"Wait for You" by Bonham

Song#:  4115

Date:  11/25/1989

Debut:  91

Peak:  55

Weeks:  15

Genre:  Hard Rock

Pop Bits:  As they say, sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and that was the case with Jason Bonham who followed in his famous father's footsteps. John Bonham was the legendary drummer for Led Zeppelin until his death in 1980. Prior to that Jason had picked up on the drums at an early age and by the time he was fifteen he formed his first band. After his father's death, Jason continued on as a member of another band, Virginia Wolf, and also performed on projects with surviving members of Zeppelin including filling in for his dad when Zeppelin reunited in '88 for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert. Around that time Jason had the itch to form another band and he would assemble Bonham in '88. Daniel MacMaster would provide lead vocals. The group would get signed to the Epic Records offshoot WTG and record a debut album titled The Disregard of Timekeeping with producer Bob Ezrin. This first single would be issued out and it would do well at Rock getting to #9. On the Pop chart it would get near the halfway point. Thanks to the single, MTV exposure, and hype around Bonham's new band, the LP would reach #38 and go gold.

ReduxReview:  Well, it was probably inevitable that Bonham's band would have shades of Led Zeppelin. They don't sound like a knock off or an imitation, but there are various reminders in the tracks. Actually, I think Whitesnake sounded more like Zep than Bonham. I liked this track. It had a good feel, a nice chorus, and terrific drum/guitar work. It was a bit shy of being mainstream enough to do well at Pop, but it found a home at Rock and did well. Sadly, unlike his dad's band, Bonham didn't have longevity and it all ended after a few years.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  After a long supporting tour, Bonham would get back into the studio to record their follow up album. Mad Hatter would be released in '92. Its first single, "Change of a Season," would make a minor impact on the Rock chart at #32. With that result, the album would fail to chart. The band would split soon after. In '94, Jason would get together with two of his former bandmates and with new lead singer Marti Frederiksen would become Motherland. An album, Peace 4 Me, would be issued out that same year, but it would not make an impression. The next year two members would leave and Jason would hire in two newbies to form The Jason Bonham Band. A debut album, When You See the Sun, would arrive in '97. Since then, Jason has performed with many artists and has been a part of several bands including Sammy Hagar and The Circle, who released three albums between 2019 and 2022.

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