#24 Good Times Bad Times

My personal number 24 is actually numero-uno. “Good Times Bad Times” was the listening public’s introduction to the sound of Led Zeppelin off their self-titled album in 1969. And it can’t be denied that it was meant to be a showcase of each band member’s skills.

Led Zeppelin was formed by guitarist, Jimmy Page, after his stint with the popular 60’s rock band, The Yardbirds, was coming to an end. When the remaining members of the faltering band quit, Jimmy was left with an already-booked Scandinavian tour and vacancies at drummer, bassist, and singer.

After first choice singer, Terry Reid, turned down Page’s offer, he suggested a 19 year old Englishman by the name of Robert Plant. Jimmy watched Plant perform Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” at a nearby college, and his search for a new singer came to a halt. John Bonham played drums with Plant in the past and John Paul Jones was already a successful studio musician who had played with Jimmy Page on records with Donovan.

The result was a supergroup of talent and all four of them are on display during “Good Times Bad Times”. Most notably, the soon-to-be-legendary left foot of John Bonham turned heads. Listen closely at the 30-second mark, where the other 3 band members silence their respective instruments, providing what appears to be a deliberate peacocking of their drummer’s speed. It appears almost superhuman for a person to produce these sixteenth-note triplets with only one foot - a feat the majority of drummers today will only attempt with a double bass pedal.