Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham remains one of the best drummers of all time. His secret tricks made his drums sound larger than life, and Bonzo’s performances helped define the sound of classic rock. One of Bonham’s best tracks was “Whole Lotta Love,” and the tricks that created his unique sound was someone else’s idea.
2 decisions impacted John Bonham’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ drumming — miking his kit and putting it on a riser
Bonham was an innovator before he ever found widespread recognition in Led Zeppelin. His teenage decision to use a bicycle chain on his bass drum pedal revolutionized drumming in a major way. His stick grip, drum size, and positioning on his stool were also unique for rock drummers.
But Bonham’s drums on “Whole Lotta Love” didn’t sound unique just because of his technique. It was a combination of guitarist Jimmy Page’s studio choice and recording engineer George Chkiantz’s miking.
Led Zeppelin recorded their second album in studios around the world in 1969 while they toured behind their first record. They did “Whole Lotta Love” close to home at London’s Olympic Studios.
The facility had two studios — a small one with a 16-track recording console and a large one meant for classical recordings with an eight-track machine, Chkiantz told Anatomy of a Song author Marc Myers. Page was more interested in the acoustics than the number of tracks, so he put Zep in the large studio. That decision afforded Chkiantz the space he needed to mic Bonham’s kit in a unique way.
The engineer placed one mic on a boom above the kit. He also placed two microphones far off to each side and one a few feet in front of Bonham’s bass drum. He also made Bonham higher than the rest of the band.
“To make the drums sound impressive, I placed them on a platform about one and a half feet off the floor. The floor at Olympic was made of wood, not cement, which meant I needed to keep any drum movement from transmitting a rumble across the wood floor to other microphones.”
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George Chkiantz
Page’s choice of studio and Chkiantz’s choice to make Bonham higher than his bandmates while miking his kit in a unique way made for a standout drum track. It’s why attentive listeners could hear every high-hat cymbal clap during the psychedelic freakout Page carefully constructed. It’s also why it sounded like Bonzo was about to tear through his drum heads with his forceful playing leading into and during Page’s guitar solo.
‘Led Zeppelin II’ went gold within a month and became a massive success
“Whole Lotta Love” proved to be a paradox — the lead song on Led Zeppelin II and the 1969 album’s central song. It became the band’s first signature song before “Stairway to Heaven” came along two years later.
The song wasn’t a true single for Led Zeppelin. The band released it as a short-player in England in 1997; Page hated the butchered U.S. version that removed the psychedelic section and, therefore, Bonham’s distinct drum sound. No matter. Led Zeppelin II became a success without needing a proper single.
The RIAA certified the album gold within three weeks of its Oct. 22, 1969, release. Led Zeppelin II undoubtedly went platinum soon after (it spent seven of its 117 weeks on the Billboard albums chart at the No. 1 spot). RIAA platinum and five-times platinum certification didn’t come until 1990.
John Bonham’s drums on “Whole Lotta Love” tore out of the speakers. The decisions made by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page (studio choice) and engineer George Chkiantz (mic placement) helped Bonzo achieve a mammoth sound, and millions of people heard his performance when Led Zeppelin II achieved massive success upon its 1969 release.
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