Beast
John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
A compelling narrative biography of the legendary drummer John Bonham, his wild ride with iconic rock band Led Zeppelin, and the highs and lows that made up his wild (and tragically short) life.
John Bonham is considered by many to be one of the greatest drummers of all time. He was recruited to join the band who would eventually become known as Led Zeppelin–and before the year was out, Bonham and his bandmates would become the richest rock band in the world.
Throughout the 1970s, Led Zeppelin reached new heights of commercial and critical success, making them one of the most influential groups of the era, both in musical style and in their approach towards the workings of the entertainment industry. In September of 1980, Bonham–plagued by alcoholism, anxiety, and the after-effects of years of excess–was found dead by his bandmates.
As Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer, explains, "If the king of rock 'n' roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Kushins (Nothing's Bad Luck) delivers a less-than-flattering portrait of one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, a musician whose legacy was marred by his violent reputation. He traces the tragic arc of John Bonham's brief life, from his childhood in Worcestershire, England, to his premature death after a lengthy struggle with alcoholism. Bonham started playing drums at age five and joined his first band as a teenager. His skills attracted the attention of singer Robert Plant, who recruited Bonham into the New Yardbirds, later renamed Led Zeppelin, in 1968. Led Zeppelin went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world, and Bonham was regarded a superior arranger of music, "as one half of Led Zepplin's powerhouse rhythm section." But he drank excessively, threatened reporters, assaulted women, and even once pointed a gun at Mick Jagger (a frightening episode Bonham later dismissed as a joke). In 1980, after another gargantuan intake of booze, Bonham was found dead in the English home of Led Zeppelin guitar player Jimmy Page. While it may be hard to look away from, Kushins's narrative, relying mainly on secondary sources, doesn't provide any genuine insights into its troubled lead. Zeppelin die-hards may find this intriguing, but it certainly won't gain the legend any admirers.
