How Many More Times

"How Many More Times" is the ninth and final track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. The song is credited in the album liner to Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, but Robert Plant was later added to the ASCAP credits.[3]

"How Many More Times"
Song by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin
Released12 January 1969 (1969-01-12)
RecordedOctober 1968
StudioOlympic, London
GenreBlues rock[1]
Length8:28
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page

Composition

At eight and a half minutes, "How Many More Times" is the longest song on the album. It is one of three Led Zeppelin songs on which Page used bowed guitar.[4]

In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, Page stated that the song "was made up of little pieces I developed when I was with the Yardbirds, as were other numbers such as 'Dazed and Confused'. It was played live in the studio with cues and nods."[5]

The "Rosie" and "Hunter" components of the song came spontaneously to the group on the night of the recording session.[4] "The Hunter" was recorded by bluesman Albert King with Booker T & the MGs[6][7] and was written by Carl Wells and the members of Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Al Jackson, and Booker T. Jones).

The title and Plant's vocals reference Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" (1951), as well as other songs by blues musicians he admired at the time of recording.[8]

Live performances

In 1970, "How Many More Times" was dropped from Led Zeppelin's typical setlist, although they continued to perform it on occasion until the early stages of their 1975 North American tour, when it was re-introduced in full as a result of Jimmy Page's injured finger, which temporarily prevented him from playing the more challenging "Dazed and Confused".[4]

Reception

In a contemporary review for Led Zeppelin on release, John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone called "How Many More Times" the album's "most representative cut". Mendelsohn complimented Page's guitar solo and Bonham's drumming but criticized Plant's vocals, calling them "strained and unconvincing".[9]

See also

References
  1. Planer, Lindsay. "Led Zeppelin: "How Many More Times" – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  2. Plant was later given a songwriting credit. ISWC T-070.075.920-1
  3. "How Many More Times (Title Code: 380136049)". ASCAP. Retrieved 31 July 2009. John Baldwin, John Bonham, James Patrick Page, R A Plant
  4. Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
  5. "Jimmy Page interview transcript". Iem.ac.ru. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  6. "Albert King Biography". Musicianguide.com. 25 April 1923. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. John Mendelsohn Led Zeppelin I Rolling Stone March 15, 1969
  8. Frank Reddon; Lou Anne Reddon (10 July 2012). J. J. Jackson Remembers Led Zeppelin: The Music and the Guys Who Made It. Books.google.co.uk. p. 42. ISBN 9780978444631. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. Mendelsohn, John (15 March 1969). "Led Zeppelin I". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
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