Many who knew him say Baker was certifiably crazy.
Many who DIDN'T know him said the same thing.
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.”
I think there’s a difference between what an audience wants from a drummer vs. what bandmates want. I played in, I dunno, less than a dozen bands back in the day and a few had good drummers. From the perspective of a guitar player, what matters is that they own the beat, without being overbearing about it. Everything else is fluff.
There’s also some some subtle stuff non-musicians might not realize are happening, but can certainly “feel”. Good drummers are not metronomes. They push, and pull, the tempo based on the needs of the song.
And then there’s locking in with the bass player.
For whatever reason I always stood with the drummer to my left… so now my left ear goes “eeeeeeeeeeee” 24/7/365. That damn crash cymbal, haha.
Here’s a song with some really slippery and cool percussive elements… but most of them aren’t coming from the drummer. He’s laying back, pulling the beat ever so slightly, and letting the song breathe. That’s a good drummer.
Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dennis Chambers, Billie Cobham, Steve Gadd are light years ahead of Bonham as are a dozen little japanese girls that make the boys look bad. Check out a youtube of Senri Kawaguchi and see what real drumming is!
I'm a huge fan of zep and bonham. Grew up on Gonzo.
That said, Neil Peart > every other rock drummer, and its not even close.
Lots of great drummers. Lots of emotional favorites. Peart was on a different level.
Originally Posted by Archerhunter
Quit giving in inch by inch then looking back to lament the mile behind ya and wonder how to preserve those few feet left in front of ya. They'll never stop until they're stopped. That's a fact.
Never understood the bonham hype. I think it’s because he died. I like Vinny appice when he played with Dio. I also think he was better than bill ward as well.
If you played drums you would "get" the Bonham hype.
I'm a bass player for 40 years. We sort of lock in with drummers. I get it.
Peart . A big gap. And then the Greats. And then everyone else.
Originally Posted by Archerhunter
Quit giving in inch by inch then looking back to lament the mile behind ya and wonder how to preserve those few feet left in front of ya. They'll never stop until they're stopped. That's a fact.
I could say Phil Rudd and most people wouldnt know who I was talking about. My Point being if you are considered a top 50 rock band, you had a great drummer. There might be differences in technique, but make no mistake, you had a bad ass drummer. There is no covering up a decent drummer..
What some miss about Bonham, Page and John Paul Jones is their combined musicality. They played music so seamlessly that you they weren't constrained by notes,tempo and time signatures, they let the music flow. And as a listener, you were captivated by the music.
There are countless talented musicians he can play notes at whatever time signature and tempo you demand, but only the few greats reach the point where the music flows from them and all the instruments are playing together as one in service to the song. There are music students, teachers or theorists that will take shots about them being sloppy, but they miss the point, or rather they have lost the ability to hear music as opposed to breaking it down into it's components and structure.
Never understood the bonham hype. I think it’s because he died. I like Vinny appice when he played with Dio. I also think he was better than bill ward as well.
If you played drums you would "get" the Bonham hype.
I'm a bass player for 40 years. We sort of lock in with drummers. I get it.
Peart . A big gap. And then the Greats. And then everyone else.
Yeah I get that. I love watching Jeff Beck when Vinnie and Tal played for him. I'm glad I got to see him last fall even with that insufferable Johnny Depp before he passed.
