L is for Led Zeppelin

First two tracks of Led Zep IV, the runes album, Zoso, whatever you wish to call it, had me hooked the moment I heard them. They still get me excited in ways that a man my age should surely have outgrown by now. Proper bish bash bosh rock'n'roll.

So what I regard as my Black Dog, Rock And Roll (tracks 1 and 2) memory is listening to this album in my mate Tony McCarthy's bedroom while drinking Strongbow cider. Not a good idea really for me as a teenager, over-excitement from the music and chemical stimulation from the cider. He had to keep turning down the volume as I, in my febrile state, kept wanting the music louder and louder.

In the end I tottered off in to the night. Tony's mum gave me a bit of a funny look as I said goodbye. I suspect I appeared to be quite drunk and I think I might have been sick on my way home. Funnily enough while I still like Led Zeppelin I'm not very keen on cider.

As a postscript I would add that those two tracks do still affect me. I once fell backwards off the sofa while dancing to Rock And Roll, which I was doing in an attempt to psyche myself up for going to a job that I had become severely disenchanted with in my late 40s.

The video seems to support my view that Rock And Roll (the track) affects different people in different ways. I should warn you that a rude word written in ketchup appears very briefly right at the end.

Also-rans: Lynyrd Skynyrd. I used to live in a grotty bedsit and the bloke in the equally grotty bedsit above mine used to play Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd having first taken off the return arm on his record player. It played over and over again - talk about aversion therapy.