What was John Bonham’s longest drum solo?
“When we lost John, we agreed unanimously that that was that.” Robert Plant and the rest of his band members could never see being a band once John Bonham had passed away. He wasn’t just a friend but an integral part of the entire band. To continue making music without him would have felt like they were cheating on him in some way, so the band decided to call it a day once he passed.
“I had to go and find out if I really want to do it,” continued Plant, “Did I want to do it, or did I just want to sit back there like a croupier at a gambling thing, and just of rake [the money] in. Or, did I want to actually continue this kind of gig of finding out where I’m going. I wanted to take all the trappings away, because I’d lost my best mate.”
What was it then that made John Bonham so special? Firstly, he was a good friend to the members of Led Zeppelin and everyone else he came into contact with. Whether it was being Tony Iommi’s best man or teaching his son how to play drums, people liked to be around Bonham. To the rest of the world, though, he was simply one of the greatest drummers ever to plant himself behind a kit.
If there was a well-written rule book on how to play the drums, John Bonham made sure to rip it up and champion his own style of playing. Led Zeppelin got his chaotic blend of styles in full force, as he was always willing to try different playing techniques and give his all in every song they wrote.
He had an ornate ability to not only give songs the much-needed rhythm section they required but also take centre stage and solo in a way that other drummers could only dream of. He was able to captivate audiences with an art form that many people usually find boring.
So, was John Bonham actually good at drum solos?
John Bonham couldn’t just play drum solos; he was one of the best soloists on the planet. People would find themselves lost in his majesty as a soloist, as he completely disregarded the usual rules surrounding percussion and instead opted for wherever his heart took him.
“When I saw Bonham play before he joined Led Zeppelin, he did a solo, and it was the first solo I’ve ever stood up for and applauded. He was wonderful,” said Phil Collins when discussing John Bonham’s soloing ability.
Collins added: “He was doing all the crossover stuff with his hands, no sticks! It was very new then. He used to be a bricklayer, so his hands were as hard as rocks. He was doing all this stuff and triplets on the bass drum.”
…and what was John Bonham’s longest-ever drum solo?
While John Bonham was no stranger to a good drum solo, there was one performance that always stood out amongst Led Zeppelin fans. This is when he was playing live in the ‘70s and decided to play an improvised solo during the band’s song ‘Moby Dick’.
It is his longest solo on record, as John Bonham played for a total of 17 to 19 minutes. It was truly a site to behold, and the fact that listeners remained engaged even after such a long solo shows how good he truly was.