Why Jimmy Page Would Mic John Bonham’s Drums ‘From Above’

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham formed Led Zeppelin in 1968. Plant performed as the band’s lead vocalist, Page played guitar, Bonham was on drums, and Jones’ played bass and keyboards. The band disbanded after Bonham’s death in 1980.

In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Page shared what it was like performing with Bonham in Led Zeppelin.

Jimmy Page would ‘mic’ John Bonham ‘from above’ in Led Zeppelin

In 2020, Page was interviewed by Rolling Stone about his career with Led Zeppelin, playing guitar, and his songwriting.

During the interview, Page explained why he would mic Bonham’s drums a certain way while playing.

“And when I heard John Bonham, I knew instinctively what to do. It was to mic him from above, so you could get all these harmonics coming off of his drums, because he knew how to tune his drums. Actually, his drums were tuned to the keys of our tracks. But that’s how it was to have distance, making depth with the microphones,” Page shared.

John Bonham’s drum skill was inspirational for Jimmy Page

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Page revealed that Bonham’s drum playing served as musical inspiration while the band made the song “When the Levee Breaks” for their fourth studio album.

“… when John Bonham starts playing it, the reverberation in this hallway, which is where the stairway goes up, like three floors, and it’s a wooden staircase, tiled floor, the reflective surfaces are magnificent. So the whole kit is literally sort of singing in this huge void. I heard the drums there and I knew exactly what we should do,” Page told Rolling Stone.

He continued, “We did ‘When the Levee Breaks,’ which was something that we’d done in the studio called ‘If It Keeps on Raining,’ and it doesn’t sound anything like that. But I just knew, and I could hear in my head what we were going to do there, what the drum sounds were with this reverberation in there. And then I did the overdubs, that were done immediately.”

Jimmy Page thinks John Bonham ‘was such fun to play with’ in Led Zeppelin

Page’s interview with Rolling Stone touched on how irreplaceable Bonham was as a drummer, both for the music industry and for the members of Led Zeppelin.

“So, yes, John Bonham could get a lot of volume out of his drums, not by forehand smashes, but just because he knew how to tune the drums in such a way that they would project. He would have a natural balance to everything he was playing. And then he’d give a bass-drum accent that you’d feel it go into your stomach. His technique was just amazing,” Page told Rolling Stone.

The guitarist then touched on what it was like on a personal level to work with Bonham.

“He was such fun to play with. But the other thing was that he loved Led Zeppelin. He really loved the band, and he used to play the music at home. So we had a lot of fun, and a lot of fun improvising onstage,” Page said.