Led Zeppelin’s catalog holds some of the most celebrated tracks in rock history, showcasing everything from blues-rock energy to progressive epics. Their iconic works, from the self-titled debut to the revered Led Zeppelin IV and Physical Graffiti, have remained powerful testaments to the band’s influence. Few groups could match the creative synergy of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham—a force so potent that Zeppelin comfortably stepped into the space left by The Beatles, their unmatched chemistry evident both in the studio and on stage.
The band’s magic lay in their unity, with each member willing to pour their energy into songs crafted by their bandmates. Unlike many of their contemporaries, Zeppelin thrived on collaboration, creating music that pulsated with intensity. But even for Zeppelin, not every experiment struck gold, and some tracks sparked ongoing debates among fans and even among the band members themselves. One of the more contentious tracks is “D’yer Mak’er,” from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy—a track that remains divisive due to its experimental nature, which drummer John Bonham found particularly grating.
Originally intended as a reggae-influenced song, “D’yer Mak’er” aimed to capture the spirit of reggae and dub. But the result, as fans and critics have noted, felt awkwardly out of place on an otherwise strong album. Even within the band, the song was met with resistance. Bonham, who despised the genre’s drumming style, was notably unenthusiastic about the track. As bandmate John Paul Jones later shared, Bonham’s distaste for reggae was clear, and his performance on the song reflected it. According to Jones, Bonham “wouldn’t play anything but the same shuffle beat all the way through it,” which ultimately hampered the track’s groove.
Jones elaborated on this in Chris Welch’s John Bonham: A Thunder of Drums, explaining, “John was interested in everything except jazz and reggae. He didn’t hate jazz, but he hated playing reggae—he thought it was really boring.”
This boredom bled into Bonham’s drumming, which lacked the drive and precision he typically brought to Zeppelin’s songs. The drummer’s resistance, according to Jones, resulted in a performance that didn’t quite hit the mark. Jones remarked that if Bonham had put more effort into adapting his style to fit reggae, the track could have turned out much stronger.
Ultimately, Jones shared Bonham’s sentiment, revealing his own reservations about “D’yer Mak’er.” In his view, a reggae song requires the bass and drums to follow a strict, syncopated pattern—something Zeppelin’s rhythm section didn’t adhere to in this track. “The whole point of reggae is that the drums and bass really have to be very strict about what they play,” Jones explained. Without that consistency, the song sounded, in his words, “dreadful.”
Though Led Zeppelin often succeeded in bending genres and experimenting with sound, “D’yer Mak’er” remains one of their more polarizing efforts. Despite their immense talent, not every creative risk landed. But even with occasional missteps, Zeppelin’s willingness to push boundaries is part of what makes their discography so fascinating, giving fans a rare glimpse of a band that was unafraid to try—and sometimes fail—on their way to rock immortality.
