Good Times Bad Times
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Good Times Bad Times" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Led Zeppelin | |||||
| from the album Led Zeppelin | |||||
| B-side | "Communication Breakdown" | ||||
| Released | 10 March 1969 | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | October 1968 | ||||
| Genre | Hard rock | ||||
| Length | 2:47 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic | ||||
| Writer(s) | John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page | ||||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | ||||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| Led Zeppelin track listing | |||||
|
|||||
| Audio sample | |||||
|
|
|||||
"Good Times Bad Times" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin.
For the lead guitar solo, guitarist Jimmy Page passed his Telecaster guitar through a Leslie speaker to create a swirling effect.[1][2] This type of speaker contains a rotating paddle and was designed for Hammond organ. However, guitars could be used with it. George Harrison and Eric Clapton also did this on the Cream song "Badge", and Harrison used this in several of The Beatles' recordings.[3] In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, Page explained that:
| “ | I do remember using the board to overdrive a Leslie cabinet for the main riff in "How Many More Times". It doesn't sound like a Leslie because I wasn't employing the rotating speakers. Surprisingly, that sound has real weight. The guitar is going through the board, then through an amp which was driving the Leslie cabinet. It was a very successful experiment.[4] | ” |
Page, also the band's producer, placed microphones all over the recording studio to capture a live sound when this song was recorded.
This song is also notable for drummer John Bonham's repeated use of a series of two sixteenth-note triplets on a single bass drum, an effect many subsequent rock drummers have imitated. Bonham had reportedly developed this technique after listening to Vanilla Fudge. He was unaware that drummer Carmine Appice was actually playing on a double bass set. As Page has stated:
| “ | The most stunning thing about the track, of course, is Bonzo's amazing kick drum. It's superhuman when you realize he was not playing with double kick. That's one kick drum! That's when people started understanding what he was all about.[4] | ” |
Bass player John Paul Jones has also remarked on his own contribution to the track:
| “ | Usually anything [by Led Zeppelin] with lots of notes was mine and anything with chunky chords was Page's. Things like "Good Times Bad Times", those are my sort of riffs, they're quite busy'.[5] | ” |
Jones says that the riff he wrote for this song was the most difficult one he ever wrote.[6]
"Good Times Bad Times" was rarely played live at Led Zeppelin concerts in its entirety. In a few instances in 1969 it was used as an introduction to "Communication Breakdown". It also appeared in almost complete form within the "Communication Breakdown" medley performed at the LA Forum on 4 September 1970 (as can be heard on the Led Zeppelin bootleg recording Live On Blueberry Hill), and several "Whole Lotta Love' medleys in 1971. It was also the opening song for Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the O2 Arena, London on 10 December 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | United States | "The 1001 Greatest Songs to Download Right Now!"[7] | 2003 | * |
| DigitalDreamDoor | United States | "The 100 Greatest Rock Debut Singles"[8] | 2005 | 73 |
| DigitalDreamDoor | United States | "The 100 Greatest Recordings From 1969"[9] | 2007 | 56 |
(*) designates unordered lists.
[edit] Formats and tracklistings
1969 7" single (UK: Atlantic 584269, US/New Zealand: Atlantic 45-2613, Australia: Atlantic AK 2914, Canada: Atlantic AT 2613X, France: Atlantic 650 153, Germany: Atlantic ATL 70369, Greece: Atlantic 255 002, Italy: Atlantic ATL NP 03117, Japan: Nihon Gramophone DT-1105, Philippines: Atlantic 45-3734, Sweden: Atlantic ATL 70.369)
- A. "Good Times Bad Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) 2:47
- B. "Communication Breakdown" (Page, Plant) 2:28
1969 7" single (South Africa: Atlantic ATS410)
- A. "Good Times Bad Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) 2:47
- B. "Black Mountain Side" (Page) 2:12
1969 7" EP (Mexico: Atlantic EPA 1577)
- A1. "Good Times Bad Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) 2:47
- A2. "Communication Breakdown" (Page, Plant) 2:28
- B. "Dazed and Confused" (Page) 6:26
1972 7" EP (Argentina: Music Hall 186)
- A1. "Good Times Bad Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) 2:47
- A2. "Communication Breakdown" (Page, Plant) 2:28
- B1. "Roundabout"* (Anderson, Howe) 3:27
- B2. "Long Distance Runaround"* (Anderson) 3:30
Notes:
(*) B-side by Yes
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Led Zeppelin single
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top 100 Chart[10] | 64 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart[11] | 80 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles Chart[12] | 66 |
| US Record World 100 Top Pops[13] | 65 |
| Japanese Singles Chart[14] | 84 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[15] | 17 |
[edit] Personnel
- Robert Plant - vocals
- Jimmy Page - guitars and backing vocals.
- John Paul Jones - bass guitar and backing vocals.
- John Bonham - drums and backing vocals
[edit] Cover versions
|
|
[edit] Godsmack cover
| "Good Times, Bad Times" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Godsmack | |||||
| from the album Good Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of Godsmack | |||||
| Released | 2007 | ||||
| Format | CD single | ||||
| Recorded | 2007 | ||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 2:57 | ||||
| Label | Universal/Republic | ||||
| Writer(s) | Bonham/Jones/Page | ||||
| Producer | Sully Erna | ||||
| Godsmack singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
The hard rock band Godsmack covered the song in 2007, for their album, Good Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of Godsmack. It was the only song on the album to be newly released as a single and gained moderate radio airplay on US rock stations. A music video was also created for the Godsmack version of the song, featuring live footage.
[edit] Godsmack Single
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 8 |
| 2007 | Modern Rock Tracks | 28 |
| 2007 | Billboard Hot 100 | 124 |
[edit] Sources
- Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- Welch, Chris (1998) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
[edit] References
- ^ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- ^ Steven Rosen, 1977 Jimmy Page Interview, Modern Guitars, 25 May, 2007 (originally published in the July 1977, issue of Guitar Player magazine).
- ^ Abbey Road
- ^ a b Interview with Jimmy Page, Guitar World magazine, 1993
- ^ Long, Andy (March 2002). "Get The Led Out". Global Bass Online. http://www.globalbass.com/archives/mar2002/john_paul_jones.htm. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
- ^ David Fricke, Q&A: John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stone, 24 January 2008.
- ^ "The 1001 Greatest Songs to Download Right Now! - 2003". Blender. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/S2292.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-10.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Rock Debut Singles - 2005". DigitalDreamDoor. http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_debut-single.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-10.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Recordings From 1969 - 2007". DigitalDreamDoor. http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/bg_hits/bg_hits_69.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-10.
- ^ "RPM Singles Chart - 14 April 1969". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5981&volume=11&issue=7&issue_dt=April%2014%201969&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=hrg50o22lgammqcogv27ve6d95. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Hot 100 Singles - 19 April 1969". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3070518&cdi=8833384&cid=04%2F19%2F1969. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles - 26 April 1969". Cash Box. http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19690426.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Top 100 for 1969 - April 1969". Record World. http://www.geocities.com/muggy59/100l.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles - 5 June 1969". Oricon. http://www.oricon.co.jp/. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles - 21 June 1969". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?key=35379&cat=s. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
[edit] External links
|
|||||
