hexagon son wrote:agreed. on both counts. ive always had a facination with music and any sound played backwards. me and my brothers used to try and talk backwards when we were kids anddidnt want our parents knowing what we were saying. but there is something very strange (and sometimes downright scary) about reversing sound. i fear if i get into this any more, people will jump all over me so i'll leave it at that.
When we were kids, my brother and I were also pretty fascinated with reversed sounds, backwards messages, and other hidden/obscure stuff in the music we liked.
There was a book we were into called "Big Secrets" which had a whole chapter on bands putting "secret" material into their music (a la Pink Floyd and the reversed message at the end "Empty Spaces").
Another thing I remember was a television show on what was called the Family channel. It was on late Saturday nights. I can't remember the name, but the host was the infamous Rev. Bob Dornan. It was 30 minutes of this christian blowhard playing examples of the 70's rock and 80's metal bands who put "satanic" messages into their music.
It was probably intended for the kind of people who sit at home on Saturday night worrying about EVIL music, but my brother and I loved watching it. Much of the music we subsequently listened to was a direct result of it.
I admit that it freaks me out a little, even now. I can't exactly explain why, but I bet that at least part of it has to do with the "backwards masking" hysteria that guys like Dornan and the PMRC wives perpetuated in the 80's.
A lot of why I was drawn to BoC in the first place has to do with the little reversed details in their music....and I don't think their facination with it is any different than yours or mine.