Dancing Days by Led Zeppelin Song Info
"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. 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. This was the first track from the album to be offered for radio play by Atlantic Records. It was premiered on March 24, 1973 on the BBC Radio One Rosko lunch time show. Like another track on the album, "Over the Hills and Far Away," "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 June 19, 1972 where the song was performed twice: once during the main set and again as an encore; 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. Stone Temple Pilots recorded a cover version for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album, Encomium. Their recording peaked at #3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Jam band Gov't Mule's 2008 album, The Haunted Holy House, included a live cover of this song, as well as covers of all other songs from Houses of the Holy.
