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"Candy Store Rock"
German single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Presence
B-side	"Royal Orleans"
Released	18 June 1976 (1976-06-18) (US)
Recorded	November 1975
Studio	Musicland, Munich, Germany
Genre	Rock and roll rockabilly
Length	4:10
Label	Swan 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)

"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

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. Jimmy Page's guitar solo is short and measured, coming in halfway through the song.

Live renditions

"Candy Store Rock" was never performed live by the band at Led Zeppelin concerts, 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 ." He further described the song as sounding like "an unholy hybrid in which Buddy Holly is grafted onto the quivering stem of David Bowie." Record World said that Led Zeppelin " from the rigid demands of top 40, but the sound is coordinated to stand up to repeated listenings"

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.

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

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:

• Robert Plant – vocals
• Jimmy Page – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• John Paul Jones – bass
• John Bonham – drums

References

1. ^ 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. ^ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
5. ^ Davis, Stephen (20 May 1976). "Presence". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
6. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 3 July 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
7. Doscas, Andrew (10 September 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Presence (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
8. ^ 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

• Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.

• Led Zeppelin songs
• Songs written by Jimmy Page
• Songs written by Robert Plant
• 1976 singles
• Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page
• Swan Song Records singles
• British rock-and-roll songs