Led Zeppelin held the title of most violent band in the world for more than ten years. Tragically, the band realized they couldn’t carry on without John Bonham at the drum kit in 1980, and their stay was abruptly ended. All of Bonham’s comrades are still very saddened by his passing, and Led Zeppelin has a song that, according to vocalist Robert Plant, makes him think of his late buddy.
Led Zeppelin thought it would be inappropriate to carry on without John Bonham even though they were at the pinnacle of their careers when he passed away. While other bands, like The Who, tried to carry on after losing a key member, Led Zeppelin made the decision to prioritize their legacy and find new opportunities. Although they have performed a small number of reunion concerts throughout the years, the atmosphere has never been the same since in their minds, John Bonham was irreplaceable.
The lengthy song “Achilles Last Stand,” which lasts more than 10 minutes, is the ideal illustration of Bonham’s unbridled brilliance. The band allowed the drummer complete creative freedom in the studio, and the outcome was mesmerizing. The entire song, which was written in a single evening, wonderfully captures his skills.
Plant is unable to listen to “Achilles Last Stand,” which was included on Led Zeppelin’s last studio album Presence, without thinking about the drummer. In an interview with Vulture, the singer argued that ‘When The Levee Breaks’ is the song that consistently makes him think of Bonham in addition to his original response.
Plant said, “Ironically, we go back to ‘Achilles Last Stand,’ which is probably what I’d first say. I could say ‘When the Levee Breaks.’ It was an absolutely stunning recording. John is playing such a sexy, ridiculously laid-back and held-back groove — he bought us a lot of credits when sometimes we were the guys at the front of the band and behaving a little coquettish. But I keep thinking of him playing on ‘Achilles Last Stand.'”
He added, “You just needed to listen to what those three guys were doing in the studio. Listen to Jonesy with the eight-string Alembic bass. And Jimmy’s solo? It’s just really, really something. Sometimes I really just had to get some superglue and stick myself onto the tape somehow with a countermelody because it was relentless.”
In the end he concluded, “There was almost no way in to write something and make it a vocal performance along with the incredible instrumentation. There was not really a great deal for me to do, except what I ended up doing.”
