Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham is considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, but Paul McCartney wouldn’t necessarily have wanted him in The Beatles. He believed Ringo Starr was a much better fit for the band. McCartney shared why he might have been wary of working with Bonham, even though he liked Led Zeppelin.
Paul McCartney compared Ringo Starr to John Bonham
Starr and Bonham are both widely considered to be among the best drummers of all time. Starr was an expert timekeeper, but Bonham was adaptable, powerful, and lively with his drumming. Their respective bands played different types of music, and McCartney said he would rather have Starr. He gave his bandmates a sense of comfort that Bonham wouldn’t have been able to.
“The first few minutes that Ringo is playing, I look to the left at George [Harrison] and to the right to John [Lennon], and we didn’t say a word, but I remember thinking, ‘S***, this is amazing,’” McCartney told Rolling Stone. “Look, I love Led Zeppelin, but you watch them playing and you can see them looking back at John Bonham, like, ‘What the hell are you doing — this is the beat.’ You could turn your back on Ringo and never have to worry. He both gave you security and you knew he was going to nail it.”
Ringo Starr was a good fit for The Beatles
While McCartney might not have been confident in Bonham’s timekeeping capabilities, the Led Zeppelin drummer was astonishingly good at what he did. Still, he likely wouldn’t have been a good fit for The Beatles.
Led Zeppelin’s music was loud, and Bonham’s drumming style fit them well. He added to the bounding vitality of their music.
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Starr is much more reserved as a drummer, which worked for the band. He added complexity without putting the attention on himself. His timekeeping abilities are unparalleled and he gave shape to The Beatles’ music. Starr was the perfect fit for the band.
Paul McCartney wanted John Bonham to play on a Wings record
Though McCartney had some doubts about how secure he would feel onstage with Bonham, he wanted the drummer on a Wings record. Bonham first stepped in on the recording session for “C Moon,” and he joined the band in the studio several times in the 1970s.
Bonham stepped in on the song “Beware My Love,” but the official recording had Joe English on the song. Bonham’s version went unreleased for years, but McCartney eventually shared it with fans via social media.
In a discussion with Howard Stern, McCartney ranked Starr as his top drummer of all time, but Bonham was a close second.
“I’d go Ringo [Starr] top — he’s something else,” McCartney said, via The Paul McCartney Project. “Second, I’d go Bonzo [Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham]. And third, [the Who’s] Keith Moon. That’s mine. I’m going from that generation. Those are pretty good drummers, those boys.”
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