RIP John Bonham

Oblgny  -  I also '' read '' that as well about Ginger Baker who had an ego the size of Kansas. You know .....I also read that their manager ; James Grant was an even bigger one. Yes, both were very talented musicians who no doubt have influenced the generations since them. But Ginger baker was more of a jazz drummer from what I recall.   

I also saw Zep at MSG in 1977. 10th row or thereabouts. They were firing on all cylinders that night.

garebear...

Zep's manager Peter Grant was a HUGE a-hole but he was also responsible for getting Zep their fair shake of the revenues. (Whether or not that was good for fans is another thing.)

Ginger Baker's career has been jazz - lasting far longer than the-blink-of-one's-eye that his gig with Cream/Blind Faith did. It would no doubt irk him immensely to read his own obituary which will cite Cream/Blind Faith as his most notable efforts. Personality aside, he remains an impressive musician. 

In that documentary about Baker I've mentioned, when asked his opinion on Bonham's playing he said, "He couldn't swing a sack."  Eric Clapton, who pretty much loathed Baker from day one and was appalled when Steve Winwood asked him to join Blind Faith,
(without Clapton's knowledge) remarked that Baker was the most melodic drummer he ever played with. That's pretty high praise from a guy most people respect as a great musician, particularly regarding a guy he couldn't stand to be in the same room with. 

No, Bonham didn't necessarily "swing" like a jazz drummer because, well, he wasn't a jazz drummer. He was a ROCK drummer, one with a style that many drummers cite as their inspiration for getting behind a kit in the first place. I've seen The Who with and without Keith Moon a few times each. Zep's decision to disband after Bonham's death was the absolute right course to take. With four they were one, alone they are zero - which is not by any means a slight on the remaining members. Mick Taylor's brief stint with the Stones made them a better band, with Keith noting that having another great musician onstage made everyone better. 

It’s too bad that Bonham didn’t live long enough to perform post-Led Zeppelin. It would have been interesting to know if there was another side to his signature style; I would hope he would not have used his 26" kick drum (a major influence on Led Zep's sound).

As for side projects, he was still playing LZ beats, including some unnecessary bass triplets...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZ9llTB-vg

This should interest Bonzo fans; I always suspected he learned some licks from Carmine Appice...
http://www.johnbonhamdrums.com/

Read the header, looked at my wife and said, man it's been a bad week, first Charles Bradley now John Bonham, 10 to 15 seconds later, oh yeah, damned Sr moments.