Why is Bonham's pedal work in 'Good Times Bad Times' so revered?

ba dum tish

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I mean no disrespect to the great Bonzo, but I get kind of annoyed by how people have to act like every thing he did, even seemingly simple things, were not of this earth. People always seem to cite the triplets in Good Times Bad Times as to why he is considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, as if no other drummers would ever be able to pull it off with one pedal like he did. I personally love Bonham for his creativity and sense of music that you just don't find in too much rock drumming of that time (or even of this time).

But why is there so much talk about the amazing feat of Bonzo pulling off the GTBT triplets with one foot? I'm on board that for the time they were innovative and they add a lot to the song, but that's never what I hear people talking about. The focus almost always seems to be on the fact that he did it with ONE BASS PEDAL! and how amazing that is. Perhaps this was a bigger deal as a technical challenge back then?

I know it's sacrilegious to even pose such a question and I've probably already rustled some feathers, but I just want to make sure there's nothing I'm missing here. I LOVE those triplets. They're innovative, especially for a rock song and especially for one of that time. And his drumming in that song is what makes it for me. But to focus on how hard it actually is to play them with one pedal, as if that's what makes them so amazing, doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something.
 
Nowadays, that kind of pedal work is often heard on many recordings, with both single and double pedal.

But back then, those kind of bass drum patterns where not often heard, John Bonham made this lick becoming very popular among rock drummers, keep in mind that this song was recorded in 1968 and released in 1969, that kind of rock drumming was very fresh and innovative at the time.

However, I don't think "people" are rating John Bonham as one of the most popular drummer solely based on those bass drum triplets, but more on the overall achievement throughout his career with Led Zeppelin.

Even today, those triplets are quite challenging to play 4 decades after the release of Good Times, Bad Times .
 
Same thing with Steve Gadd, go to any of his videos and there will probably be a comment or two saying "what's so special about this guy? the stuff he's doing is stuff all drummers can do nowadays". People forget that at that time was he was doing was unheard of, literally paving the way for modern drummers.
 
I love those triplets too. Yes, I believe they were especially innovative for the time. I don't know of anywhere else someone played them...with that much groove. I would be interested in hearing other earlier examples.

I thought I read somewhere that Carmine Appice said Bonham got them from him. But that sounds like typical Carmine...

Another thing that I think makes it so 'revered' is that it was so much heavier than anything else on the charts at the time. There was The Beatles, The Doors, CCR, Crosby Stills & Nash, etc. And then Led Zeppelin comes along.

Good Times Bad Times is also the introduction of Led Zeppelin to the world. It is the first track on their first album--most likely the very first song most people heard from them. Of course this was back when people actually bought and listened to entire albums. Not a bad intro, eh?

So I don't necessarily think it's just one thing but a combination of several factors that makes it the stuff of legends.

And yeah, the fact that he did it all on a Speed King does make it impressive. He did have a very fast foot that even other musicians took notice of. I've read somewhere that Jimi Hendrix said of Bonham that he had a ''foot like a jackrabbit'' or something like that.
 
Historical context.

Any time one of these "why is so-and-so considered good" it comes down to historical context.

People forget Youtube was not invented until 2005. Most people did not have the internet in their home until the mid to late 90's. The VHS drum video really didn't catch on until the late 1980's.

Prior to that, many of the technical wizards we take for granted today were relatively unheard of unless you knew someone who knew someone who had a recording of said player.

You exposure to music was via the radio, MTV (from 1981 on), or word of mouth.

As teenager in the 1980's, Bonham was gone, and even before I took up the drum sticks, and before I really even knew much about Bonham, I knew that figure from hearing it on the radio so often. Radio in the early and mid 80's consisted of New Wave (usually with simple drum parts) then the early hair metal (again usually simpler drum parts on the radio hits anyway) and classic rock radio.

A triplet figure like that just really didn't exist elsewhere in the accessible musical landscape. Sure, maybe other guys were playing it, or even more complex parts on obscure records, but those songs weren't on the radio for everyone to hear.

Even if he took it from Carmine, I never heard Vanllia Fudge on the radio or knew who they were until my drum teacher handed me a copy of "Realistic Rock".
 
A lot of 60's and 70's rock drumming has incredible single bass pedal work. Not everybody could match Bonham, but rock drummers were expected to play fancy patterns on the bass drum. Listen to any 70's Deep Purple album, especially live stuff, for bass drum acrobatics by Ian Paice.
Also, just recently came to my attention how good Reg Isidore (Robin Trowers Band) was on the bass drum. On "Day of the Eagle" the bass drum is duplicating the complex ride cymbal pattern, which I can't even begin to attempt. LOL
Regarding the OP's point, I hear people say the same thing about Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page or Ritchie Blackmore. That they are not that amazing technique-wise compared to the fleet-fingered shredders that are dime a dozen these days. As some others said, you have to consider what else was around those days and how innovative pioneers they were. Bonham is in the same category. Plus I don't think GTBT bass drum triplets are so easy to master if you want to do them with the right feel, groove and drive.
 
That first Zep album was a collection of performances,that were just on a whole different level at the time.

They were raw,exciting and had such a unique live sound that was just amazing for the time.

Bonhams drum and cymbal sound was also raw ,unique and in your face.His drums were thunderous and wide open.Nobody was playing a single bass drum like that,let alone doing fills with it.

And yes,to play that broken triplet,exactly like he did,with the same swing he had.......is difficult.I've heard lots of guys try it,but it just dosen't groove like Bonzos did.

Steve B
 
Historical context.

Any time one of these "why is so-and-so considered good" it comes down to historical context.

People forget Youtube was not invented until 2005. Most people did not have the internet in their home until the mid to late 90's. The VHS drum video really didn't catch on until the late 1980's.

Prior to that, many of the technical wizards we take for granted today were relatively unheard of unless you knew someone who knew someone who had a recording of said player.

You exposure to music was via the radio, MTV (from 1981 on), or word of mouth.

As teenager in the 1980's, Bonham was gone, and even before I took up the drum sticks, and before I really even knew much about Bonham, I knew that figure from hearing it on the radio so often. Radio in the early and mid 80's consisted of New Wave (usually with simple drum parts) then the early hair metal (again usually simpler drum parts on the radio hits anyway) and classic rock radio.

A triplet figure like that just really didn't exist elsewhere in the accessible musical landscape. Sure, maybe other guys were playing it, or even more complex parts on obscure records, but those songs weren't on the radio for everyone to hear.

Even if he took it from Carmine, I never heard Vanllia Fudge on the radio or knew who they were until my drum teacher handed me a copy of "Realistic Rock".

I believe this ^^ more than anything. That and the fact that Zeppelin played great songs, period. That particular combination of people, music, and playing, can't be duplicated nor have we heard anyone else doing anything like that since. Same thing with the Police and Hendrix, Prince, and even Elvis. When you look historically at the mega-big artists of their day - you'll notice there was nothing else that sounded like them as well, nor since. It's like the planets just happened to line up for that particular group of people.

I think drummers mostly pull the triplets out of context, but if there wasn't a song to play them in, it wouldn't have mattered. Most music of today is like this - everyone sticking in all these licks, but the songs suck, so there's no vehicle for the lick to travel on to peoples' ears. It's a shame, but that's the truth. You notice how nobody else can hum a Bananarama song? Or a Samantha Fox tune? I'd say since the late 80s, no one has been writing stuff that's very memorable - and I partly blame this on the coming of the internet - which makes alot of things disposable too. New times to live in, eh?
 
You notice how nobody else can hum a Bananarama song? Or a Samantha Fox tune? I'd say since the late 80s, no one has been writing stuff that's very memorable - and I partly blame this on the coming of the internet - which makes alot of things disposable too. New times to live in, eh?

Thanks, Bo. Now I have "Cruel Summer" stuck in my head
 
He was the first to introduce those licks, in that context - with that vibe - in that era. Innovation always looks easy from the perspective of imitation.

Indeed ...... 45 years ago ..... it was a little fresher. And he did it on one of these......​
 

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DED and Bo have covered the importance of historical context.

But the other thing with Bonham is how POWERFUL and convincing those licks are. This guy was playing them with friggin' Led Zeppelin. Competing with amplified music as loud as any band has ever played. And he played those triplet licks with one foot in such a way that you they cut through even live with that band.

The sheer strength and groove of Bonham should not be underestimated. I don't think most people realize how hard it is to play with that much power and conviction.
 
Indeed ...... 45 years ago ..... it was a little fresher. And he did it on one of these......​

I hate to join in on this cynicism... but I have a Speed King that is 50 years old and I myself never saw it as a pedal that would ever be considered working against drummers of the time... the thing's fast. I can play those triplets with the same volume (groove probably lacking of course) on it, and there are plenty with that pedal that can go faster. I agree with the OP, it's not that amazing, and people really do seem to glorify those triplet hits as being totally amazing in a technical view. They aren't that out of this world, but they are beyond amazing musically. I wish the younger generation would think of them musically as opposed to technically impressive.
Still from a historical view, they are fast and powerful and not many others did dare to play like that.
 
It's the era that these songs came out. Very fresh and new. And though the technique of pulling off bonham triplets isn't that difficult, I've never heard anyone pull it off with his unique feel. That is what bonzo did best. His feel is unparalleled and unmatched and as far as I'm concerned will never be touched by another human.
 
GTBT is one of my favorite Zep songs - both for Bonham's drum work, but also because the song was so powerful (guitar work, vocals). It is just a very good song, and as others said, it stood out amongst the music of the time. I always assumed those triplets were done on a double bass pedal.
 
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