Scarlett Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I keep expecting John Bohnam to be there and he's not it's a strange feeling.I just can't believe the man is not there.Anyone feel the same way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wholelottabonzo Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Yeah I know what u mean....it's weird hearing about Zeppelin w/o him. I think people need to remember this is not quite Led Zeppelin, its as close as it will ever be, but Bonzo brought everyone to that whole other level Zeppelin was at. The reunion show, which I've listened too, was just not quite the same w/o him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 It was as close as it gets, he was the best, and such a lovely kind man, I am sure he was there in spirit, listening, and feeling very proud of his son Jason, you will never be forgotten, you were the best, and always will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 I know it sucks.I hate that feeling.Jimmy,Robert and John Paul must feel the same way.Like something is missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 First hearing John Bonham when I was 14 changed my life. The drums set the attitude for an entire song, and what Bonzo did to that music -- and the sheer gall of his energy -- inspired me to become a drummer, changing my little teenage ears to such an extent that it's impossible to articulate. There's been no better drummer in rock and roll. Many seem to think that he was primarily interested in just bashing away as hard as he could; this is inaccurate. His nuances and subtleties are so well placed that they're exactly that -- subtle. A good drummer is not somebody who can play the most complicated stuff imaginable. Rather, he devises the drum patterns (and drama-enhancing fills) that optimally enhance and bring out the groove already inherent in the song, strengthening what's there instead of going on a star trip. Creativity counts for everything; sheer technicality counts for very little. Bonzo had an amazing ear, and even considering how often he's cited as the best, he's still underrated. Led Zeppelin doesn't exist. I hope they don't tour under that name, if they do decide to continue for any length of time. I'd be thrilled to attend a show by an act called Page, Plant, Jones & Bonham, with new material (and possibly some stuff from Mighty Rearranger, Zooma, etc.) instead of attempts at revisiting the oldies. I'm glad they did well at the so-called reunion, because they had a complex about the 40th Anniversary Show being so mediocre; so this has hopefully set things right for them. They certainly deserve to be satisfied with their shared legacy. But it should stop there. Led Zeppelin was greater than the mere sum of its members, and even if Bonzo had a twin brother and he went up there and played, it still wouldn't come close. Inventiveness is what counts, not merely replicating thirty-year-old sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wholelottabonzo Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 ^^ Well said, Chris. I don't think you can sum it up better than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boylollipop Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I don´t think Bonham was a subtle drummer. Far from it! There is this revisionistic idea that you have to hail Bonham as a versatile drummer and one who is technically skilled. Well he isn´t! Thank God! Bonham is Bonham. He plays the same beat over and over again. The same way of playing!- All the time. - But nobody matches his sound and way of playing! He is behind the beat, and yet he drives the music of Led Zeppelin down his road. If you listen to Page and Plant when they played w/ Michael Lee, the music of Led Zeppelin is totally different than when they played w/ Bonham. Bonham is one tough dude behind the drums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamyKnight Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 I keep expecting John Bohnam to be there and he's not it's a strange feeling.I just can't believe the man is not there.Anyone feel the same way? It's always hard to let go of someone we have connected with. The best way to keep his spirit alive is by keeping the music alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackDog71 Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 I was 6 years away from existing when he died, but his drumming speaks to me in a way few other things can. I wish he was around, but his liefstyle caught up with him in the end and a great artist and man was lost forever. John Bonham will live on forever and so will Led Zeppelin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted December 24, 2007 Author Share Posted December 24, 2007 Ya Merry Christmas John whever you are.We will tri and keep his spirit alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 John is probably playing the drums in heaven. It's stupid how he died, it must have been so hard for Jonesy, Robert and Jimmy, but I don't think he's really dead, I mean his body is burried and so on but when I'm listening to LZ I think about John playing the drums and not that he's dead. He would be very proud of his son and his band when he could have seen them live! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeD-kHaN Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Scarlett, Yes, Bonzo will forever be there in our imagination! He is the drizzle & thunder of Zeppelin and without him, the music will never sound the same. Every time I watch How the West Was Won, I marvel at that man patiently sitting and leading the band! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I don´t think Bonham was a subtle drummer. Far from it! There is this revisionistic idea that you have to hail Bonham as a versatile drummer and one who is technically skilled. Perhaps if you were a musician, you'd be able to listen closer to the drum parts and pick up all the little subtleties he's employing. (I did point out that creativity is more important than mere technical proficiency in music, but remember that the whole point of an effective subtlety is that you don't need to be aware of all the little ingredients to enjoy the way in which the whole song works.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Bonham did so few spoken interviews that his personality has become an enigma. All we really know about him is 2nd hand which is sad. I mean, there is a huge body of interviews since Zep conducted with Robert, Jimmy, and even JPJ. Through that and their solo works we've all been able to get a closer understanding of them. But Bonham remains an undefined image outside of his playing and isolated anecdotes about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I strongly recommend the book about him, A Thunder of Drums. There are quite a few interviews in there, and his drumming's studied more closely than in any other published work I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boylollipop Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Perhaps if you were a musician, you'd be able to listen closer to the drum parts and pick up all the little subtleties he's employing. (I did point out that creativity is more important than mere technical proficiency in music, but remember that the whole point of an effective subtlety is that you don't need to be aware of all the little ingredients to enjoy the way in which the whole song works.) Please name a number where Bonham is particularly subtle! - Listen to Stairway to Heaven from HTWWW. Bonham just smashes in, regardless of the lyrical building up of the number. That´s John Bonham. He takes the song and makes it his. Same thing w/ Rain Song on TSRTS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Well, I don't want to come off like ego-boy, or list the hundreds of instances of Bonzo's instinct for what not to play, or how to build something up dramatically without the listener being aware of how it's happening. We all have different ears. No sweat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boylollipop Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Well, I don't want to come off like ego-boy, or list the hundreds of instances of Bonzo's instinct for what not to play, or how to build something up dramatically without the listener being aware of how it's happening. We all have different ears. No sweat. So, you "don´t want to come of like ego-boy", but even so you know of Bonham´s instinct for "what not to play, on hundreds of instances". - That´s just swell! I maintain that Bonham is a loud drummer. He isn´t subtle! He had big sized drums and lined his drums w/ aluminium foil to make them sound louder. - Listen to STH and the medley on WLL from BBC sessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Look up "subtle." It doesn't mean "quiet." And yes, I know about all the little things Bonzo did -- not because of ego, but because I play the drums and I've been listening closely to the drums on Zeppelin records for decades. (Incidentally, John Paul Jones has talked about Bonzo's subtleties many times in interviews.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irg82 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Bonham is Bonham. He plays the same beat over and over again. The same way of playing!- All the time. No, he doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boylollipop Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Look up "subtle." It doesn't mean "quiet." And yes, I know about all the little things Bonzo did -- not because of ego, but because I play the drums and I've been listening closely to the drums on Zeppelin records for decades. (Incidentally, John Paul Jones has talked about Bonzo's subtleties many times in interviews.) - So name some of the things Bonham did! If you´ve been listening closely to his drumming for decades, you should be able to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 So I'm going to take half an hour to educate you in every single instance of Bonham's knack for enhancing songs with not-immediately-noticed additions? I'd rather save the time and not care what a teenager in a forum thinks of me. (No offense, kiddo.) You should listen to Zeppelin in the way that makes you happiest. This is a silly debate, because you're basically arguing against what millions of Zeppelin fans have known for many years. So just feel positive about the music you like and don't worry about Internet arguments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 A friend of mine, who has just gone to live in France, used to be a drummer with Fleetwood Mac, and he was drumming one day with John, when his drum sticks broke, looking across the room, and noticing immediately what happened, John threw him over a new set, and laughed, afterwards they went for a drink together, and he told me he was the nicest guy you could wish to meet . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 A friend of mine, who has just gone to live in France, used to be a drummer with Fleetwood Mac, and he was drumming one day with John, when his drum sticks broke, looking across the room, and noticing immediately what happened, John threw him over a new set, and laughed, afterwards they went for a drink together, and he told me he was the nicest guy you could wish to meet . [/quote I bet he seems like he would be. All those bands weren't even famous at the time when led Zellepin was espially Fleetwood mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boylollipop Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 So I'm going to take half an hour to educate you in every single instance of Bonham's knack for enhancing songs with not-immediately-noticed additions? I'd rather save the time and not care what a teenager in a forum thinks of me. (No offense, kiddo.) You should listen to Zeppelin in the way that makes you happiest. This is a silly debate, because you're basically arguing against what millions of Zeppelin fans have known for many years. So just feel positive about the music you like and don't worry about Internet arguments. - So in this debate you´ve called me a non musician, now it´s teeanager. You´ve been namedropping JPJ, and now you use "millions of Zeppelin fans", but yet you´ve haven´t given one example of what you call Bonham playing subtleties. You haven´t named one number/tune where he plays "not-immediately-noticed additions." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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