I'm also a lifelong drum teacher and 58 years old. Different drummers are "the best of all time" at different things. Bonham's mastery was his balance of heaviness of a hard rock drummer with the groove of a jazz drummer. One thing that made Zeppelin amazing that is often overlooked is how much Paige would construct many guitar riffs OFF OF Bonham's grooves. It gave the songs so much swagger because the rhythm was often composed before the guitar. A great compositional trick that allows the drummer to come up with something with maximal groove and heaviness first, and THEN build the melodies around those grooves. I can't believe this isn't better known about Zeppelin.
I’ve tried to explain this to people and just couldn’t find the right words.. well said.. this band were very in tune with each other.. I’m not sure any guitarist was more involved with the drums than Page was in the way her put songs together.. 😎
Actually, Bonham followed Page. That fact is in interviews and videos I have recently seen. That's why the groove was so good. Just repeating what I heard. I am a musician. Not great, but I know what I'm doing. My talent is putting songs together and my ear.
I was there, aged nearly 15, having illicitly sneaked out of boarding school Northwest of London with a buddy, and got back before morning roll-call. One of my great life experiences. Magnificent.
Just so you know he was 22 and I was at that concert . I know Plant and Page were the front men but Without Jones and Bonham as the engine room they would not have become one of the greatest rock bands in the world. John Bonham was taken too soon
Their story of how they got together is amazing, they were meant to be together, like a cosmic pull towards each other, to become the best rock band of the century
Now you see why when John Henry Bonham passed away the band just called it quits. Led Zeppelin was four members and all were irreplaceable. How many bands would eventually replace the drummer and move on? Some bands replace the lead singer and still carry on! Zep knew who they were and ruled for a decade before the passing of our boy here. Zep was no more, but we all understood. It would never be the same again. They did (mostly Plant and Page) return under the Zep name here and there, but they always seemed to resist the idea of 'being' Led Zeppelin again without Bonzo. Both they and us knew that it wasn't, and could never be, Led Zeppelin. That drum solo gets better and better the more you watch. Great stuff from the Legend. Peace
still, it would have been awesome for led zeppelin to have continued in a new direction with maybe phil collins on drums & vocals & co-writing. it would have kept page plant & jones together in one studio. imagine all of the cool music they + collins might have made.
@@jamesha175 To me, the mid '90s could have been that sweet spot when, instead of the Page & Plant thing, they brought back Jones too and did a Zeppelin thing. Page and Plant actually WROTE stuff for the Unledded thing and then, of course the Page and Plant record. A decade plus had gone by for each guy to do his own thing. All they needed was to ring up JPJ and get a good drummer (maybe Jason?). Opportunity lost.
@Fran Ra And that's your opinion. Which you're entitled to. I prefer Rush but I know they aren't a better band than Zep. Zep have fewer albums but they're packed full of great songs. Rush on the other hand have 20 odd albums, most of them full of filler songs with 3 or 4 top quality songs. IMO
Two things to remember: John knew how to -tune- his drums and a Motown freak(with Jones of course.) Interesting story at the Newport Jazz Festival,James Brown(at the time had 3 drummers) They all watch Bonzo,'how heck is doing that?' Great video!Thank you!
I really enjoyed this reaction. You asked how a crowd in this timeframe might react, in awe and appreciation would be the way I would put it. They were unlike anything we had ever seen, and no group really highlighted the drum and bass the way Zeppelin did. It wasn’t dance music, it sit down, turn it up and get high if you want to. I don’t know how familiar you are with Zeppelin, but “Achilles Last Stand”, “Four Sticks”, “The Wanton Song”, “When the Levee Breaks”, “in My Time Of Dying”, “Kashmir “ might be enjoyable for you. “Achilles Last Stand”, and “Kashmir “ both live at Knebworth in 1979 show some of his great drum fills, and the speed of Achilles is like a horse galloping for 10 minutes.
The PG album is a tour de force of Bonham's drum. Andrew, you should listen to Dazed and Confused for the call-and-resonse going on. Bonham plays c&r with Page for a while, then he plays with Jones' bass for an extended period, while Plant then does call-and-response with Page. These guys were beyond everything else going on at the time,. And that is why we are still analyzing it all 50+ years alater.
I saw Don Henley interviewed in "The History of the Eagles" and when they were getting started recording, Henley asked the producer for at least one more mike on his bass drum so it would sound more like John Bonham's style. The producer told him "No" and told Henley to hit his bass drum harder. Henley's reply was "I can't hit it as hard as he can!"
A story I read in Rollingstone years ago said when Bonham first met John-Paul Jones he told him about his love of drag racing. So Bonham played the drums loud and fast to mimic the engines. Plant was there at the time and told everyone they found their drummer.
Go to the movie, “The Song Remains the Same”. There’s a Moby Dick in there but the ending of “Rock and Roll” and “Dazed and Confused”. You’ll see how hard he hits the drums AFTER a 26 minute song.
Many of their drum solos were 30 minutes or more. The Mighty Zep earned their accolades, touring relentlessly, playing up to 4 1/2 hour shows, no opener...it goes on and on. One show, John did a 53 minutes drum solo. Wonder what the other boys were doing back stage. Zeppelin Rulz!
I think that out of all of the great drummers that have been in rock bands over the years that I have had the pleasure of hearing and seeing the way that John did his crossover moves was and always has been my favorite! The way he did his to me was just completely different from anyone else that I have seen and he did it in the most smoothest way!
The one on the movie " song remains the same", is even better. If you can fathom that. He incorporates Tympany. I've been a drummer for 32 years.... and it's special
Anyone who says John Bonham is only good because he hits the drums hard gets butted out of the conversation immediately. Its obvious they have only heard one Led Zeppelin song. Im really enjoying your breakdowns of Bonham
It's one of these things that gets repeated enough until everyone else just agrees by default. Sure, hitting hard at some points... but it's all totally appropriate and overall seems very controlled to me :)
He was 22 in 70 , 20 when he joined Zeppelin. He said he started playing with a kit at 16 , in four years he was on Zeppelins first album. Plus he didn’t take lessons . That’s amazing he was that proficient at an early age and no lessons . He did beat on his mothers pots and pans from an early age . Way cool thanks for the video
Great reaction! He was 21 years old when this was filmed. His 22nd birthday would be coming up in May 1970. Best version of his Moby Dick chops is from the live album release in 2003, How the West was Won, recorded in June 1972 in California. Mind blowing solo. Please react to it. I can send you the link, but official Led Zep channel has it available on UA-cam 🙂🥁🥁🎶
@@AndrewRooneyDrumsit's a great soundboard audio recording, that's why Led Zep released it as an official live recording. Drumming at it's peak, you will love it
He really took to that Moeller technique. One of his big influences was Buddy Rich from what I understand, though I feel like his phrasing in solo's is a bit more Louis Bellson in a way, a little more dynamic and varied than what Rich was known for. But yes, mega dynamics, lots of technique, Moeller and rudimentary. I tell ya, I miss the days when dynamics were more of a thing, when technique mattered more than speed and blast beats. And when drums sounded like drums, just pure and melodic, without all this stuff with triggers and whatnot.
In ‘73 I saw them live, saw Deep Purple twice, saw Pink Floyd do Dark Side, saw the Stones with Billy Preston on Keyboards....Van Morrison with an incredible band....I don’t bother saying anyone is the absolute greatest??? Really?? I loved the Who.... Emerson Lake & Palmer....Jethro Tull...I appreciated them all.....we were so lucky.... I love your reaction videos....👍🏻🥂😎
Nice to hear a percussionist react to this! I heard that Bonham was influenced by jazz greats like Gene Krupa, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and Buddy Rich. As you pointed out, the jazz influence is quite clear in this solo!... Zeppelin is known for their groove - Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones have very nice chemistry. I’d recommend songs like How Many More Times (1969), Good Times Bad Times (1969), Out on the Tiles (1970), or Achilles Last Stand (1976) if you want to hear Zeppelin’s rhythm section shine.
"JOE MORELLO: The Great Drum Solo" is on YT. He was the drummer from The Dave Brubeck Quartet. There are parts of Morello's solo that sound remarkably like Bonham including Morello playing his fingers and hands on the snare. Two really superb Jazz drummers in my opinion. I love them both!
I learned to play drums in high school........It was 1985 I was 14 and I had as all kids had, a WALKMAN....All I had was Led Zeppelin and The Doors tapes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well every 6th period I sat in a soundproof room with A bass, a snare, 2tom toms. 1 ride 1 crash..hi hat and learned drums by learning Bonham!!! Moby dick I had down at 15........'Thank You' has those flowing rolls
FOUND it Bonham was a fan boy and admirer of big band, swing drummer Buddy Rich, you can actually hear the influence and in reciprocal, Buddy Rich had huge respect for Bonham
I love how he used his floor Tom and bass to get a double bass feel, all while keeping time on the hi hat and showing his left hand independence to complete his gifted groves. And that is only talking about the first 1-2 minutes of his solo. An absolute legend for any age. Grateful and very sad right now.
I love how you demonstrated Bonham’s filthy pocket in When the Levee Breaks. Thanks for pointing out the accents he used on the high hat to achieve groove perfection. When he died, I was absolutely devastated, and I still am. Luckily his son Jason is a pretty bad A•• drummer himself, as evident of his performance in Zep’s O2 reunion.
"what were the crowd thinking in 1970?" -- if they were music fans and/or drummers, they'd be thinking "i really like how Bonham does those Elvin Jones and Joe Morello licks in his solo".
Thanks for your review. No one can ever be a J.H.Bonham. No one ever. I have been a drummer for 60 years and heard good times bad times when I was 17 and playing for about 5 years and when I heard is bass drum triplets I thought I had to be able to do that but even after all the years of playing I give up. May you rest in peace my idol. See you some day the best drummer that ever lived.
Andrew... EACH time I see THAT particular footage, I am the same as you, I want to watch in a loop. But I also bite my knucle out of frustration😂. My ultimate drum god🤘
First concert I went to was Zeppelin in 73 in Detroit. They opened with this. Unbelievable. Nothing to compare them to or the experience. I have seen many greats over the years for sure they had the power. I was so lucky.
One of the great things in live music that I love is how a band interacts. These days there's so much clinical stuff which is fine but I just adore watching a band work together. I've seen this in a few bands but at the beginning of this video I love the huddle Page, Bonham and JPJ does. That's how you lock step and feed off each other.
I thought that I had heard Plant say that when Bonham started doing drum solo's in their set, the audience just stared at him. This type of thing was not done back then . He brought drumming out of the shadows and into the light. No one could believe that he was that good
and yes, exactly, he was a jazz drummer with serious chops and creativity.... he became known for heavy hitting later on as he gradually slowed down and had his issues with substance, but he was my favorite drummer because of his inventive funky jazzy creativity on the 1st five albums, which then started to subside somewhat after that, although with plenty of brilliant moments still through until his untimely demise.
Back in the early 70's it was typical of most every band to have a drum feature, It became a friendly "battle" of sorts as to which drummer on a given night won the nights competition. As a drummer I loved it! This of course led to more and more extensive solos and became known as the over indulgence of the time. EVERYONE had an extended feature on their instrument to showcase their virtuosity ( or the attempt at such) and they got longer and longer and lengthy drum solos especially became a prime example of something with which people grew weary, and eventually no one wanted to hear. Keep in mind, people back then went out to experience music. This was before music videos. Audiences paid attention to the performance, whereas today's audience is distracted and less responsive. As for Bonham being a heavy hitter -- one must take that in context. Hal Blaine was the premier "rock drummer" up until 1968, and then along comes Bonham and it was obvious, he was getting a sound and feel from the drums that hadn't yet existed. Today, it's standard.
Really appreciate hearing a drum teacher break this down. I'm not a drummer myself, but I've always enjoyed it and watching your reaction validates what I can hear, namely that this is a masterpiece.
@@AndrewRooneyDrums You are a drum teacher. I'm only a guitarist that knows very little about drums. I've read numerous times that Bonham was very good at tuning his drum heads to provide that huge sound without bashing them like an ape. Any truth to that?
@Philip Gannello There's absolutely no need to say "the drummer I like is better than the one you like!" Talk about how great Palmer may have been, but you don't have to disrespect Bonham.
Awesome analogy! Enjoyed hearing a breakdown and appreciation from a drummers perspective. I grew up back then, (68 yo), and am a drummer, so he was a major influence. You can hear the Joe Morello influence and people didn't see the jazz tendencies John had. The power, speed, dynamics, drama, all rolled up in the solo. Ebbs and flows. Again, nice breakdown.
There's a common misconception that Bonham played with a double pedal - how else could he play so fast? In fact, he did his signature triplets on a standard bass drum pedal
Unless you’re New to drumming and drummers, ie, you’re very young, you know he was not using double bass. I’ve never heard anyone say he must’ve used two bass drums 🤷♂️🤔
When people like Clapton and Baker used to look down on Bonham as just a basher I wonder if they've ever seen something like this. This solo is like a memoir from Bonham. He's showing you almost every tool in his bag. How to build tension and relieve it. Jazz, African, Funk, etc. It's all here.
I have this whole concert on DVD, bought it 16 years ago, my friends and I may have enjoyed the occasional substance. And this is what we watched almost everytime. The whole concert is absolute perfection. And the audio is shockingly good.
That is correct. Bonham's drum solo up to this point borrowed heavily from that. It went away after 1970ish, but then resurfaced during the Seattle Kingdome 1977 show, where it starts about six minutes into the drum solo...
Loving this Bonham in the groove! Your reaction is very insightful and very different from most reactors🥰 giving me new appreciation and enjoyment THANK YOU SIR keep rocking ✌️
He was 22 years old... passed away 10 years later in 1980...What a fabulous drummer. Led Zeppelin as a whole is my favorite bad... the bass/keyboardist, the vocals, the lead guitar and drummer all tick my band boxes
I was there at the beginning, 1969 in Hawaii. They were being interviewed on a local radio station and they asked where they could buy some weed. I thought, these guys are for real I need to see who these guys are. So I saw them two nights in a row. Both shows were different but amazing. I can't remember the name of the hall that I saw them in, but I don't think it held more then about 250 people. What an experience. I saw them 7 times through the years. I have always said they were the best ever, it turns out they were and still are the best ever. The girls and the women fell in love with them. I took my girlfriend to one of the concerts in San Diego and she fell in love with Robert. He would wear tight pants which defined his member and that was one of the photos she bought at the concert. My son met Jimmy back in 1984. My son was about 14 years old. He played the drums and he was jamming with his friends in a garage, when a limo pulled up to the house. Out stepped Jimmy Page. Jimmy was looking up one of his old girlfriends whose son happen to play guitar (Felton, Calif.) Jimmy played my sons friends guitar and then signed it. He also signed an autograph for my son, which I have in a safe. My son called me on the phone to come over and meet Jimmy (he knew I loved Zeppelin) but I didn't have a car at home at the time to drive over, so I missed out, and I play guitar! You can not imagine what their concerts were like. Their later concerts were over the top with a full wall of speakers and amplifiers. They had lazers shooting over the heads of the audience. The sound was epic, huge, clear, enveloping. Some songs they would get into a jam and you would forget what song they started out playing and then they would finally come back to the song and it would just blow your mind. Their concerts were always long. I can remember one was 4 hours long. They never had an opening band. They would come out and just take you away.
Always amazes me how good these 60's, 70's drummers kits sounded. I'm a massive fan of this era of rock music and wonder with the evolution of drums and tech how they produced such a wicked sound. The John Bonham's, Ian Paice's and Mitch Mitchell's certainly paved the way for not only great rock music but also the dynamics of future drum engineering. Thanks for the videos Andrew, really enjoy your insight.
Bonzo tuned his drums in very specific way. His resonant were tuned slightly higher then his batter heads. And the overall tuning in general was higher then might think especially by todays standard.
Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but Bonhams snare sound was always fascinating to me, even when I was a kid and my older brother would bring home Zeppelin records, that snare sound just always grabbed me.
Andrew!! Check out the double album called "WHEELS OF FIRE" by CREAM, (Jack Bruce, bass, Ginger Baker, drums, and Eric Clapton, guitar), and listen to Baker playing "TOAD"!! He will blow your mind!! There's a lot of great drummers at this time (late 60's, on through 'til today), but Bonham and Baker were hard to beat when it came to long drum solos!!
I saw them in Detroit in 1970 or 71. Just as fantastic as you imagined! Have you done any studies on Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer? Saw them in 70 in Detroit as well, his drumming impressed me too, not quite as much as Bonham though.
I can not find it again. but somewhere on the youtubes I found a 28 minute solo by Bonham. it was like 1979 or so. Just before he died. it was insane. he had bongo drums xylophone. It was insanely good. I know it was a Moby Dick solo just can not fine it again. Found it like 12 years ago. That video cemented him in my mind as best drummer in the world. However seeing Neil Paert's later stuff now has me going back and forth.Between the two.
ANDREW- I did some research for you tonight by phonecall to my older cousin who is 71, she says crowds watching performances like this in late 60's- early 1970's the MAIN THING was most in the crowd would watch INTENTLY in dead silence, waiting for the crescendo then they would politely applaud!!!!
I was there, several times, at both the Spectrum and MSG. The audience was pretty much in total awe of what they were hearing and watching. The applause sometimes came during the piece when the audience just had to react to the performance, like after a tremendous trombone solo at a Mingus concert
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I'm also a lifelong drum teacher and 58 years old. Different drummers are "the best of all time" at different things. Bonham's mastery was his balance of heaviness of a hard rock drummer with the groove of a jazz drummer. One thing that made Zeppelin amazing that is often overlooked is how much Paige would construct many guitar riffs OFF OF Bonham's grooves. It gave the songs so much swagger because the rhythm was often composed before the guitar. A great compositional trick that allows the drummer to come up with something with maximal groove and heaviness first, and THEN build the melodies around those grooves. I can't believe this isn't better known about Zeppelin.
GREAT comment!
I’ve tried to explain this to people and just couldn’t find the right words.. well said..
this band were very in tune with each other.. I’m not sure any guitarist was more involved with the drums than Page was in the way her put songs together.. 😎
Most people who listen to zep don’t Ny get what you’re saying. It’s so true. Those two together were the music behind the groups success.
In the same way the did call and response rythms between page and bohnam that sounded so clean.
Actually, Bonham followed Page. That fact is in interviews and videos I have recently seen. That's why the groove was so good. Just repeating what I heard. I am a musician. Not great, but I know what I'm doing. My talent is putting songs together and my ear.
I was there, aged nearly 15, having illicitly sneaked out of boarding school Northwest of London with a buddy, and got back before morning roll-call. One of my great life experiences. Magnificent.
That's not playing drums that is a MASTERCLASS on drums!!!
Just so you know he was 22 and I was at that concert . I know Plant and Page were the front men but Without Jones and Bonham as the engine room they would not have become one of the greatest rock bands in the world. John Bonham was taken too soon
Amazing.
Thank you John
No, he was actually only 21. May 31, 1948. The concert was January 9, 1970.
You are absolutely correct. Every Zep member was a genius in their field. So jealous that you saw this live. Good for you.
Their story of how they got together is amazing, they were meant to be together, like a cosmic pull towards each other, to become the best rock band of the century
@@eileenbaran7040 sometimes the stars align.....
Whoever miked and mixed that for a live concert should get a medal.
Like at the end of Star Wars
Now you see why when John Henry Bonham passed away the band just called it quits. Led Zeppelin was four members and all were irreplaceable. How many bands would eventually replace the drummer and move on? Some bands replace the lead singer and still carry on! Zep knew who they were and ruled for a decade before the passing of our boy here. Zep was no more, but we all understood. It would never be the same again.
They did (mostly Plant and Page) return under the Zep name here and there, but they always seemed to resist the idea of 'being' Led Zeppelin again without Bonzo. Both they and us knew that it wasn't, and could never be, Led Zeppelin.
That drum solo gets better and better the more you watch. Great stuff from the Legend.
Peace
Great point. It's a real band. 4 contributors.
Very different to today's model of a songwriter, and then a product (singer) with a backing band.
still, it would have been awesome for led zeppelin to have continued in a new direction with maybe phil collins on drums & vocals & co-writing. it would have kept page plant & jones together in one studio. imagine all of the cool music they + collins might have made.
Awesome was that they did get to come back and play with Bonzo's son on drums
@@johncarey4040 yes but they just rehashed old music
@@jamesha175 To me, the mid '90s could have been that sweet spot when, instead of the Page & Plant thing, they brought back Jones too and did a Zeppelin thing. Page and Plant actually WROTE stuff for the Unledded thing and then, of course the Page and Plant record. A decade plus had gone by for each guy to do his own thing. All they needed was to ring up JPJ and get a good drummer (maybe Jason?). Opportunity lost.
“There’s no loud or fast without quiet and slow.” That’s just good life advice 😂
Mark Knopfler knew that. It is in almost every his song.
Keenly brilliant observation sir!
@@maryellenleach7457 thank you mamn!
What strikes me the most is his innate and absolutely impeccable sense of timing. It's flawless!
John Bonham the best rock drummer ever,by far,and one of the best drummer in the history...Im a drum teacher of jazz too...
He certainly lives up to his reputation!
De donde eres Albano?
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Im from Portugal...
Neil Peart is definitely on par with Bonham. You can't say JB is best by far. It's immeasurable.
Ian Paice was better IMO
@Fran Ra And that's your opinion. Which you're entitled to. I prefer Rush but I know they aren't a better band than Zep. Zep have fewer albums but they're packed full of great songs. Rush on the other hand have 20 odd albums, most of them full of filler songs with 3 or 4 top quality songs. IMO
Bonham was a heavy hitter, when he wanted to be. He knew exactly what to play for what song and how hard
Yup!
Anyone here can you do this for over 15 minutes and still go on with the concert, he's a legend
Led Zeppelin: the greatest band in history? Quite possibly. The tightest band in history? Almost certainly!
YES CHARLIE!
Two things to remember: John knew how to -tune- his drums and a Motown freak(with Jones of course.) Interesting story at the Newport Jazz Festival,James Brown(at the time had 3 drummers) They all watch Bonzo,'how heck is doing that?' Great video!Thank you!
Hope to do more Bonham reactions
I have been drumming since 1969. I've always thought bonzo is the best and most famous Drummer of ROCK their is and always will be
I really enjoyed this reaction. You asked how a crowd in this timeframe might react, in awe and appreciation would be the way I would put it. They were unlike anything we had ever seen, and no group really highlighted the drum and bass the way Zeppelin did. It wasn’t dance music, it sit down, turn it up and get high if you want to. I don’t know how familiar you are with Zeppelin, but “Achilles Last Stand”, “Four Sticks”, “The Wanton Song”, “When the Levee Breaks”, “in My Time Of Dying”, “Kashmir “ might be enjoyable for you. “Achilles Last Stand”, and “Kashmir “ both live at Knebworth in 1979 show some of his great drum fills, and the speed of Achilles is like a horse galloping for 10 minutes.
Love your passion!
Definitely seems to be 'stand there mesmerized' type music
The PG album is a tour de force of Bonham's drum.
Andrew, you should listen to Dazed and Confused for the call-and-resonse going on. Bonham plays c&r with Page for a while, then he plays with Jones' bass for an extended period, while Plant then does call-and-response with Page. These guys were beyond everything else going on at the time,. And that is why we are still analyzing it all 50+ years alater.
Being a teenager in the seventies truly had its perks. We had Led Zeppelin and some many other great bands.
I saw Don Henley interviewed in "The History of the Eagles" and when they were getting started recording, Henley asked the producer for at least one more mike on his bass drum so it would sound more like John Bonham's style. The producer told him "No" and told Henley to hit his bass drum harder. Henley's reply was "I can't hit it as hard as he can!"
A story I read in Rollingstone years ago said when Bonham first met John-Paul Jones he told him about his love of drag racing. So Bonham played the drums loud and fast to mimic the engines. Plant was there at the time and told everyone they found their drummer.
Excellent Ivor!
THIS MAKES *SOOOOO* much since. THANK YOU 🙏
Go to the movie, “The Song Remains the Same”. There’s a Moby Dick in there but the ending of “Rock and Roll” and “Dazed and Confused”. You’ll see how hard he hits the drums AFTER a 26 minute song.
Buddy Rich used to perform often on late night tv. He might have been the most visible jazz drummer for folks in 1970.
Yeah, it's not about buddy though.
Many of their drum solos were 30 minutes or more. The Mighty Zep earned their accolades, touring relentlessly, playing up to 4 1/2 hour shows, no opener...it goes on and on. One show, John did a 53 minutes drum solo. Wonder what the other boys were doing back stage.
Zeppelin Rulz!
That's insane!
Have a meal, impregnate 3 groupies and take a nap...that's a long solo.
@@davidc6032 You missed the Snort Loads of Crack part........ during those long solo's!
Rails were being consumed during the solos for sure.
I think that out of all of the great drummers that have been in rock bands over the years that I have had the pleasure of hearing and seeing the way that John did his crossover moves was and always has been my favorite! The way he did his to me was just completely different from anyone else that I have seen and he did it in the most smoothest way!
Drama is a great description of everything these guys did
Just remember Andrew, you kept taking breaks but he never did.
HAHA Yes!
Greatest of all time
The one on the movie " song remains the same", is even better. If you can fathom that. He incorporates Tympany. I've been a drummer for 32 years.... and it's special
just love his "high hat" work...no one does it anymore...at least to the point that he did
Yes keeps an anchor throughout the solo. It's great
@Stuart Munkley HAHA YUP!
The best
Keeping high hat working during solo. Amazing.
Anyone who says John Bonham is only good because he hits the drums hard gets butted out of the conversation immediately. Its obvious they have only heard one Led Zeppelin song. Im really enjoying your breakdowns of Bonham
It's one of these things that gets repeated enough until everyone else just agrees by default.
Sure, hitting hard at some points... but it's all totally appropriate and overall seems very controlled to me :)
Perhaps people think he plays loud because he is very "up front" in the mix?
He's massively overrated. In my early days of listening to them, i never thought how he stood out.
@@pretoshohmoofcguy6523 Get a Life
@@pretoshohmoofcguy6523 You are a buffoon
Add to this that John was a raging alcoholic, it's amazing he kept up this tempo.
Crazy town alright!
Yeh, you'd think, his other addiction however, was cocaine.. R.I.P. BONZO
@Richard Harrold Never heard a thing about Bonham and heroin.
@Richard Harrold Bonham was a drunk, maybe coke, but not heroin, he got fatter as Jimmie got skinnier.
Bonham, would have been about twenty two in 1970. Even after all these years still the best of the best for me. Really enjoyed your review!
Yup I really dig his vibe
Still 21 this was January 9th turned 22 May 31th
Best drummer alive at the age of 21 , talk about talent, Remarkable is an understatement!!!
cubby8873 -It’s was actually Jimmy’s 26th Birthday
Adelaide, Memorial Drive 29/02/72 . 14 years old and there, MD was on the set list.
He was 22 in 70 , 20 when he joined Zeppelin. He said he started playing with a kit at 16 , in four years he was on Zeppelins first album. Plus he didn’t take lessons . That’s amazing he was that proficient at an early age and no lessons . He did beat on his mothers pots and pans from an early age . Way cool thanks for the video
' I need a cigarette and a lay down' is by far the most perfect response to this video
I know it's probably been quoted before, But John Bonham was 22 years old in 1970... TWENTY TWO!!!!! Incredible talent at that age...
Great reaction! He was 21 years old when this was filmed. His 22nd birthday would be coming up in May 1970. Best version of his Moby Dick chops is from the live album release in 2003, How the West was Won, recorded in June 1972 in California. Mind blowing solo. Please react to it. I can send you the link, but official Led Zep channel has it available on UA-cam 🙂🥁🥁🎶
Sounds awesome
@@AndrewRooneyDrumsit's a great soundboard audio recording, that's why Led Zep released it as an official live recording. Drumming at it's peak, you will love it
That snare tone when he picks his sticks back up and twats the snare a few times... It's the best snare sound I've ever heard. God damn.
He really took to that Moeller technique. One of his big influences was Buddy Rich from what I understand, though I feel like his phrasing in solo's is a bit more Louis Bellson in a way, a little more dynamic and varied than what Rich was known for.
But yes, mega dynamics, lots of technique, Moeller and rudimentary. I tell ya, I miss the days when dynamics were more of a thing, when technique mattered more than speed and blast beats. And when drums sounded like drums, just pure and melodic, without all this stuff with triggers and whatnot.
Reading this as a guitarist is alien haha
Couldn't agree more. His solo's almost follow the same template as Buddy Rich,
In ‘73 I saw them live, saw Deep Purple twice, saw Pink Floyd do Dark Side, saw the Stones with Billy Preston on Keyboards....Van Morrison with an incredible band....I don’t bother saying anyone is the absolute greatest??? Really?? I loved the Who.... Emerson Lake & Palmer....Jethro Tull...I appreciated them all.....we were so lucky.... I love your reaction videos....👍🏻🥂😎
Nice to hear a percussionist react to this! I heard that Bonham was influenced by jazz greats like Gene Krupa, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and Buddy Rich. As you pointed out, the jazz influence is quite clear in this solo!... Zeppelin is known for their groove - Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones have very nice chemistry. I’d recommend songs like How Many More Times (1969), Good Times Bad Times (1969), Out on the Tiles (1970), or Achilles Last Stand (1976) if you want to hear Zeppelin’s rhythm section shine.
Thanks for the recommends!!!
Two bigger influences on John for this solo were Max Roach and overall Joe Morello.
"JOE MORELLO: The Great Drum Solo" is on YT. He was the drummer from The Dave Brubeck Quartet. There are parts of Morello's solo that sound remarkably like Bonham including Morello playing his fingers and hands on the snare. Two really superb Jazz drummers in my opinion. I love them both!
I learned to play drums in high school........It was 1985 I was 14 and I had as all kids had, a WALKMAN....All I had was Led Zeppelin and The Doors tapes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well every 6th period I sat in a soundproof room with A bass, a snare, 2tom toms. 1 ride 1 crash..hi hat and learned drums by learning Bonham!!! Moby dick I had down at 15........'Thank You' has those flowing rolls
You definitely tell they were a tight band no question.
Very classy. Artistic
Listen carefully to note that the short guitar riff at the very very end was homage to Jimmy Hendrix.
It is important to note that both John Bonham and Robert Plant were barely even 21 when this was recorded.
Yeah... um..
That's just silly. Stop it please...
BAHAHAHA
@@AndrewRooneyDrums it's true though
Rgades well.... Bonham died in 1980 in his 31st year.... do the math ....
10 years prior ( 1970 ) = 21 :)))))
👍👍👍🥁🍺
Rgades bang on brother !
Yup. JPJ just turned 24 that week. Page turned 26 that very day (Jan 9, 1970)
i can’t help but smile when i watch this, RIP JB❤️
Great Eli! Yes he remains a legend for sure.
FOUND it
Bonham was a fan boy and admirer of big band, swing drummer Buddy Rich, you can actually hear the influence and in reciprocal, Buddy Rich had huge respect for Bonham
YESSSS!
There's been a lot of Bonham blocked to. Available to the patrons
Yeah you can hear the influence.
I love how he used his floor Tom and bass to get a double bass feel, all while keeping time on the hi hat and showing his left hand independence to complete his gifted groves. And that is only talking about the first 1-2 minutes of his solo. An absolute legend for any age. Grateful and very sad right now.
Great points! 💯👍
I love how you demonstrated Bonham’s filthy pocket in When the Levee Breaks. Thanks for pointing out the accents he used on the high hat to achieve groove perfection. When he died, I was absolutely devastated, and I still am. Luckily his son Jason is a pretty bad A•• drummer himself, as evident of his performance in Zep’s O2 reunion.
You bet sir!
Check out my led Zep covers!
"what were the crowd thinking in 1970?" -- if they were music fans and/or drummers, they'd be thinking "i really like how Bonham does those Elvin Jones and Joe Morello licks in his solo".
Thanks for your review. No one can ever be a J.H.Bonham. No one ever. I have been a drummer for 60 years and heard good times bad times when I was 17 and playing for about 5 years and when I heard is bass drum triplets I thought I had to be able to do that but even after all the years of playing I give up. May you rest in peace my idol. See you some day the best drummer that ever lived.
Andrew... EACH time I see THAT particular footage, I am the same as you, I want to watch in a loop. But I also bite my knucle out of frustration😂. My ultimate drum god🤘
Rock Gods in the time of so many greats!
First concert I went to was Zeppelin in 73 in Detroit. They opened with this. Unbelievable. Nothing to compare them to or the experience. I have seen many greats over the years for sure they had the power. I was so lucky.
You can see his Joe Morello influence with the hand playing and the Al Jackson Jr. Groove influence.
One of the great things in live music that I love is how a band interacts. These days there's so much clinical stuff which is fine but I just adore watching a band work together. I've seen this in a few bands but at the beginning of this video I love the huddle Page, Bonham and JPJ does. That's how you lock step and feed off each other.
Bonham played that solo over 200 times, at some point during a 3 to 4 hour concert, he’s so amazing & the greatest drummer ever.
The best drum solo ever
Sensational Robert
1970,i was 5 Jears old and i grow up with this stuff.YEA!!!
Always gonna love the stuff you grow up on! Awesome
@@AndrewRooneyDrums You right!greetings from Germany!Love your channel.
Best drummer ever .
3cheers from Canada
He's definitely up there!
*spins stick*
“whaaaaahhh wasn’t expecting that fire” like that was the most impressive part 😂
Bonham was 22 when this was recorded. So great for a very young man.
I thought that I had heard Plant say that when Bonham started doing drum solo's in their set, the audience just stared at him. This type of thing was not done back then . He brought drumming out of the shadows and into the light. No one could believe that he was that good
That's awesome Jim. It turns it into a performance/concert as opposed to a regular gig I guess. Very cool
Ginger Baker did it with Cream at the same venue the year before. Bonham did Moby as a response to Baker’s Toad
and yes, exactly, he was a jazz drummer with serious chops and creativity.... he became known for heavy hitting later on as he gradually slowed down and had his issues with substance, but he was my favorite drummer because of his inventive funky jazzy creativity on the 1st five albums, which then started to subside somewhat after that, although with plenty of brilliant moments still through until his untimely demise.
Back in the early 70's it was typical of most every band to have a drum feature, It became a friendly "battle" of sorts as to which drummer on a given night won the nights competition. As a drummer I loved it! This of course led to more and more extensive solos and became known as the over indulgence of the time. EVERYONE had an extended feature on their instrument to showcase their virtuosity ( or the attempt at such) and they got longer and longer and lengthy drum solos especially became a prime example of something with which people grew weary, and eventually no one wanted to hear. Keep in mind, people back then went out to experience music. This was before music videos. Audiences paid attention to the performance, whereas today's audience is distracted and less responsive. As for Bonham being a heavy hitter -- one must take that in context. Hal Blaine was the premier "rock drummer" up until 1968, and then along comes Bonham and it was obvious, he was getting a sound and feel from the drums that hadn't yet existed. Today, it's standard.
Very well said Nelson.
Great comments
About the many comments about the age of John Bonham...
At 1970 I was 25 and the top plumber in the city.
Thanks.
HAHA! Nice!
Really appreciate hearing a drum teacher break this down. I'm not a drummer myself, but I've always enjoyed it and watching your reaction validates what I can hear, namely that this is a masterpiece.
Jones and bonham were the best without a doubt bass and drum combo off all time , they compliment each other like no others
Yes!
Moonie and Thunderfingers
People THOUGHT Bonham was loud, because he was dynamic.
He's just the right volume. Totally approriate
@@AndrewRooneyDrums You are a drum teacher. I'm only a guitarist that knows very little about drums. I've read numerous times that Bonham was very good at tuning his drum heads to provide that huge sound without bashing them like an ape. Any truth to that?
@Philip Gannello There's absolutely no need to say "the drummer I like is better than the one you like!" Talk about how great Palmer may have been, but you don't have to disrespect Bonham.
@Philip Gannello still doesnt sound as good as bonham
Awesome analogy! Enjoyed hearing a breakdown and appreciation from a drummers perspective. I grew up back then, (68 yo), and am a drummer, so he was a major influence. You can hear the Joe Morello influence and people didn't see the jazz tendencies John had. The power, speed, dynamics, drama, all rolled up in the solo. Ebbs and flows. Again, nice breakdown.
Led Zeppelin was known for 2.5 hour-long concerts so this often was an intermission event at the shows.
There's a common misconception that Bonham played with a double pedal - how else could he play so fast? In fact, he did his signature triplets on a standard bass drum pedal
Unless you’re New to drumming and drummers, ie, you’re very young, you know he was not using double bass. I’ve never heard anyone say he must’ve used two bass drums 🤷♂️🤔
I know nothing at all about drumming but I know what I like. Bonham is awesome, as is the rest of the band.
This is true
The sound on the drums was captured as best I have heard, they did not mess around with providing the best audio.
When people like Clapton and Baker used to look down on Bonham as just a basher I wonder if they've ever seen something like this. This solo is like a memoir from Bonham. He's showing you almost every tool in his bag. How to build tension and relieve it. Jazz, African, Funk, etc. It's all here.
I always thought Baker’s drumming sounded like he was banging on plastic paint cans.
Everybody hated Zepp for being a cover band. Just a really great one
22 years old and playing at this level.
10 years later and gone...
The brightest stars burn the fastest.
I have this whole concert on DVD, bought it 16 years ago, my friends and I may have enjoyed the occasional substance. And this is what we watched almost everytime. The whole concert is absolute perfection. And the audio is shockingly good.
He had this primitive caveman vibe. Nobody else has it. It’s not always in time, but for some reason he sounds great
All time pocket master
Just all time pocket!
he is amazing GREATEST DRUMMER OF ALL TIME
Smashing the Drums is not necessarily he's hitting them hard. In the 70's we used the term to mean he's really good.,.
Yup for sure!
The drum solo sounds like it starts with Max Roach's 'Drums Also Waltzes'.
Yes it does.😉
That is correct. Bonham's drum solo up to this point borrowed heavily from that. It went away after 1970ish, but then resurfaced during the Seattle Kingdome 1977 show, where it starts about six minutes into the drum solo...
Loving this Bonham in the groove! Your reaction is very insightful and very different from most reactors🥰 giving me new appreciation and enjoyment THANK YOU SIR keep rocking ✌️
He was 22 years old... passed away 10 years later in 1980...What a fabulous drummer. Led Zeppelin as a whole is my favorite bad... the bass/keyboardist, the vocals, the lead guitar and drummer all tick my band boxes
Yes Denise! Such a fantastic band :)
He was actually only 21 at this gig.......incredible
I was there at the beginning, 1969 in Hawaii. They were being interviewed on a local radio station and they asked where they could buy some weed. I thought, these guys are for real I need to see who these guys are. So I saw them two nights in a row. Both shows were different but amazing. I can't remember the name of the hall that I saw them in, but I don't think it held more then about 250 people. What an experience. I saw them 7 times through the years. I have always said they were the best ever, it turns out they were and still are the best ever.
The girls and the women fell in love with them. I took my girlfriend to one of the concerts in San Diego and she fell in love with Robert. He would wear tight pants which defined his member and that was one of the photos she bought at the concert.
My son met Jimmy back in 1984. My son was about 14 years old. He played the drums and he was jamming with his friends in a garage, when a limo pulled up to the house. Out stepped Jimmy Page. Jimmy was looking up one of his old girlfriends whose son happen to play guitar (Felton, Calif.) Jimmy played my sons friends guitar and then signed it. He also signed an autograph for my son, which I have in a safe. My son called me on the phone to come over and meet Jimmy (he knew I loved Zeppelin) but I didn't have a car at home at the time to drive over, so I missed out, and I play guitar!
You can not imagine what their concerts were like. Their later concerts were over the top with a full wall of speakers and amplifiers. They had lazers shooting over the heads of the audience. The sound was epic, huge, clear, enveloping. Some songs they would get into a jam and you would forget what song they started out playing and then they would finally come back to the song and it would just blow your mind. Their concerts were always long. I can remember one was 4 hours long. They never had an opening band. They would come out and just take you away.
Wow what amazing memories!
Can hear how Alex Van Halen pulled his Hot For Teacher intro from JB. Love your reaction when the band chimes back in!
Always amazes me how good these 60's, 70's drummers kits sounded. I'm a massive fan of this era of rock music and wonder with the evolution of drums and tech how they produced such a wicked sound.
The John Bonham's, Ian Paice's and Mitch Mitchell's certainly paved the way for not only great rock music but also the dynamics of future drum engineering.
Thanks for the videos Andrew, really enjoy your insight.
Great point Tony. I think a lot of it is the player. Needed great control and balance on such limited set ups and recording technology!
Bonzo tuned his drums in very specific way. His resonant were tuned slightly higher then his batter heads. And the overall tuning in general was higher then might think especially by todays standard.
Me: UA-cam
Andrew: Youchoob
HAHA Jake!
Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but Bonhams snare sound was always fascinating to me, even when I was a kid and my older brother would bring home Zeppelin records, that snare sound just always grabbed me.
Yup it's iconic.
Dry crack of a supraphonic with just the right amount of buzz/ring
How did I miss this, nice analysis! Merry holidays, Andrew!!
🙏
It all makes sense now...John Bonham was the direct inspiration for ‘Animal’ on The Muppets 😁
15 minutes for a drum solo??? John had the chops for it. He was so darn good!!!!!!!!!! Super talent.
It's a damn long solo. NEVER boring
This is from The film for 'the song remains the same', IIRC. We called it "The Bong Remains the Same"......
Feel, timing, touch.
Bricklayers hands, strength.
Phenomenal endurance & chops for day's.
Andrew!! Check out the double album called "WHEELS OF FIRE" by CREAM, (Jack Bruce, bass, Ginger Baker, drums, and Eric Clapton, guitar), and listen to Baker playing "TOAD"!! He will blow your mind!! There's a lot of great drummers at this time (late 60's, on through 'til today), but Bonham and Baker were hard to beat when it came to long drum solos!!
Love Ginger Baker, the bastard!
Best drummer to have graced this planet with his raw power and talent .
I saw them in Detroit in 1970 or 71. Just as fantastic as you imagined! Have you done any studies on Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer? Saw them in 70 in Detroit as well, his drumming impressed me too, not quite as much as Bonham though.
I can not find it again. but somewhere on the youtubes I found a 28 minute solo by Bonham. it was like 1979 or so. Just before he died. it was insane. he had bongo drums xylophone. It was insanely good. I know it was a Moby Dick solo just can not fine it again. Found it like 12 years ago. That video cemented him in my mind as best drummer in the world. However seeing Neil Paert's later stuff now has me going back and forth.Between the two.
I think I did that one!
Check out my other Moby Dick videos :)
In January 1970 Bonham would have been 21 years old. Scary isn’t it😱😱
ANDREW- I did some research for you tonight by phonecall to my older cousin who is 71, she says crowds watching performances like this in late 60's- early 1970's the MAIN THING was most in the crowd would watch INTENTLY in dead silence, waiting for the crescendo then they would politely applaud!!!!
I was there, several times, at both the Spectrum and MSG. The audience was pretty much in total awe of what they were hearing and watching. The applause sometimes came during the piece when the audience just had to react to the performance, like after a tremendous trombone solo at a Mingus concert
This entire show is remarkable.