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Is Bonzo the best Drummer of all time.


McSeven

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I am compiling a list of the best ever just for kicks. It seems in Pop culture. Zep ranks # 4 behind The Beatles/Stones/Who in terms of best bands of all time.

Its fair to say under the following that these people or groups are the best/greatest of all time.

Guitar-Hendrix

Band-The Beatles

Drummer-John Bonham

Singer-Freddie Mercury

Entertainer_ to me this is a tie between Sinatra/Elvis/Micheal Jackson

Bassist?

Keyboards?

This is based on what I see on the net and what I hear a lot of family/friends think.

What do you all think. Do you all hear Bonzo as being the best drummer in the world. I do a lot of the time. I hear the Beatles referenced all the time in Pop/Rock as the best ever. Hendrix is always the marker to live up to.

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I think for bassist is probably a tie between Mccartney, Entwistle and JPJ.

I picked Maccartney because he has a tremendous bass sound and he opened alot of doors with it on the Sgt. Peppers record, go listen to fixing a whole and you'll understand what i mean!

I think Entwistle is just an extraordinary player. I'm always amazed at Young Man Blues from 1970, when the who played the isle of wight show.

And for JPJ, i really love his tone from 1970-1972, it actually tops the other two that I mentioned above, In my opinion, but it's not only about the sound, but more about the way he plays it. I love his riffs on Bring It On Home at The Royal Albert Hall concert from 1970. Immigrant song from led zeppelin III has an hipnotic bass sound and groove that could only have been provided by the one and only John Paul Jones.

As for the keyboards, probably Freddie Mercury on the piano is the best one that I've seen in a rock band. He's just so talented in both playing and songwritting that it's unfair for other bands that have a piano on them :D

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I am compiling a list of the best ever just for kicks. It seems in Pop culture. Zep ranks # 4 behind The Beatles/Stones/Who in terms of best bands of all time.

Its fair to say under the following that these people or groups are the best/greatest of all time.

Guitar-Hendrix

Band-The Beatles

Drummer-John Bonham

Singer-Freddie Mercury

Entertainer_ to me this is a tie between Sinatra/Elvis/Micheal Jackson

Bassist?

Keyboards?

This is based on what I see on the net and what I hear a lot of family/friends think.

What do you all think. Do you all hear Bonzo as being the best drummer in the world. I do a lot of the time. I hear the Beatles referenced all the time in Pop/Rock as the best ever. Hendrix is always the marker to live up to.

OK, if this is just for fun and we are only sharing our own personal opinions..agreeing that we all have different taste :-)

Guitar: I still stand by Jimmy Page as being the greatest

Band: Led Zeppelin- The sheer volume of the different styles of music they played, and live was truly an experience

Drummer: John Bonham-Powerful but knew just when to hold back. You felt every beat surge through your body

Entertainer: Elvis- He, IMHO will always be the King

Bassist: JPJ- The bass line in D&C alone

Keyboards:Jon Lord & Elton John are a tie for me

:peace:

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Rather than give my opinion on everything you said (since I have a lot of opinions on those things) I'll comment on the title and your two question marks.

John Bonham was the best drummer of all time by far.

On keyboards it's John Paul Jones imo with Ray Manzerak, Billy Preston and Jerry Lee Lewis as runner ups. If you include classical then they all take a drop though.

Bass: Who cares, they're bass players. :P

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I'll start with drummers since that is the topic line.

IMO Bonzo is the best. Others would argue Peart or Moon. Other names that I would throw into the fire are these in no order:

Ginger Baker -- Cream

Mitch Mitchell -- Hendrix Experience

Michael Shrieve -- Santana (Check out his solo from Woodstock 69')

Ian Paice -- Deep Purple

Carl Palmer -- Emerson, Lake and Palmer

As far as the bassist question that has come up:

John Paul Jones is a hair ahead of Entwhistle and Geddy Lee IMO

However Chris Squire from Yes is also quite amazing. Check out the bass line in 'roundabout'

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Bonzo is widely considered by musicians and listeners as the Best F**king drummer of all time.

Page is in a tie with Clapton and Hendrix, and he sure wins for me.

for bassists, Jones and Jon Myung are the best, but since i loathe metal and all things related to it, then JPJ FTW.

and i never really cared about organs and keyboards, but after watching Trampled underfoot, since i've been loving you, no quarter, and Misty mountain hop, i'm urged to think of Jonesy as one of the very best keyboardists.

And Of course ZEPPELIN RULE.

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"Best"? No such thing.

"Best" means nothing unless you define your category pretty clearly.

For Bonham to come out on top the category needs to be pretty much "Classc Rock". Outside that genre there are plenty of areas that he didn't atempt to play., eg jazz, swing, pop, reggae (D'yer Maker does not count ;) ) funk (to be fair, I expect he could have done this one well) etc etc etc.

Whether we think he could, or couldn't, have done is beside the point. He didn't.

How can we compare him to drimmers in those genres when Bonham didn't play in those styles. We can't really compare him to, say, Steve Gadd, or Buddy Rich, or Vinnie Coliutta, or Simon Phillips, or Trilock Gurtu to name just the first five who spring to mind. Each of those guys can do stuff that Bonham couldn't - he'd have floundered in their bands, just as they would have floundered in Zeppelin.

"Best"? Who's to say? Stick to "favourite", or "most popular" - those are easier to answer.

;)

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Bonzo by far.

Bass, Steve Harris from Iron Maiden Or Les Claypool

Guitar, Page

Keys?????? I would look to bands like Yes or maybe the dude from ABBA or Elton.

Singer, tough one, if you mean front man, Plant then mabe David lee Roth. Vocally...Plant, Just enjoy his range and power.

Entertainer...again, front man? or like Keith Moon?

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keyboards-Rick Wakeman-very creative, yet very under-rated, although i did hear one "yes vote", Jon Lord?--yeah, he's up there too, and of course John Paul Jones too

bass-talent and versatility would probably be McCartney-is there anything he CAN'T play?

drums--geez, real tough one-NOT!! It's Bonzo hands down, ask anyone--sure Moon, and even Peart are great, but watch Bonzo and "reeeeaally listen" to him, no "slashing around and bashing", it's all in the wrists, and his drumming had a style all to his own

guitar-hard to argue with Hendrix, but the Pagemaster did things no one had ever seen or heard before, well ahead of his time

frontman-I love Paul Rodgers and Sammy Hagar-40 years plus they sound just as good, but for 12 years we know who ruled the mike stand

band--there can only be one-got to be the Mighty Zeppelin!! although the Beatles did their share of things as well

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Yeah, John Bonham is the greatest of all time, it's (un)official

My Fantasy Band -

Vocals: Mike Patton (Faith No More)

Lead Guitar: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Rhythm Guitar/Piano/Vox: John Lennon (The Beatles)

Synths/Keyboards/Vox: Ralf Hütter (Kraftwerk)

Bass: John Taylor (Duran Duran) or Duff McKagan (Guns n' Roses) < forgive me for this one!... if you can

Drums: Thomas Götz (BeatSteaks)

Backing Vox: Debbie Harry (Blondie) and Alison Krauß

produced by Giorgio Moroder

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  • 3 months later...

When I first started listening to Zeppelin, I instantly focused on John Bonham's drums. I don't play drums but have always wanted to. His drums are like a lead (leed) instrument, first and only time I have ever just focused on drums when listening to songs performed by a full band.

That's the impact he had on me and many others I would think.

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"The Best" is always a tough one but I think what made Bonham so f-ing great was that, even with all his virtuosity, talent, ability, flash and attack, he knew when not to play and how to let the songs groove and breathe....Not sure if that makes him better than anyone and it really doesn't matter......What matters is, does his playing get to your soul and your backbone of course.

As a guitar player, I much more enjoy watching drummers, and he is my favorite, and so much fun to watch.

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