#14 How Many More Times

This song is so sick, you need to set aside the next 20 minutes of your life to listen to it twice in a row, as I did while writing this post.

At 8 minutes and 28 seconds, “How Many More Times” is the longest song on Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album and also the finale. However, it was actually listed as 3 minutes and 30 seconds long on the vinyl record sleeve. Jimmy Page knew no radio stations would want to play an 8 minute song, so he labeled it in such a way to trick stations into trying it out.

Nonetheless, much like “Good Times Bad Times” and other songs on their first album, this was a blatant showcase of the talent each member of the band brought to the group.

Unlike most of their studio recordings, this song was written principally from improvisation. Recorded live in the studio during a session where the members of the band used “cues and nods” to signal a new section or a bridge, I will try to guide you through the madness that occurs in this number by pointing out my favorite sections you might have missed if you’re a casual listener. Buckle up...

Intro: You should already be able to tell that these guys have no concept of how long this song might become. Slowly but surely they build up to the 35 second mark with a smooth, groovy bass line, electricity pouring from the guitar, a lightly echoed vocal wail, and finally a drum fill that ushers in the syncing of John Paul Jones’ bass with Jimmy’s guitar. We are rolling and there’s no turning back!

2:05 - The driving guitar/bass riff comes to a halt and John Bonham shows off his chops on drums by randomly inserting drum fills that would make the jaw drop of even The Who’s, Keith Moon. This section also marks the beginning of one of my favorite Jimmy Page guitar solos. During the 60's Jimmy became famous for being one of a select few who could improvise guitar solos very well and you can hear it on this take, being done live on the spot in the studio.

3:08 - Jimmy’s conventional solo is coming to an end, but wow with some flash! Switching gears to a rock-anthem style transition that undoubtedly inspired Queen many years later, John Bonham begins pounding like a marching band towards something most music fans never heard before...

3:35 - Momentary instrumental silence before a revolutionary moment in music history. Jimmy Page picks up a cello bow in this improvised jam session and starts playing his guitar with the bow like he’s part of an orchestra. The sound picks up at 3:56 where the “bowed guitar” is at full force. You’ve never once heard anything like it. This type of playing became an iconic piece of every Led Zeppelin show to follow.

5:30 - Here we have a moment that is arguably my favorite in the history of Robert Plant.

“OHHHHHH ROSIE! OH GIIIIRL!” ...Those words bring me right back to long car rides in my hometown of the Poconos with all my friends in unison screaming at the top of their lungs. The instruments going silent to allow the gifted singer his time to shine.

6:08 - At this point the bass and guitar riff are fully separate, with John Paul Jones going completely out of his mind with his instrument. This section could truly be its own song if they wished, with a fresh new groove that comes out of nowhere. Plant goes on now paying tribute to Albert King, with lyrics from the song “The Hunter”:

They call me the hunter, that's my name

They call me the hunter, that's how I got my fame

Ain't no need to hide, ain't no need to run

'Cause I've got you in the sights of my guuuuuuuunnnnn!!!

7:00 - The final solo wail Plant brings here is still a minute and 30 seconds from the end of the song, but it signals a job already very well done.

“How Many More Times” was played throughout most of their live sets in the early years, but dropped later for new material. It was used as the closer for most of their shows and for good reason. If it could be the finale of the original body of work, the self titled album, it can serve as the finale of a live show.

“How Many More Times” will always have a place on this list for me, no matter how many more times in my life I rewrite my top 25.