Candy Store Rock
| "Candy Store Rock" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
| from the album Presence | ||||
| B-side | "Royal Orleans" | |||
| Released | 18 June 1976 | |||
| Format | Seven-inch 45 rpm record | |||
| Recorded | Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany, November–December 1975 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll[1] | |||
| Length | 4:07 | |||
| Label | Swan Song (no. 70110) | |||
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
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"Candy Store Rock" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1976 on their album Presence. It was also released as a single in the United States, but it did not chart.
Overview
The track is done in the style of a 1950s rock and roll number. Some of lead singer Robert Plant's lyrics are a homage to rockabilly idioms. John Bonham's drumming is controlled rather than bombastic, driven by interplay between the ride cymbal's bell and snare. Meanwhile Jimmy Page's guitar solo is short and measured, coming in halfway through the song.[2]
The band recorded the song at Musicland Studios in Germany, and it only took them about an hour to write it. Plant sang from a wheelchair because he was recovering at the time from a car accident he had sustained in Greece.
This is the only song on the album that features an acoustic guitar, but it is almost buried in the mix.
Robert Plant considers "Candy Store Rock" to be one of his favourite songs from Presence.[2]
Live renditions
"Candy Store Rock" was never performed live by the band at Led Zeppelin concerts,[2] except for a brief riff by Page at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 20 April 1977. However, a one-minute improvisation was played live in concert by Page and Plant as a "Black Dog" introduction on 26 July 1995 at Wembley Arena. The song was also played live in Montreux by Page and Plant on 7 July 2001.
Formats and track listings
1976 7" single edition (US & Australia: Swan Song SS 70110, Canada: Swan Song SWS 70110, Germany: Swan Song SS K 19407, Japan: Warner-Pioneer P-35N, Portugal: Atlantic ATL NS 28176, Spain: Swan Song SS 45-1381)
- A. "Candy Store Rock" (Page, Plant) 4:07
- B. "Royal Orleans"* (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 2:58
Personnel
Sources
- Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- Welch, Chris (1998) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
References
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