The pounding guitar riff was played by Page through a small, miked Supro amplifier throughout; he ran his Fender Telecaster through a fully closed Vox wah-wah pedal to create the "guitar in a shoebox" sound on the lead. "Communication Breakdown" is also one of the few songs on which Page sang a backing vocal.

The song was a popular live number at Led Zeppelin concerts, and along with "Heartbreaker", was the only song to be played during every year that the band toured. It usually either opened shows or was played as an encore.

In a few instances in 1969 "Good Times Bad Times" was used as an introduction to "Communication Breakdown" (as heard on the companion disc to the deluxe edition of their debut album released on 3 June 2014).

"Communication Breakdown" was the last song performed in the years of 1975 and 1979 by the band, at Earls Court on 25 May 1975 and Knebworth on 11 August 1979.

In the U.S. the track was released as the B-side of the single "Good Times Bad Times".

On the Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions, released in 1997, this song was featured three times, each with a slightly different improvisation by the musicians. Three live versions–taken from performances at the TV program Tous En Scene in Paris in 1969, at Danmarks Radio in 1969 and at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970–can also be seen on the Led Zeppelin DVD. "Communication Breakdown" additionally is one of the few songs for which the group did a proper lip-sync video; this too is available on the Led Zeppelin DVD. The version of "Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown" released on 15 April 2014, on iTunes, is from 10 October 1969 in Paris, on the European Tour of Autumn 1969.

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