Candy Store Rock

"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.

"Candy Store Rock"
German single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Presence
B-side"Royal Orleans"
Released18 June 1976 (1976-06-18) (US)
RecordedNovember–December 1975
StudioMusicland, Munich, Germany
GenreRock and roll[1]
Length4:10
LabelSwan Song
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Trampled Under Foot"
(1975)		 "Candy Store Rock"
(1976)		 "Fool in the Rain"
(1979)

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. 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.

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]."[3] He further described the song as sounding like "an unholy hybrid in which Buddy Holly is grafted onto the quivering stem of David Bowie."[3]

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.[4]

Singer Robert Plant later described "Candy Store Rock", along with "Achilles Last Stand", as the "saving grace[s] of Presence".[5] Plant said the song's rhythm section was inspiring to him, partly due to the album's tumultuous recording sessions.[5]

References
  1. 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
  3. Davis, Stephen (20 May 1976). "Presence". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  4. Doscas, Andrew (10 September 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Presence (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  5. Welch, Chris (1998). Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song. pp. 79–81. ISBN 1-56025-818-7.
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