From: lippard@skyblu.ccit.arizona.edu (James J. Lippard)
Newsgroups: alt.atheism,alt.satanism
Subject: Re: Backward Masking
Date: 7 Apr 92 16:18:00 GMT
Distribution: world,local
Organization: University of Arizona
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <ogorman.702589915@unix1.tcd.ie>, ogorman@unix1.tcd.ie (Lucifuge) writes...
>>In article <1992Apr3.150442.1@ulkyvx.louisville.edu>, rtsumn01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu writes...
>>>In article <1992Mar31.235053.489@miavx2.ham.muohio.edu>, bstadnik@miavx2.ham.
>>>muohio.edu writes:
>>>> 
>>>>   I was recently talking to a fundamentalist who gave this argument concerning
>>>> the rock group Led Zepplin and Satan:
>>>> 
>>>>        " If you play 'Stairway to Heaven' backwards it says, "Hail Satan" over
>>>>        and over again.  The technology is(or was) not available to place this
>>>>        there on purpose.  And the voice patterns speaking it frontwards would
>>>>        never be able to match anything that closely backwards.  It was put 
>>>>        there by Satan.  Since Satan exists, God must also exist. "
>>>> 
>>>>   I laughed at this.  But I have tried to find something on backward masking 
>>>> or similar occurances.  I can not find anything about it and am interested.
>>>> Can anyone point me in the right direction, or specifically:
>>>> 
>>>> 1.  Is backward masking technologically possible?
>>>> 2.  How is it done?
>>>> 3.  Are there other groups besides Led Zepplin which used it?   
>>>> 4.  Are there any good books, articles, etc. on the subject. 
> 
>Sorry I didn't catch the original post so I have to use this. 
> 
>1&2 Backmasking is simply the recording of a message/piece of music
>backwards on an audio recording and then recording (but preserving the
>backwards segment) music over it. I can't see any technical difficulty.
>You have backwards piece on tape A and music on tape B. You mix the two
>to obtain music w/backmask on tape C. Your friend is quite simply wrong.
>The Beatles used backmasking *long* before 'Stairway'.
> 
>3. It's a generic heavy metal thing. Practically every group has used
>it. Also, Kate Bush. Off the top of my head...probably lots more...
> 
>4. Avoid anything by rabid christian fundies at all costs....
> 
>Ollie (hi Semhaza)!

A couple of comments:

(1) A reversed piece of tape is not the only kind of backwards message.
In fact, this is NOT the case with "Stairway to Heaven."  Fundamentalists
claim to find messages in the ordinary, forward-recorded vocal tracks,
when played backwards.  They claim to hear these messages in reversed
human speech.  These sorts of messages have been found to be greatly
enhanced by the power of suggestion.  When fundamentalists give lectures
on rock music, they tell you what to listen for before they play these
messages.  When people aren't told what to listen for, they rarely hear
the same message.  (I've successfully "found" Satanic and bizarre
messages in Christian music by listening to records backwards and looking
for the same.)

(2) There is also a third kind of backwards message, and this is represented
by Kate Bush's backwards message on the song "Leave It Open" on her
_The Dreaming_ album.  This is where a vocal track has been electronically
processed so that one and the same track contains one message when played
forwards and a different message when played backwards.  The technology
for *this* probably didn't exist when "Stairway to Heaven" was recorded,
yet it is sometimes implied by fundamentalists that this is what Led
Zeppelin did.  (More frequently, however, the claim is made that what
Led Zeppelin did was not humanly possible and is thus evidence of
demonic influence.)

Jim Lippard              Lippard@CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU
Dept. of Philosophy      Lippard@ARIZVMS.BITNET
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
Xref: sparky alt.atheism:8161 alt.satanism:1319