Candy Store Rock

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"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 1975[1]
StudioMusicland, Munich, Germany[1]
Genre
Length4:10
LabelSwan Song
SongwritersJimmy Page, Robert Plant
ProducerJimmy 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.

Recording

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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

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"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

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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

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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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