of my faves of the zeppelin's incredible body of work.
You are right! 100% I’ve been stuck on this song for the last year and a half. I listen to it multiple times daily. I can’t get enough. It seems I discover something else. Whether i it’s another layer of a musical magic or something small like a symbol crash. This song takes training of the ear too fully appreciate. It gets deeper and changes. It’s been a great experience
Listen to the air in that bass drum. No one else but Bonzo.
No air- no sound!
as a non drummer, can u explain plz?
@@fromthesky1050 when the beater hits the drum skin air starts to move in the drum to the front skin ( resonant skin) , hits the skin and returns to the main skin. Air transports the sound. In vacuum system you hear nothing cause air is missing.
Bonham used a short (length)bass drum specifically to prevent air from slowing down his doubles and triplets.
@@thedrumknight I thought he was known for having like the biggest kick drums in the biz. But that’s perhaps just height rather than depth?
Simultaneously a brutal assault and a sweet caress. His playing is so natural it’s like breathing.
He is probably the most 'in the pocket' player ever. It's like he is more perfect then drum machine, and yet, still milion times more musical. Accents, power, timing, slight delays in perfect moments, groove, musicality. It's insane and impossible to actually explain, you have to hear it to understand it.
Yes indeed!! Well said!!!
He really is is, him, Bernard Purdie and Bill Ward have the ability to bend time and space to their will while drumming.
What makes him better than a machine- he’s slightly ‘behind’ the beat when he wants to be. Very slightly. Machines are too accurate
@@pathflight9803 exactly, he understands the breath of the music and push and pull, ebb and flow that exists in every bar. phenomenal
He actually played these tracks 10 to 20.bpm faster and they slowed them down to give it that sloppy pocket feel
No click, Rock solid, clean and fast, probably recorded with 4 mics and in one take;Incredible.
As they should be done for ever. Because it works and it´s beautifull.
@@riffdealer And triggers. Awfull and lifeless. Even live they´rs sounding bad.
@@jcsk8yeah so is your mother😢
These old bands had soul ... and that's the priceless essence of good music ! @@riffdealer
Old bands had the time & money to rehearse & record enough good takes for a timeless song/album. In cities like NY in the 70s & 80s, you only needed a part time job to cover rent/food, plenty of Americans had fun money to buy records, attend shows & sustain an economy around art. Add in a drinking age of 18 & the cultural zeitgeist of Rock N Roll rebellion amongst the then-young that had never been paralleled in history…
Yeah, music was better. Almost everything was, compared to 2024. I’d trade the access to knowledge & hyper-awareness the internet brought & plastic in my body for the blissful ignorance of a superstitious, authoritarian world that at least gave a generation & a half the best material time to exist
Jimmy Page, after hearing Bonham play: "That's exactly the sound I want for my band!"
Thanks for your great musical sense Jimmy. The same Jimmy, some time later: "Bonzo is the backbone of Zeppelin"
There never was nor will be another like him. Bonzo is different. There is something about its beat that awakens strong, transcendental, almost wild sensations. Anyone who doesn't feel anything listening to him playing is dead inside
There's a heartbeat-like quality to his approach, very organic, that few drummers can capture. It's never so precise that it can be adequately duplicated by humans or machines, hence, why the band folded once the heartbeat gave out. A subtle irony, I suppose. They might've been able to record with someone else but live shows couldn't have worked. Wouldn't have been a Zeppelin show.
@@lovewinsall77
I can say that Bonham keeps me in good shape. My daily hiking is to the Zeppelin’s sound e John. I made a playlist with his isolated drum tracks and it’s so stimulating! It’s like the heartbeat, something organic, it has a life of its own, as you said. And I also agree, Zeppelin would never be the same if they had continued without Bonzo. I don’t think any drummer could escape John’s monumental shadow. Jimmy, Plant and Jones were right to stop, a sad but correct decision I think.
@@marciashiraishi5891 May you rock forever.
@@lovewinsall77
Thanks, you too! 😊
I thoroughly agree and I love both those quotes from Jimmy and am forever thankful he put LZ together so perfectly...however if I have one teeny JP gripe, it is that in live shows, he just always seemed to put himself *right* in front of Bonzo. I know we have the solos, but I still watch some stuff and crane my neck trying to see him behind Jimmy!
Michael Schenker has stated that Bonham is his most loved and respected musician of all time.
Interesting fact there pumpkin breath🤔
Oh thats their handle.... thought u were just being cheeky 😂😂
r@jimjordan4345
@@pumkinbreath Rock bottom one of the greatest solos of all time!
Every single one of his grooves are hypnotic. Listen to the sheer amount of pocket this man has.
His time signatures are unreal.
His patterns on the kick are supernatural.
Masterful.
You don't know what a time signature is.
@@redrick8900 Be nice. Educate don't criticize.
@@bertroost1675 That is nice. Now he can look up "time signature" or at least not misuse it when he's trying to pretend to understand drumming.
Yep, brilliant performance and a real statement of purpose from him. There's also a video with him and Jones isolated in this song (on the Mirko Visi channel) that shows - if anyone needed proof - how tight they were.
@@louise_rose I know and when watching them live they can be playing and chatting with other at the same time. Amazing!
This is very creative funk drumming in a hard rock band which made all the difference.
Yes - same with Bill Ward of Sabbath - bit of funk or jazziness elevates it to the next level.
@@68Bardsand Phil Rudd who makes the grooviest beats makes you feel you are in saturdays night fever
@@MarkanVaran7 perfect swing within the context of that band. That’s pretty well all you need. Very few have it, except EVERY great band’s drummer. Without that they may have the world’s most technical drummer, but it’s just noise & doesn’t count for diddly for me…
@@68Bards nobody hits the hi hat better than Phil Rudd. Like someone said, he basically opens up the hi hat on every hit with a stick so instead of 4/4 its basically 8/8 beat. The way he hits it I have never heard a drummer do it.
When I saw them live he was the star of the show.
He was just so dynamic the way he stretched the beat, the ghost notes, his awesome use of the hi hat. He also does something that a machine can’t do - he subtly speeds up and slows down and also hits the drums harder on crescendos to give the Zep sound that runaway train feeling when they take off. Examples are the second solo on Heartbreaker, Stairway and Ramble On at the end. Lots of examples actually. He either drives or matches Jimmy’s guitar intensity to make the song explode. Really the secret sauce to Zep I think.
How do you feel about the military drum parts? I'm not sure if that was the best choice. They were pressed for time. It does help to divide up such a long song. Sometimes I think it was the right choice. Sometimes I think it sounds too simple and perhaps a little obvious. (Not corny quite, but just....I don't know).
@@Frip36 Zep did that a lot but it’s intended to sound powerful with the guitar rather than be analyzed stand alone. The military style rhythn with guitar shows up in In My Time of Dying and live versions of Bring it on Home.
The intelligence of the bass parts and the subtle dynamic sensitivity and feel for instinctive "human" tempo (like you mentioned) in the drums and how the two combine are really what make this band great. It's the cement between the stones.. if you didn't have it the wall would fall apart and you'd be left with a an out of time guitar and a guy in tight jeans shouting.. "Baby, baby..." etc Lol!
@@nicknewman7848 Oh that last line about P&P was hilarious!😆
@@ellebrook3413 you clearly have an excellent sense of humour and good taste in rock bands. I salute you.
That fill at 5:27, that fill alone is what makes me believe that John Bonham was not of this planet. How does a human play that?!?
For me: 1:16
I'm 8 minutes in and I'm exhausted just listening to him play !! That's why he was known as the BEAST !!
Achilles last stand is the zeppelin best song. Reason being its a ten minute marathon, where all 4 have there foot hard down for the duration of the song. And I mean hard down. Bonzo going mad on the drums as per, page and jpj playing as if there lives depended on it and plant excels as usual. Zeppelin where lightning in a bottle. Just unreal how good they are.
Is it just me or is Bonzo getting Stronger the longer this song, & all the other tasking ones go on?!!!
Right, so the Knebworth live version is all the more impressive, Plant's cracking voice at the end notwithstanding. My feeling is that a GOD was listening and got a bit jealous, as these mere mortals were storming heaven.
It was the first Zeppelin song I heard when I was little. I remember listening thinking “wow who are these guys?!?!”
So very well said
Hey, they’re no Nickleback, but they’re ok 😂
There's this Keith Richards interview where he sort of disses on Bonham a bit, basically slagging his "heavy handed"/less-than-subtle style, etc. But this too easily overlooks how subtle & tricky Bonham could be...he could really swing; it's not all crashing & bashing, a la "When the Levee Breaks." Besides, Page's overall style and the riffs he wrote--it's hard to see how that would work with a Charlie Watts type drummer--Page knew what he needed and recognized it in Bonham. Watts was perfect for Keef riffage, and Bonham was exactly what Page's flavor of hard rock required...no need to diss on Charlie for that!
I like charlie watts & the stones. but, for what resonates with me most deeply, zeppelin is unquestionably on a whole 'nother level.
Charlie was a master of understated backbeats, but Keith is a wanker for this comment
Bonham got me started back in 1980 or so. I started playing drums with marching band in 5th grade at prep academy back in the early 70s. I moved to Saxophone in 7-8 grade. I went back to drums because they were cooler for a teenager to play I was more interested in the drums. When I discovered Zep with my friends I would play his parts on tables and on my legs I played everywhere I went. when I finally got a set I could play a lot of his stuff like whole lotta love and black dog. His playing is so inspiring when you start out. He's still just amazing to listen to at 59.
I played snare in a bicentennial parade, bass the year before Mem. day parade
I still say Bonham was better than Ginger Baker. RIP John 🥁
Yeah a lot of drummers that never really created their own iconic sound like to take shots at bonzo these days… they didn’t call the man the hammer of the gods for nothin’..
Is that even an argument?
I mean, I admired Ginger's playing but Bonham's sound just captured my ear more. Plus Ginger always came across as a snob who thought he was better than everyone else.
Bonham sounds better and more creative and fit the band perfectly! His personality shines through his music.
@@David-lb5ot i recall ginger really pissed off jimmy when in an interview jimmy page complained that ginger said the problem with bonham was that he didn't have any "swing" to his drumming. jimmy was like "are u effing kiding me, ginger?? that's what he had the MOST of! God!" Totally agree with Jimmy!
Good God. His dynamics are so cool.
bestest rock drummer ever to breathe air.
The bestest EVER.
Glad you clarified, because I’d say ANIMAL is the best drummer, period!
He was Phenomenal in person, the Moby Dick of Drummers, Fleetwood was Good, he was ahead of his time, but I saw Keith Moon once at a Warehouse, and he Blew me away, if they lived, We would be the recipient s of some kind of Great Music, RAMBLIN, I am too Stoned, jűs sāyīn !😎✌️😎!
Bestest!! Legend
@@jetcat132 for his time.
This is one of the best drums beats for a song but the power of it is amplified by page but the most overlooked part of the song is how much Jones’s bassline influences the power of the drums during the song. That’s the hidden gem in this song I believe.
that goes for a lot of LZ songs, and also some of the Them Crooked Vultures tracks, such as Elephants in my view
2:30 5:27 Wow, always wondered what that drum fill sounded like isolated.
The first one is insane - popping it in there like that. 🎉
@@Twotontessiesounds like an explosion. And it appears totally random. 👍
I keep playing them over
I'm a life long zep fan since 71 hearing just Mr Bonhams drum tracks really blows me away of the level of his drum skills I became a drummer solely because I wanted to play these amazing drum rifs triplets of course I'm no John Bonham but I owe my love and passion for drumming to the greatest rock drummer of all time !!
Teetering on the edge, rushed fills, wavering time, adrenaline. This track is absolute perfection.
Always loved that fill at 1:17 ! and that bass drum at 9:08 WOW ! ! !
never distinguished his footwork at the 9;08........thanks
that fill.... "ah, fuck, he's peaked early..." but of course he was keeping some back for later too! 🤟
Yes he had an amazing right foot!!!
I'm so glad you wrote that. I went to 9:08 and listened to his bass drum. He does the same pattern on the bass drum on "In My Time of Dying" from Physical Graffiti. The difference is that song is much slower than "Achilles Last Stand". I know because I'm a drummer and I used to play that song. Go listen to it because it sounds so badass even though it's slower.
@@ludwigdrummer7802 I'm a drummer too , JHB really knew how to move a bass drum pedal for sure !!!
2:30 is one of the most jarring, sucker punch fills I’ve ever heard. It’s iconic. It was placed at the right time in the structure of the song but yet felt so spontaneous. It’s what makes Bonham a legend.
Some people are just born to play drums ....(Gifted) nobody can play with his feel for the drums, it comes from the heart, Bonzo was all heart...
The mighty arms of Atlas.
Having never actually listen to the full song with all the instruments, this is amazing. I hope the rest is as good
OMG, if you haven't yet made good on that, don't even finish reading this just go and do it, lol!
I hope you checked out the Knebworth 1979 version from the DVD, which is on TH-cam. The most intense piece of rock there's ever been
What makes Bonham so special is no other drummer can pull off what he achieves. It'a the same with Keith Moon, both drummers who stitched their personality into their instruments
This is the reason Led Zeppelin came to an end in 1980. Once in a generation talent. You can’t replace this man. Period!
Killer Groove ........
I used to play in a band that was all Zep, and we played this one. By the end of it, I was thankful I somehow got through it! 😅
I did this one too a few years back.. the only Zep song we did. You could always tell who the decent musicians in the room were because it would get their attention and it was the song they always approached you to talk about after the show.
Bonzo is still Number 1 in my book. Simply amazing.
I think hes the only drummer you notice in a song. Most people like a riff or tune but that machine behind is pushing thru. And once you are aware you cant ignore his magic. Truely unique. Since then weve all been loving you. 🇬🇧
Neal Peart is another
@@DryHeaveSteve Danny Carey is another
There are many, many others!
Lol this Is blasphemy, there are plenty who are absolutely recognizable from their first beat in a song
2:14: *I used to always love drum fills in music as a kid. And this drum fill still gives me the chills.*
Sounds so good - Bonham is so listenable/ what a complete musician.
Ya KNOW - be a drummer my whole life. This is SUCH A GIFT
That sounds beautiful.
Something like a miracle, this percussive hold-down to this song. I think Zep's greatest secret weapon - they had several of them - was the musical simpatico between old friends Plant and Bonham. And I don't mean only in the sonic way (voice/drum interplay), but in Bonham's unusually pronounced ability to find the apt, exciting groove and rhythm to match Bob's poetry. Drummers mostly aren't given to such subtleties. Another who had this exceptional skill was Roxy's Paul Thompson. And of course, Bruford. But very, very few others.
01:17 my favorite drum fill of all time.
The groove at 9:00 is insane, never noticed the little details there until today and had to listen isolated
Just another day at the office for Bonzo, a one of a kind drummer. He’ll live forever!
Amazing pure feel and groove and no click track...
Big fan and drummer. This just feels like coming home
I know Bonham's drumming was great on Achilles, but flipping heck! Monster. The fills. The timing. A joy to listen to the GOAT at work.
Thank you x
Bonham ain’t the GOAT Peart is the GOAT.
@@MrChippiechappie OK Geddy
@@MrChippiechappie That's just like, your opinion.
@@MrChippiechappie Take off!
@@MrChippiechappie lol not even close.
One of the greatest drummers in the world
What does he do at 1:17? Blazing.
The gallop is JPJ. Artefacts of this are still in this track.
Thanks. I was confused...
I'm glad someone else noticed; I thought maybe I had misperceived what constituted the bassline for decades.
Unbelievable. Best drummer ever! The pattern at around 9:10 is just amazing. His foot is lightning ⚡️
Yeah those doubles were something else.
10:23 of non-stop power,timing and fury. Did you hear all the changes and fills? John Bonham often imitated but NEVER duplicated
I took drum lessons with Buddy Rick’ book. I never took them long enough to be a decent drummer, but even you really appreciate John. He was one of a kind.
Plays exactly what the song needed..the master at work 🥁🏴☠️
Lots of noise cancelling and flanger phaser on these drums. Great dynamics. Love it.
I think that's a result of the audio isolation software being used to pull out the drum sounds. We're probably not listening to raw multitracks here
Gated is what you’re hearing
@@RtaniDeanI don't believe Page gated the drums
@ that may be right, but this track heard here is obviously “gated” to my perception. Nothing to debate though, it’s true that JB was accomplished at composing great drums parts and execution & implementations of such. Thx. Drum on. D
what a performance!!
Wow and damn, simply the finest musician I've heard.
That "Cobham" fill at 1:17 !!!
yeah amazing fill right there
good one! Spectrum vibes! nice spot! I was too busy drooling
THOR, AT HIS PRIME, BADASS MASTERPIECE..LZ4EVER
Is it just me or jpj’s bass piss pretty good in the mix and it’s awesome!
Dynamics. 🥁
There's another you tube video out there that talks about how Bonham tends to play along/follow Page's guitar parts rather than the bass line, which I found enlightening.
JFC…He’s SO CONSISTENT it’s terrifying. His sound, how he get’s his feel. He’s perfection without sounding sterile (a lot of that is the sound of his drums). He’s got killer feel, and flows with it the time, but NEVER leaves the pocket. Old School funk is like that. Bonham’s a producer’s dream drummer. Alex Van Halen is a lot like that as well. Perfectly imperfect. I listen to AVH play on Pleasure Dome, and you can hear Bonham’s influence all over it. It’s a feel almost more than a groove. I’m rambling. These Bonham isolated tracks are spectacular. Us old guys never got to hear stuff like this.
check out Mario Duplantier from Gojira \m/
So consistent and such a great feel.
Brilliant! One of my favourite Zeppelin tunes. Drumming is great - love how aggressive it gets at time. Thanks for the upload.
This is amazing, Bonzo baby!!
Actually my favorite Led Zeppelin album, but really they all are. This you hear the horses galloping into battle
So big sound ! Powerful ! Amazing ! Incredible, unique
It's been said that in drumming, you can either be hard and devastating or highly technical and accurate.
Bonzo and Dave Grohl both have this gift.
Excuse me, but Grohl can not be compared to Bonham, at any extent.
@@johnnyplatismaybe vocals
@@joex9865 no. Bonzo sang harmonies for Plant. Grohl sings harmonies for shit.
I remember buying "Presence" when I was ten years old. I'd been learning how to play, training my ear without really even realizing it, by just, say, if I wanted to learn "S.O.S. Too Bad & Train Kept a Rollin' " from Aerosmith's "Get Your Wings" vinyl LP; I knew I had to be in tune with the album - so I'd find a piece of a song where Joe or Brad just left an A or E string ringing open long enough for me to tune to it... Blah blah blah... All Led Zeppelin LPs up to "Presence/Song Remains The Same," all Queen LPs up to "The Game." But especially "Queen 1, Queen 2, Sheer Heart Attack, Night At The Opera/Day At Races, News Of The World, Jazz, The Game," and I just couldn't do "Hot Space" etc... Theodore Nugent's first LP only. "Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush - Live." All Blue Oyster Cult up to and including "Cultosaurus Erectus." I learned Rick Derringer stuff especially "All American Boy" and "Derringer - Live." But I fckn especially loved "Presence" and still do.
Thank you! I never thought Presence sounds "green sparkle kit" which is good for that album. Also the 1st time at Musicland, probably a bigger room
John Henry Bonham. None more badass.
Drummer today still can't take this dude !! Was a Breed of his own..
I could listen to this the entire time im on one of my 8 hour road trips.
At 1:20 and 2:48 those fills were 🔥
The tuning on the Toms and bass drum really stands out somehow
Neil Peart and Bonzo in Heaven jamming together. Now that's amazing to imagine.
no, they are buried or cremated. They are not jamming anymore. Hopefully the music reminds.
I feel Bonham was all about the beat within the beat within the beat, with ALS being the epitome.
absolutely colossal
I can remember seeing Jason Bonham play at the Fforde Green venue in Leeds in the 80s but his band were too loud? Always liked his father's drumming and had every album Zep did. He was the ultimate power drummer. I was quite upset when he died he was to me power drums 🥁 God bless John Bonham.
The greatest. Bonzo forever.
John had so much feel and pocket!! And that right foot was something special too!!! He was my favorite without a doubt. I would rather have great feel like him any day than some chop monster. John had more than plenty of Chops though. Like fool in the rain. He came up with that half time shuffle. A lot of the greatest drummers learned that one off of him. Like Jeff Parcaro used it on Rosanna.
1:17 those singles
Perfected discipline with Bonham! He was a clock grooved masterful drummer.
When Jason inquired Robert about a Led Zeppelin reunion, Robert emphatically stated his love for Jason in memory of his father can't and won't take the place only Robert personally knew Bonzo fulfilled as it was unnamiously decided by Jimmy in the band's inception.
These are the songs, that i call "the drummer's song". Thank you legend.
There's so much there.. It really flows..The Bass Drum is active..
So solid!!
I always forget that they put a light phaser/flanger effect on the drums sometimes. I need to start doing this in my own recordings.
Incredible drumming from the greatest of all time. 🤘🏽🤘🏽
The sad thing is that you can't get a studio performance like this these days. A producer would want everything to fit on a grid, which would completely kill the energy and force of a performance like this.
2:56 😮😮😮😮 lightning speed!!!
⭐🌠🌩 Finally the LIGHTING Fast Drum Fill @ 1:17 Isolated !!!!🌠⭐ Killer Klassic Bonzo
FIERCE! 🔥
Obviously some .... were born for it. THE MAN
Zeppelin played to a click track and that was Bonham! My goodness what a time feel
WOW!!!
INCREDIBLE!!!!
❤❤❤❤
No other drummer has impacted music like Bonham. His parts were brilliant, he always laid down the perfect groove for each tune, and is still the most influential. That includes Rich and T Williams
God bless technology! To hear the master ar work!
Love this sooooo much would love to hear “How Many More Times”. Please