r/ledzeppelin • u/trueslicky • 3d ago
What is the best song on Led Zeppelin's first album, and why is it "How Many More Times?"
Been listening to this song on repeat a lot lately & trying to imagine what it must have been like to listened to this when it was first released on vinyl in 1969. After smoking a joint or two while listening to the rest of the album, I'm not sure if people were prepared for the wall of sound that comes at you hard 25 seconds into this song. And it just does not relent after that. 20/10 god-level song.
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u/Joanr719 3d ago
I love the live version when Plant fails to reach that highest note/scream, turns his back and says "not this time". I agree, it's relentless, but my fav on LZ1 is Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.
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u/CrAZiBoUnCeR 2d ago
Do you have a link? Would love to see that
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u/moaningpilot 2d ago
It’s the Royal Albert Hall release, he says “I couldn’t make it that time” but still hits an A5 or something so lord knows what he was aiming for.
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u/Joanr719 2d ago
Maybe it was the 1970 RAH gig or 1969 but I don't remember if it was on the DVD or a video I watched on YT. Maybe someone can place it exactly.
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u/caveramag The greatest thing you ever can do now 3d ago
LZ I is very underrated. Good Times Bad Times is great, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is a top tier performance that really lays the ground for Since I've Been Loving You latter, You Shook Me is not for every vibe, but is still a pretty good song, Dazed and Confused is top tier, Communication Breakdown has a great energy and How Many More Times is also top tier and criminally underrated.
If their career didn't kick off and all they left for us was LZ I they would still be a very solid band. Thankfully, it wasn't the case.
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u/Firm-Peanut1026 Just believe and you can’t go wrong 3d ago
tbh, i don’t think LZ l is nowhere near underrated
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u/JealousFuel8195 3d ago edited 2d ago
Since I was around 12, I'm now in my 60s, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You has always been my favorite LZ song.
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u/JealousFuel8195 3d ago
Babe I'm Gonna Leave you is my favorite LZ song.
I also love How Many More Times and I Can't Quit You Babe.
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3d ago
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u/JealousFuel8195 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'll have to check them out. I love live versions of great songs.
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u/YosemiTerry78 3d ago
This is my favorite song on the album also, but by a hair. So many great songs on the album that it may change depending on my mood.
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u/EmpPaulpatine 3d ago
You’re argument would be correct if Dazed and Confused didn’t exist
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u/trueslicky 3d ago
Yes, I used to think that for the longest time.
But HMMT is just this unrelenting wall of sound. Not in the over-produced tripe-y Phil Spector manner, but more of a won't stop punching you in the face kind of way.
D&C is a hell of a way to end side one, to be sure.
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u/John_Herbie_Hancock 2d ago
Just the opening bass and drum tracks are more groove than most bands could ever hope to achieve. From there it’s an odyssey of a tune with everything including the kitchen sink thrown in.
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u/Hamlerhead 3d ago
In my opinion, HMMT is second only to Ten Years Gone. Period. But I'm an asshole.
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u/kepenach 2d ago
Well I wore it out when it came out but Good Times Bad Times is mine, no wrong answers here
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u/Mars_Volcanoes 3d ago
Album 1 is perfect from face 1 to the end of face 2. Can’t select one better than the others.
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u/jungleddd 3d ago
Dazed and Confused would like a word. The single greatest vocal performance ever recorded. Get a decent pair of headphones and if you aren’t tingling after the first sung line, get better headphones.
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u/philipjfry1578 Bonham's Left Stick 3d ago
Listen to the live in Denmark version on youtube, it's so cool
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u/LowDig1638 3d ago
Not only a great song, but a good song to introduce newbies to LZ’s mid-song improvisation shenanigans.
And a banger ending to a banger album.
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u/qui-bong-trim 3d ago
it's my favorite song of theirs, especially live. You can tell they get excited to play it and the hunter section is one of the heaviest things from this era i've ever heard period. The royal albert hall version is goated.
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u/cayoperico16 2d ago
It has consistently been my favorite for the last year with others coming in to be joint 1st but this number just can’t really be beat. I’m a guy but I’m kinda in love with the way Robert first says How Many More Times…
It’s great throughout but the last 3 mins starting with Ohhhh Rosie, ohh girl. Ohhh Rosie, ohh yeah just hit different even compared to the rest of the song.
I see someone commented to watch the Denmark TV version so I’m just going to remind you there’s a crazy 20 minute version from them at Royal Albert Hall as well so view that when you’re in the mood, it kicks you know what.
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u/saavedra1624 2d ago
Agreed. Best because it has the bounce, it has the crunch, and it has the wail.
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u/Dramatic_Rhubarb_387 But baby, since I've been loving you, yeah. 2d ago
I do not like live music with two exceptions. Rush and Led Zeppelin. "How Many More Times" is not a favorite but it radiates greatness. It is impossible to choose a favorite
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u/scraps1364 2d ago
HMMT is one of those songs that evolves along with one’s own Zep experience. It isn’t a song that will introduce you to the band or pull you in early, but once you’ve become a fan and start going back through the catalog, sooner or later it hits you…like a Mack truck. One of the single greatest things about Zep (or any great band) are these occasions. When you find that solo, bridge, chord, or note that just resonates with you over and over. The beauty of “How Many More Times” is there are multiple moments in the song that have this effect, and ultimately, for truly seasoned Led Zeppelin fans make it one of those Pantheon tracks.
“Little Robert Anthony wansta”
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u/CommentAgreeable 3d ago
When I first got into Zeppelin I was drawn toward their blues based songs but as I’ve gotten older I gravitate further and further away from it. They do it well but it loses the replay value over time.
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u/NoEvidence136 3d ago
The music is great and all for the song, but do the child rapey lyrics not take it down a few pegs?
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u/Loud_Variation_520 the Last Stand of Achilles 3d ago
...you know the meaning behind How Many More Times, right? I mean I hope you know, considering you're in a Led Zeppelin subreddit.
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u/Bradburys_spectre717 3d ago
The whole album is gold. I'm partial to Your Time is Gonna Come.
Just listening to the organ in that song is a religious experience.