"Good Times, Bad Times"

And with two bursts of an E power chord the world was changed forever! "Good Times, Bad Times" is the first track off of Led Zeppelin's first album, "Led Zeppelin I"; It was also their first single. The band recorded this song along with the rest of their first album in marathon thirty-six hour recording session at Olympic Sound Studios in London. Jimmy Page acted as the producer for the album, with Glyn Johns acting as the engineer. Not wanting to be told what to do by a major lable, Page actually financed the whole project out of his own pocket, a total cost of 1,782 pounds. The band recorded the album basically live as one group with Jimmy placing microphones around the studio to capture the ambient sound,  Jimmy Page: "The first album is a live album, it really is, and it's done intentionally in that way. It's got overdubs on it, but the original tracks are live."

"Good Times Bad Times" itself was written by the whole band with bassist John Paul Jones writing the main riff to the song, Jones would remark later to Global Bass Online "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." Jimmy Page would play his "Dragon Telecaster" plugged into a leslie organ speaker for this song creating a sort of swirling effect that many guitarist were using at the time, Eric Clapton and George Harrison included.

Single Cover

The single didn't make much of an impact on the charts, but the album it was on "Led Zeppelin I" would reach #6 in the U.K. and #10 in America, eventually going on to sell almost 10 million copies worldwide since its release. The band didn't play the song live very often, usually only in conjunction with "Communication Breakdown" or in their extended "Whole Lotta Love" medleys.  However the band decided to open their 2007 reunion concert at the O2 Arena with a blazing version of their first song.

Led Zeppelin at the O2 Arena 2007

For this song I decided to use my Fender Telecaster and play it through my Sears 5XL amplifier with an Ibanez Tube Screamer used as a boost.

The opening begins with a series of E power chords played in duplicate with a drum accompaniment behind that repeats five times, then launches into the verse where again the E chord is played in duplicate followed by a little riff:

e|---------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----|
G|-----9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----|
D|-----9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----9-9-----|
A|-----7-7-----7-7-----7-7-----7-7-----7-7-----|
E|-----0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----| 

In the days of my youth I was shown what it means to be a man

Now I've reached that age I tried to do all those things the best I can

No matter how I try I find my way to the same old jam 

e|--------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|
G|-----9-9---------7---7----------------|
D|-----9-9-------7---7---7---4-7--------|
A|-----7-7-----5-----------5-----4-5-6--|
E|-----0-0------------------------------|

After that the band launches into the chorus:

Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share 

e|------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------11-11--------------------------11-11-|
D|--6/7-7--7/12-12-------6/7-7------------7/12-12-|
A|--6/7-7--7/12-12-------6/7-7------------7/12-12-|
E|--4/5-5--5/10-10-------4/5-5------------5/10-10-|

Well my woman went home with a brown eyed man but I still don't seem to care

e|--------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------|
D|--------7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
A|--------7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
E|--------5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|

Then to the bridge:


Sweet Christine I fell in love with a girl as sweet as can be
Only took a couple of days thought she was rid of me
She swore that she would be all mine and love me till the end
When I whispered in her ear, I lose another friend oh!

e|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------11p9-11-4p2-4-----------------11p9-11--4p2-4p2-|
D|--------11p9-11-4p2-4-----------------11p9-11--4p2-4p2-|
A|4--4---------------------4--4--------------------------|
E|2--2---------------------2--2--------------------------|

Then back to the chorus:

Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share 

e|------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------11-11--------------------------11-11-|
D|--6/7-7--7/12-12-------6/7-7------------7/12-12-|
A|--6/7-7--7/12-12-------6/7-7------------7/12-12-|
E|--4/5-5--5/10-10-------4/5-5------------5/10-10-|

Well my woman went home with a brown eyed man but I still don't seem to care

e|--------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------|
D|--------7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
A|--------7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
E|--------5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|

Then into the solo:

e|-------12--------12-12----12--------12-------------------|
B|----12--------12-------12--------12----------------------|
G|14b-------14b----------------14b-------14br12h----14-12--|
D|-----------------------------------------------14--------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------|

e|--------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------15---------------------|
G|------12^----12-14-12-14b-----14--12-14-12--0-----|
D|14-14-----14--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------|

e|-----------------------------------|
B|20b~~~-----------17-17-17~~~20-17--|
G|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|

e|--------------------------------------------------|
B|20b--20--17----17-20-h17----17--------------------|
G|------------19-----------19----19-19b~------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------| 

e|-------------------------------------------------------------12----12-|
B|-------------------------------------------12----12-15p12-15-12-15----|
G|-------------------------12----12-14p12-14----14----------------------|
D|------12----12-14p12-h14-12-14----------------------------------------|
A|14-14----14-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|15b--15~15^~----------17b-17b-17b-17b-17b-17b-|
B|------------17-15^-17-------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------|

e|17b-15----15-17--17p16--17--16-17p16-17b-15b--|
B|-------17-------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------|

e|----------------------------------------|
B|17~~17~17~17-15b-17b --------15~~~~~~~~-|
G|----------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------| 

Back to the chorus:

Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share 

e|------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------11-11--------------------------11-11-|
D|--6/7-7--7/12-12-------6/7-7------------7/12-12-|
A|--6/7-7--7/12-12-------6/7-7------------7/12-12-|
E|--4/5-5--5/10-10-------4/5-5------------5/10-10-|

Well my woman went home with a brown eyed man but I still don't seem to care

e|--------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------|
D|--------7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
A|--------7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7/9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
E|--------5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|

After the final chorus there is a little outro that goes something like this:

I know what it means to be alone...

I sure do wish I was at home...

I don't care what the neighbors say...

I'm gonna love you each and every day...

You can feel the beat within my heart...

Realize sweet baby we ain't never gonna part... 

e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|9--9-----------------------------7-----7----------------------|
D|9--9-----------------------------7-7-7-----4-7----------------|
A|7--7------------------------0-5H---------5-----4~~~~~~~5--6---|
E|0--0----------------------------------------------------------|

This is a great succinct song that demonstrates what is great about Led Zeppelin from the start. The blaring vocals, the repeating riff, the steady bass, and the incredible drumming. What a great introduction to the band and an awesome foreshadowing to the great music that was to follow it.

Led Zeppelin around the time the first album was released