Led Zeppelin – "Communication Breakdown" (1969)

I don't know what it is that I like about you

But I like it a lot!

If anyone ever asks you what 2 or 3 lines means when it gives the appellation “stick of dynamite” to a record, you tell them to listen to Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” – which just might be the ne plus ultra of stick-of-dynamite records.

One author who has written extensively about heavy metal music called “Communication Breakdown” the first metal song.  I think it’s more of a precursor of punk than a precursor of metal.

But whether you think it’s metal or punk or something else, there can be no argument that “Communication Breakdown” belongs in the 2 OR 3 LINES “GOLDEN DECADES” ALBUM TRACKS HALL OF FAME.

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Whoever decided to position “Communication Breakdown” after “Black Mountain Side” on side two of Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album –presumably Jimmy Page, who produced the album – was a fookin’ genius.  

“Black Mountain Side” is a short instrumental featuring Page on acoustic guitar and Viram Jasani on tabla – or Indian bongo drums.  The track meanders around for about two minutes, lulling the listener into a very relaxed state of mind.

Tabla

You expect “Black Mountain Side” to fade away, but instead it ends somewhat abruptly.  After a brief pause, the inimitable Page downstroke guitar riff that defines “Communication Breakdown” grabs the half-asleep listener by the throat and screams “WAKE THE F*CK UP!”  Before we know what’s happened, we are off to the races, holding on for dear life.

A lot of Led Zeppelin songs were inspired by other people’s music.  (While I say “inspired by,” others would say “stolen from.”)  

But “Communication Breakdown” seems to have been created entirely by Jimmy Page – first came that downstroke riff, and the rest of the song followed.

Speaking of that riff, Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone has said that he developed his downstroke guitar style by playing “Communication Breakdown” over and over.

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I noticed something for the first time while listening to “Communication Breakdown” tonight.

The introductory Page guitar riff that kicks the song off is eight measures long.  

Next comes the first verse, which is 16 bars long, and the chorus, which is eight bars long.  

The second verse and chorus are also 16 and eight bars long, respectively.

After the second chorus, there’s a brief pause, followed by a Page guitar solo.  You would expect that instrumental break to be 16 measures long – like the verses.

But it’s only 14 bars long.  Which means that the chorus that follows the instrumental break starts two measures before you’re expecting it.  It’s like getting into a car and having the driver goose the accelerator before you’ve gotten your seatbelt fastened.

Ending the instrumental break two measures before you’re expecting it to end has the effect of propelling the song forward, giving it momentum that it wouldn’t have had if Page had stuck to the 16-bar/eight-bar structure.

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You may have noticed that I’ve inducted three songs from the first Led Zeppelin album into the 2 or 3 lines album tracks hall of fame in as many years.

That’s no accident, boys and girls.  That album is that good – certainly the best debut rock album of all time, and arguably the best classic rock album period.

I’d say it’s better than even money that there will be a Led Zeppelin song in next year’s group of inductees.  (Maybe from a different album – we’ll see.)

Click here to listen to “Communication Breakdown.”

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