Dancing Days

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Dancing Days
Appears on Houses of the Holy
Published by Superhype Music
Registration ASCAP 340144105
Release date 24 May 1973
Recorded May 1972 at
Stargroves with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Mixed at Electric Lady, New York.
Genre Hard rock, rock
Language English
Length 3 minutes 40 seconds
Composer Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Label Atlantic Records
Producer Jimmy Page
Engineer Eddie Kramer

'Dancing Days' is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy, having been recorded at Stargroves in 1972.

Overview

Recording engineer Eddie Kramer reportedly said that the band members danced in joy on the lawn at Stargroves during playback of this track, such was their satisfaction with the song.[1] One of the most interesting overdubs on any Led Zeppelin album, John Paul Jones used the animated sound of a Farfisa VIP-255 to add interest to the later verses (beginning at 1:38). The chord tones sweep up and down from the correct pitch, but slightly behind the beat, creating a rhythmic effect, as well as a pitch glissando.

This was the first track from the album to be offered for radio play by Atlantic Records. It was premiered on 24 March 1973 on the BBC Radio One Rosko lunch time show.[2]

Like another track on the album, 'Over the Hills and Far Away' (which it backed on a single), 'Dancing Days' was introduced by the band in concert well ahead of its commercial release. Although a bootleg tape purports to prove it was first played at the Wembley Empire Pool in November 1971, evidence suggests its inclusion on this tape was a hoax. The earliest live documented reference is in Seattle on 19 June 1972 where the song was performed twice: once during the main set and again as an encore;[3] it was then performed frequently during the rest of this tour, with a version appearing on the live album, How the West Was Won. With the release of Houses of the Holy, however, 'Dancing Days' was largely dropped from concerts, although an abridged, acoustic version was occasionally performed during the 1977 U.S. tour.[4]

Credits

Personnel
  • Musicians:
    • Jimmy Page – electric guitar, producer, remastering, digital remastering
    • Robert Plant – vocals
    • John Paul Jones – Farfisa VIP-255, bass guitar
    • John Bonham - drums, percussion
  • Production:
    • Peter Grant – executive producer
    • Eddie Kramer – engineer, mixing
    • Joe Sidore - original CD mastering engineer (mid-1980s)
    • George Marino - remastered CD engineer (1990)

References

  1. Lewis, Dave (2012). Led Zeppelin: From a Whisper to a Scream. London: Omnibus Press, 63. ISBN 978-1-78038-547-1. 
  2. Lewis, Dave (2012). Led Zeppelin: From a Whisper to a Scream. London: Omnibus Press, 63. ISBN 978-1-78038-547-1. 
  3. Lewis, Dave; Simon Pallett (2005). Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, Revised. London: Omnibus Press, 178. ISBN 978-1-84449-659-4. OCLC 64083054. 
  4. Lewis, Dave (2012). Led Zeppelin: From a Whisper to a Scream. London: Omnibus Press, 63. ISBN 978-1-78038-547-1.