Were there ever really any Satanic messages when you played old rock LP albums backwards?

Question

Why would people think such a thing? Are they placed on CD's now? How do you play one of those backwards?

Answer 1

It's an urban legend. It started in the 1960's when stoned hippies decided the mesaages they heard playing the records backwards (it was possible w/ some record players. One model I had i could set it between 33 and 45 and it would be in "nuetral", then you could spin it backwards manually).

What it really was, is the imagination of people. If you say "Number nine." over and over again on a reel to reel tape player, play it backwards, it will sound like "turn me on dead man", if you use your imagination. Some of the things I've heard people claim as "backward masking" back then were laughable.

Critics said this "backward masking" was a form of brain washing known as "subliminal persuasion". But subliminal messages must be below norma audio level, and not backward to work. Most tests show they really don't work at all. And if you think about it, why would someone spend millions of dollars to record "snort, snort, take a snort" (as Styx supposedly did on "Snowblind"). Wouldn't they record things like "Buy our next album" or "Don't bootleg this album"?

Some said the Beatles gave clues that Paul McCartney was dead, and for some reason they spent millions of dollars to cover up the fact...only to give clues in record albums.
In the 1980's, the legend morphed into Satanic messages instead of clues about Paul's death (that never happened, he's still alive, BTW). "Revolution Number 9" supposedly said "Turn me on, dead man", a refernce to Paul, now became "Dead men turn me on", meaning the Beatles were promoting necrophillia. Eventually the rumors were promoted by (fake) ex-Satanists Mike Warneke and John Todd/Lance Collins, as well as many mininformed evangelicals. John Todd was exposed as a fraud in the book The Todd Phenomenon and Warneke was exposed as a fraud in the Christian magazine Cornerstone a few years later.

Eventually LPs were replaced by CDs, and the whole things has been pretty much forgotten.

Answer 2

With the looks of covers' such as Led Zepellin "In Through the Out Door" it wouldn't surprise anyone. It can always be argued that since there are vocals on albums anyway some would have some strange patterns when spun backwards, and in fact at certain speeds "Abbey Road" does seem to contain the infamous "Paul is Dead" message. However, I don't think anyone has the speech patterns contained in most rock songs, so would it be a wonder if they made some sense backwards?

Answer 3

As spamahoy states in their answer, it was subliminal bullpoop capitalized on by easily scared people. If I told you "I hate you" would play on an old Madonna 45 if you played it backwards, you'd hear it simply because I planted the thought in your head before you listened to the record. I can also remember teachers in elementary school playing movies backward & thought we'd heard weird messages. There weren't any of course. All we were hearing was the sound badly distorted due to the reverse play feature.

It was proven over & over that it was a lot of hogwash that wasted too much time of a lot of people. Those who think they're hearing messages still to this day are still believing in the old subliminal messages. It was funny then & still is now simply because there never was or were any messages.

Answer 4

As spamahoy states in their answer, it was subliminal bullpoop capitalized on by easily scared people. If I told you "I hate you" would play on an old Madonna 45 if you played it backwards, you'd hear it simply because I planted the thought in your head before you listened to the record. I can also remember teachers in elementary school playing movies backward & thought we'd heard weird messages. There weren't any of course. All we were hearing was the sound badly distorted due to the reverse play feature.

Answer 5

before the advent of C.D's, digital recording and Dat tapes, recording studios had reel to reel tapes. You could do with a reel tape what D.J's did by spinning records backwards. Only because of possible lawsuits and violations of the rules or else I would have listed a few for you. Not a few heavy metal bands , when you play their music backwards --as plain as daylight you could hear words chanting to the demonic Commander-in-Chief. Some expressed their love for him just as plain. If you think the hypnotic effect certain types of music have on some teens and their urge to do certain types of drugs when specific artists' music get into their system--you would be surprised. The next time Larry King hosts an exorcist by the name of Bob Larson, get as many of your friends as possible and tune in. You can check ou his website and perhaps even order specific videos of people who went through deliverance from those types of demonic entanglements. I know the guy personally: he is for real. Here is his website: www.boblarson.org.
Boaz.

Answer 6

I did try that with Led Zep's Stairway to heaven on my turntable and the specific spot to listen to is:" there's a feeling I get , when I look to the west." Now I don't remember the evil message but you could hear the word satan for sure.I only I still had my 2 turntables . I was a DJ and used to mess around a lot with records back in the days. Try it , if you dare!!!

Answer 7

Yes heard it with my own ears, yes it was on a CD, when I first went to college I had a computer program that reversed wave files, my roomate was a Led Zeppelin fan so he just had to play Stairway to Heaven backwards. I was quite skeptical, and for awhile we didn't hear anything so I was saying I told you so. Then about halfway through or so it unmistakably says "My sweet Satan, I've got another child for you my sweet Satan." It starts around the bustle in your hedge row part. Don't know if it is intentional or coincidental or what but it is there

Answer 8

i personally don't believe it. i believe when they were played backward that they sounded terrible, so somebody started the satanic thing, probably by some parent trying to scare their kid from listening to rock music, there was a time when alot of parent's considered it devil music. there's a saying that say's "if you don't fall for something, you'll fall for anything!" might be why people believed it, but for the most part, i think it was a scare tactic parent's were using and it took off like wildfire. i think if a cd could be played backward it sound just as distorted. i don't think they can be played backward's. good question, i grew up in that era and it did cause alot fear at that time.oh, by the way your avatar is terrible!

Answer 9

In my younger days, we heard the same rumor. We put Stairway to Heaven on a turntable, put the needle on the inside edge of the record (near the label) and spun it backwards. It does sound like someone saying "My Sweet Satan" a few times. But as one of the other writters mentioned, there's a lot of gibberish as well. I have no idea if it is on purpose or a coincidence.

Answer 10

I've heard backward messages on old records. Some sound plain as day as if they were put there for publicity. Other times I think it's just people "digging" to find something bad about rock music.