One of the main reasons Led Zeppelin was such a huge live band was because of the incredible drumming of John Bonham. His drumming style was huge and bombastic which really added to the entire feel of the Led Zeppelin experience. He also had a great feel for playing the proper drum fill in the perfect place in any song.
This video is from the movie “The Song Remains The Same” and it features John Bonham’s extended drum solo on the the song Moby Dick. Moby Dick was written simply to showcase John Bonham’s drumming and he would vary the length of the solo at different shows. In this particular clip, he let’s it go on for a good long time and gets some incredible sounds out of his drumset. It’s really fun to listen to.
I don’t know who had the bright idea of splicing in home video footage during the drum solo, but it’s distracting to me. I’d much rather watch every single hit on the drums. Of course, I’m a musician and we’re into what the musician’s are playing. I hope you enjoy this truly classic drum solo today.
John Bonham – Moby Dick Drum Solo 1973
If I remember correctly the video clips in between were added as parts of the original footage were lost/corrupted or something, and they had to come up with something. This something then grew into something quite disturbing (and that coming from a guy who owns a Zep hockey jersey and plays in a band because of Zep).
Aaro, Now that you mention it, I’ve heard that before. It does make for a unique montage of video during Bonham’s drum solo.
You can’t go wrong being a Zep fan, they’re one of my favorites too. -Matt-