Robert Plant Once Said John Bonham’s Drumming on 1 Led Zeppelin Song Didn’t Sound Human, and He’s Got a Point

Led Zeppelin’s four members were extremely talented musicians on their own. Still, the band somehow became greater than the sum of its parts, and John Bonham’s thunderous drumming was a key piece of Zeppelin’s sound. Bonham once lost to Karen Carpenter in a best drummer contest, which is unfathomable when you hear Bonham’s drumming on one song that Zep singer Robert Plant said didn’t sound human.

Robert Plant said one John Bonham drum track was so good ‘nobody could believe a human could even do it’

Bonham created several standout drum parts during his time with Led Zeppelin. 

He sits out two of the eight songs on the seminal Led Zeppelin IV, but he still leaves his mark. Bonham could only do two takes of “Four Sticks,” but he nailed the complicated beat he played with — wait for it — four drum sticks. Some nifty recording techniques elevate his beat on “When the Levee Breaks” from simplistic to epic.

Every Led Zeppelin album included Bonzo leaving his mark. Still, Plant pointed to Bonham’s drumming on “Achilles Last Stand” from Presence as perhaps his crowning achievement. It was a “Bonzo track where nobody could even believe a human could do it,” Plant once said, per Far Out. 

One listen makes it clear that “Achilles Last Stand” is one of the finest examples of Bonham’s drumming skills.

Plant is right — ‘Achilles Last Stand’ is some of Bonham’s best drumming

Bonham achieved several peaks as a drummer during his time with Led Zeppelin, but “Achilles Last Stand” might be his finest moment. It’s a tour de force all the way through.

Bonzo tackled tough time signatures on songs such as “Four Sticks” and “The Crunge.” He does the same again on “Achilles,” switching between 4/4 and 5/4 over the song’s 10-plus minutes. Almost as soon as Bonham joins the song, he treats the listener to rapid-fire snare fills. Later, when Jimmy Page quickly hammers out a transitory riff, Bonham matches him with machine gun beats he knocks off just as rapidly. Bonham varies his rolled snare and cymbal-crashing fills several times throughout the song, and he rejoins the song perfectly after each one.

Bonham’s drumming is impressive even when surrounded by Page’s guitar army, Plant’s vocals, and John Paul Jones’ base. Listening to the isolated drum track (via YouTube) makes Bonham’s stick work sound even more inspired.

Plant is right — Bonham’s drumming on “Achilles Last Stand” doesn’t sound human. Most drummers would struggle to replicate the time changes, the propulsive beat, and the breakneck fills. His reputation as a powerful timekeeper was never in question, but the epic song proved how excellent Bonham’s drumming skills were. 

‘Presence’s reputation has grown over the years

The epic “Achilles Last Stand” kicks off Presence with a bang, but it wasn’t easy. Led Zeppelin bassist Jones didn’t think it would work because of its complicated arrangement and Page’s layered guitars. Indeed, Page had a hard time playing the song live without the help of extra guitars.  

Elsewhere on the album, Plant called out Page and Led Zeppelin’s manager with a savage chorus on “Hots on for Nowhere.” Presence ends with the slow blues of “Tea for One.” Zep included some light-hearted moments on the album (“Royal Orleans” and “Candy Store Rock”), but it’s probably the band’s darkest and most emotionally heavy album.

Presence went gold within a month and platinum in six weeks, per the Recording Industry Association of America, but it didn’t match the sales success of Led Zeppelin’s earlier works. Still, the album has a fair share of fans who surprise Page with their love for it. John Bonham’s drumming on “Achilles Last Stand,” impressive at every turn, could be one of the reasons the album has such a strong following.

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