John Bonham

Ok, i'm about to put my neck on the line. I'd like to know if there is anyone who thinks John Bonham is over rated. What do you really think? Is he only a drum god because he is dead?
Would he be as much of a drumming legend if he was still around? If you're a Bonham fan, please don't attack me for this, I love his playing, but when I see other drummers of his era and the amazing drummers around today, it makes me think, was he really that much better than anyone else? Of course everyone has there own style and feel, but overall as a player what do you think?
 
For sure. All of the top people are overrated because of the nature of celebrity. Fame builds upon itself.

Still, Bonzo's feel and sound had a special charm. It's not a matter of who's best but who people like the most.
 
Overrated as what? Someone being overrated as "a drummer" doesn't really tell me anything about what the person is looking for in a drummer. I don't think he's anywhere near the best drummer of all time, but in his own style and time he inspired huge populations of drummers, just like Ringo. But of course if you start to analyze it further in today's standards of lets say fusion music he doesn't get far. But that wasn't what he was about and why he is respected.
 
I'm curious to know who you think was more deserving of Drum God status?

( Rock drummers/ Bonham contemporaries only )
 
you have to place him in the context of his time. before him no one played like that. he and led zeppelin practically invented that style of heavy grooving and big, open drum sounds that everyone has been copying all these years, including me. he was hugely influential and completely changed the face of drumming as we know it today.

but if you put him head to head with some of the ultra skilled gospel, progressive, metal, and jazz drummers of today he probably isn't going to look all that impressive. even in his day there were lots of drummers who were more technically skilled than him, especially in the jazz world, which was going very strong in those days. he had fantastic chops too, but it was really his innovative style and approach to drumming that made him great, imo.
 
Bonham was one of the early influences on my playing. I was into Zep because it was awesome music and so much different than the other stuff that was on the radio at the time I discovered them (Poison.) Its an incredible band and he was an extremely solid drummer with an awesome sound. I agree with Polly about fame feeding on itself but he was a pretty amazing drummer who would probably have continued to innovate if he wasn't dead.
 
Ok, i'm about to put my neck on the line. I'd like to know if there is anyone who thinks John Bonham is over rated. What do you really think? Is he only a drum god because he is dead?
Would he be as much of a drumming legend if he was still around? If you're a Bonham fan, please don't attack me for this, I love his playing, but when I see other drummers of his era and the amazing drummers around today, it makes me think, was he really that much better than anyone else? Of course everyone has there own style and feel, but overall as a player what do you think?

You Sir, should be shot at the first light of dawn. I would hang my head in shame of even thinking this nonsense.(Can you tell I'm a Bonham Fan!!!)

On a serious note though, I think John was a class act. Do I think Led Zep would have been the same without him.....HELL NO!!! Was he better than anyone else....HELL NO!!! What he was, was a talented musician who gave Led Zep it's energy and Led Zep ooooooozed energy.

Sure, the quickest way to become a rock legend is drowing in your own puke but I think if he were alive today he'd still be giving whatever music he played the energy it needed to rock. I guess playing for one of the greatest rock bands ever didn't hurt either but he's name would still have been spoken by serious drummers for Aeons regardless of the band he played for, he was that good.
 
Are there any middle-aged rock drummers who haven't been influenced by Bonzo?

I suppose some young drummers wonder what the fuss was about, what with the modern monster players of fusion, funk/hip hop and modern metal, but when I first started playing Ian Paice, Bonzo, Aynsley Dunbar and Bill Ward were my drumming world (along with some local drummers).

In hindsight, I think his playing had more appeal than his peers at the time, but it wasn't like Bonzo first, daylight second. In fact, in the mid-70s Ian Paice was my main man.
 
The thing I like best about Bonham is:

He had huge drums

Played without sticks

Had a gong & tympani drums incorporated into a Rock drumset

His drum sound is unsurpassed, actually Led Zeppelin was the first band that I could really distinguished the drums in the song when I was a youngster.

Who has a better Right-Foot?

Totally killed not tickled the kit LOL.

I know he wasn't. the first too do these things he just brought it too the forefront more than any other drummer.

Bonham too drums is like Hendrix was too guitar IMHO , of course there are better musician's but very few if any that had that Style,Groove & Showmanship.

I've even heard stories of 30 min. drum solos who did that in the 60's or 70's in Rock & Roll?

Bonham & Hendrix were original's & that's why they have such cult followings not because they're dead.

Bonzolead
 
Are there any middle-aged rock drummers who haven't been influenced by Bonzo?
Yes, me! Although I was aware of, and listened to Zep, I really didn't take on much, if anything from Bonzo. I was much more into the drumming of Nigel Olsson, Danny Seraphine, Denis Elliott, Jeff Porcaro, Prairie Prince, Carl Palmer, etc, etc. That said, he certainly carved a style of his own and I'm sure my rock drumming would be better if I had taken influence from him.
 
Yes, me! Although I was aware of, and listened to Zep, I really didn't take on much, if anything from Bonzo. I was much more into the drumming of Nigel Olsson, Danny Seraphine, Denis Elliott, Jeff Porcaro, Prairie Prince, Carl Palmer, etc, etc. That said, he certainly carved a style of his own and I'm sure my rock drumming would be better if I had taken influence from him.

That's funny you said Dennis Elliott from Foreigner I like his drumming on the first Foreigner albums very underrated IMO.

Bonzolead
 
you have to place him in the context of his time. before him no one played like that. he and led zeppelin practically invented that style of heavy grooving and big, open drum sounds that everyone has been copying all these years, including me. he was hugely influential and completely changed the face of drumming as we know it today.

but if you put him head to head with some of the ultra skilled gospel, progressive, metal, and jazz drummers of today he probably isn't going to look all that impressive. even in his day there were lots of drummers who were more technically skilled than him, especially in the jazz world, which was going very strong in those days. he had fantastic chops too, but it was really his innovative style and approach to drumming that made him great, imo.

I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. Bonzo kinda falls into the same category as Steve Gadd IMO. There are guys out there who are more technical and can do all of this amazing stuff but none of them have feel like they do. They're both hugely influential thanks to their groundbreaking styles as well as their ability to play what is right for a song. Two of my favorite drummers. I can't decide who I like more. Probably Bonham.
 
i think that history will prove that JHB was one of the greats. you will notice his time is amazing for 60s, 70s playing. my pet theory is that if you could get in a time machine, you would notice that Bonham was one of the sickest players at that time...and the tech in "good times, bad times" was pretty much mind-blowing. still sounds great & innovative when i hear Steve Smith play his licks !
 
This may be off topic but im trying to find a vintage natural maple ludwig kit like the one bonham played in the early 70s with a 26x14 bass drum, 14x12 tom, 16x16 floor tom and 18x16 floor tom. do you know where i can get one of these vintage?
 
This may be off topic but im trying to find a vintage natural maple ludwig kit like the one bonham played in the early 70s with a 26x14 bass drum, 14x12 tom, 16x16 floor tom and 18x16 floor tom. do you know where i can get one of these vintage?

Not likely. Even back in the 70s I never saw another drummer with a 26" bass drum and a 14" mounted tom. Ludwig never sold drum sets in that configuration until just recently that I know of. For whatever reason, John was not the selling point for Ludwig back when he was alive that Ringo Starr or even Carmine Appice was, so they never sold a JB set. Marketing was weird back then, and you would have had to ordered that set custom, like he did, and it would have cost a second mortgage on the house.

Another nearly impossible task is to find a set of vintage Paiste White Label Giant Beats like he played up until the Houses of the Holy album. You never see vintage Giant Beats on Ebay - white or black label. Nobody can truly get that Bonham sound without those cymbals, either.
 
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Ok, i'm about to put my neck on the line. I'd like to know if there is anyone who thinks John Bonham is over rated. What do you really think? Is he only a drum god because he is dead?
Would he be as much of a drumming legend if he was still around? If you're a Bonham fan, please don't attack me for this, I love his playing, but when I see other drummers of his era and the amazing drummers around today, it makes me think, was he really that much better than anyone else? Of course everyone has there own style and feel, but overall as a player what do you think?

Hmmm. Well, first off, I think most drummers from legendary rock groups are overrated and get more attention than they deserve because of WHO they play for rather than how talented they really are. That said, I think he was way above and beyond the "in the pocket drummers" - guys like like Watts and Rudd. You have to really listen to the subtleties of his style to appreciate how talented he was. Just try to play along to Good Times, Bad Times, or play that shuffle beat he does to Fool in the Rain before labeling him just an average Joe. Those sixteenth note triplets he could dribble off on the bass drum were also truly unique to him.
 
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