Candy Store Rock

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"Candy Store Rock"
CandyStoreRocksingle.jpg
German single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Presence
B-side "Royal Orleans"
Released18 June 1976 (1976-06-18) (US)
RecordedNovember 1975 [1]
Studio Musicland, Munich, Germany [1]
Genre
Length4:10
Label Swan Song
Songwriters Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Trampled Under Foot"
(1975)		"Candy Store Rock"
(1976)		"Fool in the Rain"
(1979)

"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.

Contents

Recording

The band recorded the song at Musicland Studios in Germany. Plant sang from a wheelchair because he was recovering at the time from a car accident he had sustained in Greece. Plant considers "Candy Store Rock" to be one of his favourite songs from Presence. [4] Jimmy Page's guitar solo is short and measured, coming in halfway through the song. [4]

Live renditions

"Candy Store Rock" was never performed live by the band at Led Zeppelin concerts, [4] [5] 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. [6]

Reception

In a contemporary review for Presence, Stephen Davis of Rolling Stone described "Candy Store Rock" as "perfectly evoking the Los Angeles milieu in which the Zep composed [Presence]." [7] He further described the song as sounding like "an unholy hybrid in which Buddy Holly is grafted onto the quivering stem of David Bowie." [7] Record World said that Led Zeppelin "[deviates] from the rigid demands of top 40, but the sound is coordinated to stand up to repeated listenings" [8]

In a retrospective review of Presence (Deluxe Edition), Andrew Doscas of PopMatters described "Candy Store Rock" as sounding like "the prequel to 1971's "Rock and Roll"" from their fourth album. [9]

Singer Robert Plant later described "Candy Store Rock", along with "Achilles Last Stand", as the "saving grace[s] of Presence". [10] Plant said the song's rhythm section was inspiring to him, partly due to the album's tumultuous recording sessions. [10]

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin: [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 470.
  2. ↑ Shadwick, Keith (2005). Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968–1980 (1st ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p.  248. ISBN   0-87930-871-0.
  3. ↑ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1976". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 321–323. ISBN   9781493064601.
  4. 1 2 3 Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN   0-7119-3528-9.
  5. ↑ Reed, Ryan (18 June 2021). "45 Years Ago: Led Zeppelin Go Rockabilly With 'Candy Store Rock'". Ultimate Classic Rock . Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Greene, Andy (14 June 2016). "Flashback: Page and Plant Play 'Candy Store Rock' at Final Show". Rolling Stone . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  7. 1 2 Davis, Stephen (20 May 1976). "Presence". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 3 July 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Doscas, Andrew (10 September 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Presence (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  10. 1 2 Welch, Chris (1998). Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song. Thunder's Mouth Press. pp. 79–81. ISBN   1-56025-818-7.

Bibliography

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