'Aaaaaahhhh....Suck It!'
In one of his previous editions of Led Zeppelin Live, Luis Rey quotes 'The New Yardbirds arrive as the spawn of urgency'. Perfectly put, and so right. Take Eddie Cochran's 'Nervous Breakdown', add a bucket of adrenalin and all the pent up energy pouring out of 4 musicians standing in that tiny room in Gerrard Street, simmer for 2 minutes and 30 seconds and serve...
Proto Punk before Punk meets Heavy Metal. Actually, it's high energy rock 'n' roll with attitude and freedom. Almost certainly conceived at that very first rehearsal and routined in Pangbourne, it was an instant live favourite. But first, the studio version.
Beginning with a riff way beyond the 'Old' Yardbirds, the rapid down stroke E motif has become the blueprint for Heavy Metal bands from that day to this. Only a year later 'Paranoid' uses the riff and structure, just reversing the dynamics and approach.
Each member plays their part, Jonesy is wonderfully lyrical with some flowing lines behind Jimmy's stun gun attack, Bonzo flies with control and dynamics and, most of all Robert lets loose. Those animalistic screams as he reworks Cochran's cocksure swagger for a new age are just so. And if nothing else, the growl and scream of 'Suck It' before an incendiary Page solo is a classic, one of the pivotal on the entire debut LP.
Live, it appears sporadically on the first US Tour, either as an encore or set closer, occasionally just before the end of the first set in a two a night performance. Already extending from the album version, Jimmy would usually extend the introduction, teasing and racking up the tension. After the solo Led Zeppelin would slot in a 'jam' section, a loose lets do what we want bit that varied night after night. It slowed everything to half speed, adding some groove and funk. 'It's Your Thing' was among the Plant ad libs, and the section remained as a vital part of the large arrangement. Jimmy even revisited it on his Death Wish II soundtrack.
Returning to the UK and Europe it would open shows too, including the legendary Danish TV show on March 17th. Similarly, throughout the 2nd US Tour and subsequent June shows In the UK and France it moved around either end of the set, notably opening the BBC Rock Hour June 27th show, by which time the post-solo jam morphed into Just A Little Bit and It's Your Thing (sadly left off the official BBC 2CD due to contractual problems). The final 1969 visit to the US saw it open following an opening barrage of a few bars of Good Times Bad Times.
Come 1970 We're Gonna Groove became the new set opener, apart from in Dusseldorf on March 12th, and Communication Breakdown largely disappeared apart from the odd encore, only to roar back at Bath and then spent the rest of the year as first encore, with the jam section leading into a bass solo for Jonesy and a larger chunk of Good Times Bad Times and various Robert ad-libs and curios before returning to the main theme.
And from then on it remained an encore, saved as a treat or when the band were sufficiently fired up. It was the last song performed by Led Zeppelin onstage in England. Even when the youthful roar and range had gone from Robert's voice it could still send shivers when Led Zeppelin brought the hammer down.
And even though later live version still have that urgency, that edge, Communication Breakdown remains a testament to the young, groundbreaking fire of Led Zeppelin. It could have only been written, record and performed at that early time, when they were 'the spawn of urgency'.
Released as a single in the US with Good Times Bad Times, it's also one of the great single rarities, the withdrawn British single (Atlantic 584 269) now fetches a King's ransom. There are many many worldwide releases too, though none come close to the value of the UK one.
Beginning with a riff way beyond the 'Old' Yardbirds, the rapid down stroke E motif has become the blueprint for Heavy Metal bands from that day to this. Only a year later 'Paranoid' uses the riff and structure, just reversing the dynamics and approach.
Each member plays their part, Jonesy is wonderfully lyrical with some flowing lines behind Jimmy's stun gun attack, Bonzo flies with control and dynamics and, most of all Robert lets loose. Those animalistic screams as he reworks Cochran's cocksure swagger for a new age are just so. And if nothing else, the growl and scream of 'Suck It' before an incendiary Page solo is a classic, one of the pivotal on the entire debut LP.
Live, it appears sporadically on the first US Tour, either as an encore or set closer, occasionally just before the end of the first set in a two a night performance. Already extending from the album version, Jimmy would usually extend the introduction, teasing and racking up the tension. After the solo Led Zeppelin would slot in a 'jam' section, a loose lets do what we want bit that varied night after night. It slowed everything to half speed, adding some groove and funk. 'It's Your Thing' was among the Plant ad libs, and the section remained as a vital part of the large arrangement. Jimmy even revisited it on his Death Wish II soundtrack.
Returning to the UK and Europe it would open shows too, including the legendary Danish TV show on March 17th. Similarly, throughout the 2nd US Tour and subsequent June shows In the UK and France it moved around either end of the set, notably opening the BBC Rock Hour June 27th show, by which time the post-solo jam morphed into Just A Little Bit and It's Your Thing (sadly left off the official BBC 2CD due to contractual problems). The final 1969 visit to the US saw it open following an opening barrage of a few bars of Good Times Bad Times.
Come 1970 We're Gonna Groove became the new set opener, apart from in Dusseldorf on March 12th, and Communication Breakdown largely disappeared apart from the odd encore, only to roar back at Bath and then spent the rest of the year as first encore, with the jam section leading into a bass solo for Jonesy and a larger chunk of Good Times Bad Times and various Robert ad-libs and curios before returning to the main theme.
And from then on it remained an encore, saved as a treat or when the band were sufficiently fired up. It was the last song performed by Led Zeppelin onstage in England. Even when the youthful roar and range had gone from Robert's voice it could still send shivers when Led Zeppelin brought the hammer down.
And even though later live version still have that urgency, that edge, Communication Breakdown remains a testament to the young, groundbreaking fire of Led Zeppelin. It could have only been written, record and performed at that early time, when they were 'the spawn of urgency'.
Released as a single in the US with Good Times Bad Times, it's also one of the great single rarities, the withdrawn British single (Atlantic 584 269) now fetches a King's ransom. There are many many worldwide releases too, though none come close to the value of the UK one.
On film, we have numerous versions. Two rare 'promo' films, one shown on Japanese TV and the other from Sweden, both mimed, with Bonzo's scarcely used double bass drum set up on view in the second. We have the Danish TV and Paris (plus soundcheck) versions and the pro-shot bootleg films from Earls Court May 25th and Knebworth August 11th. Sadly none of the four versions performed on the Over Europe 80 Tour feature on the cine film so far circulating. Most recently surfaced, it's included as an encore during the remarkable cine film from Tokyo 23-9-71...
Brilliant, Andy. Thank you for the chronicle of Communication Breakdown! I loved listening to the progression of the song throughout their career.
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