Sjarra Rob said a tthe trial something like why would I tell record buyers to kill themselves that would be stupid and bad for sales I think I paraphrased a little its the jist of it though and he is right
The only time I've played a record backwards was in 1983 to hear the mystic message before "Still Life" by Iron Maiden. It was Nicko McBrain impersonating Idi Amin. It destroyed my life. Now I pretend I'm an Ugandan dictator, jumping into pools with my clothes on.
For shame people, actually listen to these guys. Pay attention to the lyrics and overall song style. This stuff is actually pretty uplifting. Songs like 'You'e Got Another Thing Comin' are almost like 'positive thinking' or motivational success stuff a-la Tony Robins or Zig Ziglar to electric guitars. Hell, when I was young and depressed and actually thinking about offing myself, I'd just throw on Screaming for Vengeance and crank it to 11. Didn't need medication, shrinks, the psych ward or any of it. Just 'Ridin' on the Wind' loud enough to make my ears ring. I don't know how many people Priest's lyrics actually goaded into suicide, but I can honestly say their music actually helped convince me NOT to "do it." It incenses me that they ever had to stand trial for this nonsense. And the real punch line here is that in the days of the "Satanic Panic" I was often hectored for listening to this kind of stuff. The religious right can fuck off forever.
Samizdat Broadcasts spot on! Whenever I get depressed I listen to some Priest. Their music has saved me from so many bad times it’s not even funny and you’re right it is almost like positive thinking. You take the lyrics and apply them to your life and your situation and it makes you feel empowered to beat whatever is in your way of being happy.
I remember watching Rob Halford do that tape trick in court on TV with my brother when this case actually happened. I was never much of a Priest fan, but I have to hand it to them - they definitively showed up so-called "backward masking" as a bunch of crap. And as I get older, I like some of their stuff. Respect.
Even if an album had a backwards message such as: "Hey guys, Satan here. I'm recruiting you for my army of evil to kill the nonbelievers" nobody would A: Notice or B: Care. I listen to my albums forwards. Backwards sublimental messages don't work.
***** I've been rocking with Judas Priest for nearly forty years and have yet to find some backwards, upside down, back to front all around hidden secret message. None my my equipment will operate that way in a normal manner and it would take way too much effort to do it as you have stated. Granted some songs have a dark side to them if that is the right expression. So do some children's books and classic fairy tales. I believe there may be some music out there that is about the glorification of all things evil and when I hear it I will be my own censor. If need be for my Grandchildren as well. For the most part a Heavy Metal show is just a fantasy like a good movie can be. We should know the difference between reality and make believe. At least you and I seem to know the difference.
Rob himself suffered depression for many years I imagine this hurt him to think he would encourage something so sad when he had contemplated it himself and suffered depression and drug addiction himself
That's exactly right! "Do it" is going to reflect whatever is in the mind of the listener...the kids in this case had attempted suicide before, they were into drugs, they had emotional problems...do we really need to look for other reason why they might try to kill themselves? Besides, I seem to remember another entity that put a similar phrase on their international ad campaign: "Nike" ('Just do it') ring a bell?
Well, I listened to the whole album the other day while driving to work, and I admit that my eyes locked into a glazed stare when I heard "Do it!" I took that as a message, and when I got to work, I got down to business. The only way I could interpret the message was "Share a beer with your co-workers and be nice to people today."
Perseverance is the word for the career of Judas Priest . Struggling without an image for almost a decade.Priest was a band with lots of talent and no identity. Meeting comedian and actor Harry Shearer in 1985 was an informative experience. He confirmed my suspicion that much of the story of Spinal Tap was based on the 1970's career of JP. Way before the leather spikes and motorcycle, Priest at times looked like Zepplin or even Sabbath. They struggled with marketing, stage ideas and inept management. While the harder edges were present in the early days,there are tracks on the first 4 records that could have been present on anyone's album. It was without question, Robs homosexuality that saved the band from anonymity. He turned up at band practice still in his leathers after a party one night.He himself didn't think much of it-the other guys knew his preferences. But both Glen and the bands manager were adamant! This "look" was going to work!! And work it did! out on tour in 80-81 Rob began to add increasing amounts of gear. By the time Screaming for Vengeance spawned it's first single "You got Another thing Coming " Rob Halford had become the definition of a Heavy Metal frontman.The rest is history.
They already had built a great amount of momentum after Sad Wings of Destiny and Sin After Sin so they weren't exactly dwelling in anonymity. But I agree that the leather image that Rob brought in helped them big time to become as huge as they did.
And here we go with the retard of the decade award!! Priest already had an identity ! In case you don’t know identity is solely based on an artist relevance and talent. And they already had that in their early days. Secondly, they already had taken a heavier edge in the late 70’s music wise but also with the look that fitted it. Rob already had that chain and leathers outifts before the time you’re talking about! So it’s another non valid point. Finally why are you bringing Rib being gay? Except for being gay yourself and trying to validate your gayness? Rob came up with that look cos it went along with music! Not the other way round. And as much as Rob was playing visually with some codes from the gay community, the all leather and chains look was already present in metal before and all the other musicians or vocalists who adopted it before or after Rob were not gay. So this argument is utterly abysmally moronic. Please spare us your irrelevant cod philosophy !!
I don't see anyone complaining about 10 year old girls listening to 50 cent's "I'll take you to the candy shop...I'll let you lick my lollipop" Go figure...
I feel down pretty often......but you know its when I listen to my favourite metal bands that I get picked up and wanna hear them more! If only Rob came out and told people what he was going through before all that crap happened. Nobody would have listened to that rubbish they accused the band of.
But maybe the fact that JP got targeted meant that bands who had less protection from such claims were spared. They handled the case as well as any metal band could. Supportive, respectful, smart, composed, understanding, and unapologetic. They also never preach drug use or suicide and whatever they did themselves was their damn business (until they went to rehab). Hell, they showed up in suits! I'm not quite so sure anyone else would win; our judges are pretty stupid, and we the kings of scaped goats.
This tugs at the old heartstrings, man. At 3:03 Metal God or no Metal God, seeing the suicide weapon. Maybe part of him felt like crying because you can see how distressed and woeful he is about the whole absurd affair. Sentimental I know, but I just wanna give him a great big hug :(
I'm the one who asked for the peppermint and I'm still waiting for her to get it ... damn it, it's been decades now, how fucking long will I have to wait?
Not to mention the song in question, "Better By You, Better Than Me" was written by Spooky Tooth and is on 1969's "Spooky Two." Which I recommend, it's pretty fucking good.
Judge: I find you guilty of writing this satanic song. Rob: But, your honour, i didn't write it. Judge: Then who did? Rob: Gary Wright. Judge: The Dream Weaver guy??? Rob: Yes
what about "raking the lawn, raking the lawn" it's clearly commanding people to do that but, what if it's winter? someone gets a cold, dies. judas gets sued again... like damnnn!
The 1987 Digital Dictator album by Vicious Rumors had a backwards playable message at the end of side one, that said something along the lines of "Be good to your mom and dad... oh, and by the way, you're ruining your needle"... Warlock's 1987 "Triumph And Agony" LP had "Turn me over, turn me over" backwards at the end of side one...
@soccerj75 No, it doesn't kill. It just makes you want to throw up and scream until the song is over. Then you take a breather and tackle the next song.
I might have said this before but that is what it says when played backward. It says" I asked her for a peperment, I asked her to go get one" Now I do not what it is when played forward but if you take the forward part and the backward message part it makes since. I did one with Peter Criss of KISS in the song Get Away. Foreward it says "Some People they tell me, They Tell me" Backwards it says "HIm Wasted, Him Wasted" Meanning he was a drug user and he knew everyone talked behind his back.
I think the main thing here (and the bit which was omitted from the video) to mention is that Better By You Better Than Me is not a Judas Priest song, Priest did a perfect cover of the Spooky Tooth original so whatever the parents heard on the cover would also be on the original too.
love the beginning "is rock music corrupting the nations youth" then bruces "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" aha
2 things 1. Number of The Beast is about a guy that witnesses a black mass... "this cant go on I must inform the lord... " 2. WHAT BIT IS THAT IN THE BEGINNING??? I love Blackadder... Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry
Brain games had an episode on this, where they played nonsensical sounds, then said what it was supposed to say, and you could actually hear that. They said that it was because of how we learn words, we can adopt meaning to certain sounds that mean nothing on their own.
I don't know about you all, but if I were Judas Priest, after going through this ridiculousness, I'd be screaming... for vengeance... I regret nothing.
@guitarthroat - The evidence suggests that there was a historical Jesus, but that the gospels are not a reliable guide to what he did or said. For one thing, the New Testament is written from the perspective of trying to show that Jesus was the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament ('Christ'=Greek for 'Messiah'). There are gospels that didn't make it into the Bible that contradict the ones that did. We just don't know what Jesus thought; we only know what people wanted him to have thought.
@EDHUNTERuptheirons It is not so much what you sing or say as it is how you sound when you sing or say something. . Case in point, Peter Criss of KISS sang the song Holligan. When he screamed the words" WHAT CAN I DO?" it says this when played backwards "OH, I NEED HELP!" meaning that he was asking the question what could he do about his lifestyle and that he knew deep down that he needed help. What you feel inside sometimes comes out in the way you sing somethings. Reverse speech.
