10 Greatest Drum Performances In Rock Music History
2. Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin
Anyone who has ever wanted to play drums for a rock and roll band is normally going to defer back to John Bonham at the end of the day. As much as he may have pulled from the likes of jazz and funk when in Led Zeppelin, his emphasis on groove and raw muscle is something that no other other drummer is ever going to be able to touch. Their first record may have been the real showstopper for newcomers, but the back half of Led Zeppelin II is when the animal was finally let out of his cage.
While most of Moby Dick is just a tight instrumental with a fantastic Jimmy Page guitar lick behind it, the entire back half of this song is a showcase for Bonzo's skills behind the drums, keeping the tempo solid with his kick drum and bringing destruction for almost 2 minutes. Compared to the groove that we had in the beginning, we may as well be on another planet here, where John gradually speeds up the tempo as the intensity builds around him.
Just having the sticks wasn't quite enough though, and the back half of the solo is where Bonzo resorts to his Caveman instincts, throwing his sticks to the side and playing the rest of the track with his bare hands, beating the drums to within an inch of their life. Bonzo may bring things back by the end of the song, but for those few seconds of chaos, there was a feral animal hiding behind that drum stool.