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There aren’t many bands with a batting average as high as Led Zeppelin. Nearly every one of their albums included instant hits — songs that earned $2 million paychecks decades later — as well as deep cuts that grew into classics. Even the postmortem album Coda, composed of leftover non-album tracks, was better than the best efforts of many bands. Still, Zep couldn’t avoid a few duds here and there. Bassist John Paul Jones hates “D’yer Mak’er” because of John Bonham’s drumming, and we have to agree with him.

John Paul Jones (left) and John Bonham perform with Led Zeppelin in 1970. Jones hates one Zeppelin song because of Bonham's subpar drumming.
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones (left) and drummer John Bonham | Michael Putland/Getty Images

John Bonham hates ‘D’yer Mak’er’ because of John Bonham’s drumming performance

Houses of the Holy was probably Led Zeppelin’s most effervescent album. Songs such as “The Song Remains the Same,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” “The Ocean,” and “Dancing Days” sound bright and upbeat (despite the latter having a Jimmy Page riff that took fans out of their comfort zone). 

Zep also experimented with some new styles on Houses of the Holy. “The Crunge” was a stab at James Brown-style R&B, and the atmospheric “No Quarter” was all murky synths and water nymph guitars (according to Page).

Zep’s reggae experiment on “D’yer Mak’er” is a misfire, despite the years of radio airplay. That’s according to Jones, who hates the song and blames Bonham’s drumming for the outcome.

“It would have been all right if [Bonham] had worked at the part,” Jones once said, according to Led Zeppelin FAQ author George Case. “The whole point of reggae is that the drums and the bass really have to be very strict about what they play. And he wouldn’t [be], so it sounded dreadful.”

Jones understood Bonham’s skills at Led Zeppelin’s first meeting. Yet Bonham’s drumming is the reason Jones hates “D’yer Mak’er,” and we’re right there with him.

Jones is no fan of Bonham’s drumming on ‘D’yer Mak’er’, and we agree with him

Jones and Bonham formed a formidable rhythm section. Led Zeppelin would have been far worse off without their considerable individual talents. The band had some collective misfires on their worst songs, and so did each member on their own.

Bonham’s poor playing on “D’yer Mak’er” is the reason Jones hates the song, and we have to agree with him. 

We’re not as well versed in musical theory as Jones, so we’ll take his word for it regarding Bonham’s loose playing on the song. From a fan’s perspective, though, this is as far from peak Bonham as his Birmingham birthplace is from London.

Aside from a pedestrian (by Bonham standards) fill at the end of Page’s solo, Bonzo sounds uninspired and bored on “D’yer Mak’er.” It’s pretty clear he’s going through the motions. You can almost hear him counting down the seconds until the song ends. 

Jones wasn’t alone in his distaste for the “D’yer Mak’er” — Bonham hated it, too. As Case writes in Led Zeppelin FAQ, the drummer once told the bassist he found reggae boring. That might be why Bonham turned in such an uninspired performance that led to Jones hating the song.

Lucky for Led Zeppelin fans, Bonham didn’t turn in too many duds during his drumming career.

Bonzo had several highlights with Led Zeppelin

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Why John Bonham Called Out Jimmy Page While Recording Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’

Jones and Bonham were a tight rhythm section during the Zeppelin years. Still, the bassist also criticized Bonham’s drumming skills on “Four Sticks” from Led Zeppelin IV. However, the drummer proved to be spectacular more often than he was subpar.

Page lied about how he recorded Bonzo’s part, but Bonham laid down one of the best drum tracks ever on “When the Levee Breaks.” The guitarist pushed his bandmate so hard while making “Stairway to Heaven” that Bonham called him a bastard. Still, the drummer channeled his anger into one of his best performances.

Zep singer Robert Plant also praised Bonham for his work on “Achilles Last Stand.” Plant called Bonzo’s drumming not human (in a good way), and the song remains one of the timekeeper’s signature tracks.

John Paul Jones hates “D’yer Mak’er” because of John Bonham’s drumming. Luckily for fans, it was one of the only times Bonzo came up short with Led Zeppelin.

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