christos7 said:

Well, a long time ago over in the Non Music site, I ran a serious thread about Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven. There's nothing hogwash about that song. The planted backward masks in that song is indeed intentional and is serious. And is well documented. That has to be the king of all backmaskings ever. I was hip to thi when I was 10 and they used to play this song backwards on Halloween on rock stations. That's where I first heard it. There are so many baskmaskings in that one song alone. And there clear as as day.

blackguitaristz said:

Shit, you're gonna make me revisit it, aren't you.. I can say this, when you spin the record you can adjust the speeds and it can be helpful. I know there was more, thought it was around the "say say" part. It's been a lot of years and I've never once tried it again. This crazy thread is the only thing that made me think about it, cuz it's a trend that's been avoided for years.

Some random thoughts:

Coming of age during Prince's peak in the 1980s and being the lone guitar player at my childhood church, I got a lot of scrutiny from church folks. And, I watched and read many a Christian documentary on secular music. Prince was constantly referenced by my Christian friends as demonic, and they were vocal about their concern for me because I was such an obvious musical devotee.

Central to Prince's schtick has been worship. I said this when he was dropping hints about being on "American Idol," and folks got upset. But, Prince has built a career on encouraging people to worship him, to be into him and to want to be like or around him.

Folks mention religious imagery or references to God as proof of his Christian leanings. Followers of Christ who were familiar with Prince in the 1980s probably remember that Prince's vibe was demonic. He came off, literally, like he was -- at the very least -- oppressed by demonic spirits. The fixation with sex would suggest, for example, a lust spirit.

Recently watching Lovesexy IV, I was struck by Prince's facial expressions. Different from the "funk faces" I've grown accustomed to in recent years, his faces seemed bizarre and different.

Back in the '80s, my mom said she hated the video for "When Doves Cry" because she found its imagery satanic (particularly the mirrored image part).

A classmate of mine, around the same time, claimed to have seen the face of the devil on the "Purple Rain" record cover, when she viewed it upside down.

There was a lot to his act back then that was extreme: the declarations of piety amid lurid sex, the misogyny, the violence (Purple Rain is especially violent, replete with suicide attempts and imagery) and the costumes (Prince's black Oscars shroud was described by one reviewer as satanic, back in the day).

Prince definitely put forth some overt images and lyrics, back in the day, and still makes references to some extent today.

blackguitaristz said:

You're right. From what I remember, a lot of the hidden messages were found in the second verse of the song and so fourth to the refrain.

MarcelJ said:

Ha ha! Hey, don't do something that u may regret!

blackguitaristz said:

Co-sign. Talk about opening Pandora's Box.

First of all blackguitaristz has always been a very rational enthusiast, so his opinion is relevant.

2nd, Prince ADMITS to his mistake.

In Anna Stesia--lyrics clearly say that
there was no way for him to differentiate
between day and black night--so he DANCED...

ThreadBare said:

Man, Irecall so much of what you're saying cuz I was there when all of ths went down too. ANYBODY that was around then would have had to be living under a rock to not have noticed this. P was too popular and he put it out there so blantantly. Many rockers from the 80's assumed that P was into black magic, at the very least. I'm telling u, rock mags like Circus and Creem, would always spoof on P either biting off of Jimi or that he was satanic. It was a common thought. If he wasn't, then baby, he certainly wanted people to think it. I have been over other kids houses, this was during 81-85 period and they could be playing P's albums in their room. These were black and white kids. In no time, their moms would come in and make some reference about P being evil. Either they would say P looked evil or that he had a "bad" aura. Never had I ever heard this about another mainstream artist. Never. I would hear it everywhere, at one point or another. During this time frame. 81-85.

blackguitaristz said:

what effect do you think this had on the listeners of the music during this time? who have they become? have they become evil as well?
[Edited 6/26/07 22:36pm]

luvsexy4all said:[quote]First of all blackguitaristz has always been a very rational enthusiast, so his opinion is relevant.

Wow..those are kind words. Thank you for that.

loveletter said:

A lot of Prince's references to witchcraft (both traditional magic and new age philosophy) possibly made people more receptive to those schools of thought or lifestyles.

Central to his music, for the bulk of his career before his more explicit "conversions," was this theme: "Do whatever you want, as long as nobody gets hurt." The theme turns up in everything from DMSR to We Can Funk. That, in itself, is the central theme for the church of satan. That same theme is decried in the Bible as being contrary to the ways of God. The Apostle Paul described that philosophy as being sowing unto the flesh instead of unto the Holy Spirit of God.

Even on this board, there's a schism between fans who prefer "dirty" Prince and the toned-down Prince of recent years. So, at the very least, the effect is seen in those who identify more with the "Uptown" Prince than with "The Word" Prince.

It's hard for me to discern where Prince is, because -- while there has been a bit of a lyrical shift, to some extent -- he still gravitates toward themes of sexual obsession and narcissism. That's as much his philosophical home base as blues is his home base on the guitar.
[Edited 6/26/07 22:43pm]

blackguitaristz said:

Indeed. This was a pivitol time. And P was definitely put on notice.
Around 85', the is when the censoreship and album rating campaign in Congress started up. And so many parents who already felt P had sinister motives had their children do away with their records.

MsLegs said:

A lot of parents thought Prince threw in religious references to mock God or to confuse impressionable teens into thinking sinful behavior was acceptable.

loveletter said:

Nah...I came from a Christian background. From both sides of my family. I had uncles on my mom and dad's side of the family who were ministers. Although I had a lot of freedom as a kid and had a very normal upbringing, I still was hip to right from wrong. And I always believed in God. That said, if others were like me, then nah, they would definately not be effected. One thing, I was blessed with insight. Period. And others are as well. Instinct. It's a feeling that you may get in the pit of your stomach when you KNOW something is not right. You can sense it. It's easy to push to the side when you like something. To ignore it. And I think certain artists depend on people doing just that.

Yes I somtimes wonder if Prince is a tool of Satan. But he's so religious. He's here to show us that sex and aprtying are divine fun. Although he's persona and voice can creep you out.

First they thought he way gay, now a satanist. We've already got a satanic drag queen, Marilyn Manson...there's not room for another.

See as a kid I used to think tthe big stars had evil twins. Madonna was Cyndi Lauper's evil tiwn and Prince was Michael Jackson's. I don't know who could be Janet Jackson's.....herself?

ThreadBare said:

Man Thread, dig...I've used that very word "mock" in a few of my posts on this very thread.

blackguitaristz said:

Agreed. To a degree, some artists expect fans to have total devotion to them to the extent that the fans lose themselves in the process. In a way, its like mindcontrol.

here's the lyrics :



Between white and black, night and day


BLACK NIGHT SEEMED LIKE THE ONLY WAY...

So I danced
Music late, nothing great (Music late, nothing great)
No way 2 differentiate (No way 2 differentiate)
I took a chance

I always wondered when I was a kid about the lyric from Controversy. Now mind you, this song happens to be my favorite prince song of all time. But the lyric "Do I belive in God? Do I believe in me?" used to make me wonder "So, P isn't sure if he himself believes in God?" I mean, that's what it sounds like. Why ask that in a song? The lyrical overtone of the song is basically centered around the press P was getting around his Dirty Mind tour about if he was black or white, straight or gay. So the "Do I believe in God?" kinda didn't fit with that theme. Unless some writer accussed him of not believing in God. I don't know. And then him including The Lord's Prayer. I never really got that either. Except that he was doing it to be controversial? Hence the title of the song and the album, Controversy. Again, I don't know. Also in the lyric to Lady Cab Driver. He ask Lady Cab to "drive this demon out of me".

blackguitaristz said:

So does this mean im going to hell for listening to Prince?

blackguitaristz said:

Ironically enough, he rapes the cab driver in the song.

Negritaluvyu said:

Prince and NO ONE else can make you go to hell.

blackguitaristz said:

Pricisely. Theres consequences for your own actions which decide your fate.

Great thread ladies and gents, I'm glad this is being discussed sensibly.

So what about Prince now? I've heard Mavis Staples wonder about his faith seeming to mean little to him these days. He appears to be more in love with money than 'freeing the music'.

If he is on the righteous path, I would've thought he'd be witnessing through his talent (God given or not), talk clearly about the path he (may) had wrongfully taken, the darkness he's been through and how he found Christ. Open his heart and represent himself and his faith honestly, that would be a responsible thing to do, send a solid message to his admirers and critics; set an example. But the man may still be fighting his desires and demons within.

These things can consume you. As a commercial artist myself and a believer in God, Christ and the Bible, I am and have been inspired by such dark spirits (and believe me, they seem quite natural when they come to you). Sometimes you have to make tough choices about the work you've produced from such inspiration (often it's seen as your best work by the unknowing public) and inevitably you face the reality and truth which is: “This work is was not of God, and should be destroyed unless it is to inspire others, including myself.” In the past, after arriving at this place, I have destroyed pieces of my work which I spent thousands of dollars and months producing. Afterward, sometimes months later, I found myself regretting their destruction and desiring the work back (and not for good reason), and sometimes going as far as to create similar (improved) pieces to replace them. But then some of those pieces are no longer yours to control, and live in the world for all who wish to see it; a testament to ‘that time you sold your soul’, and you have to live with that mistake for as long as it’s there, always regretting it.

So this leads me to think about Prince’s work and his reluctance to release his old music. Has he destroyed them? Will he? It also makes me wonder, if Prince receives the Masters to his recordings during the Warner Bros. years, would he destroy them?

Is Satan using the Warner Bros. years to yank his chain? He’d most likely keep Prince away from those works while he’s ‘on the righteous path’, kind of like owning the artists soul and torturing him/her.

If Prince has gone through the things we’re talking about, setting an example, being honest to those looking for guidance or inspiration, acting responsibly and representing God and his work properly is the best thing he could do (in my opinion). It would certainly help people in the same boat (many who may not be aware of it) find the light.

Whatever happens, I’d love to hear his account honestly and clearly spoken.

Here's something that scares me, though. I've been to church "VERY FEW" times in my life and when I had seen other people enjoying receiving "The Word of the Lord", while I wondered just why I couldn't revel in the same manner. It always use to get to me. I'd see others get "The Holy Ghost", so to speak, but it never reached my soul. I held my head down during the active height of service in shame, often wondering why I couldn't get as excited. My grandmother gave me this "Holy Bible" and I haven't read it, yet! I often feel ashamed. I don't know, but, when it came to equating sex and fun with religion, "Prince" was this confused cat, in the minds of some that found him that to be quite rebellious and the audacious acts of a hellion. I quite likened to the mentality of adjoining sensuality with spirituality. Hell, they say fornication is wrong in "The Holy Bible", but, to me, marriage is no longer sacred. I'd just as much as rather take the "Gene Simmons/Shannon Tweed" way of handling how and when to find your supposed soulmate. Those two have been together for twenty years, freaking each other and anyone else they had brought into the scene. I've often been afraid of religiosity and taken to the likes of spirituality, rather. But, I do realize that at some point, you've got to put a limit on some things. That's the difference between mindless perversion that leads to common rampage-like corruption, and the mentality of knowing which boundaries are better left alone than in being crossed.....right?

MsLegs said:

this thread truly gives me the creeps now - eeek.

blackguitaristz said:

Shut the fuck up you religious nut.

Listen to zappa's ;'jesus thinks your a jerk'

I swear, I read he was a Shapeshifter!
Prince is definitely a shapeshifter.

Take a look at say 10 different photos of him taken at different times.

For example Musicology front cover versus Guitar Video.

The differences are not just a simple matter of different clothes and 'images' either, the entire personality changes.

Not all shapeshifters are lizards, some are giant magnetic swirls of energy, each with their own persona....

Whichever 'intelligence' decides to take over the mental faculties of the person, changes the way they look and behave.

Now you know why Prince is always so full of surprises and unpredictable behaviour.

" Puppet of Higher Powers " - the true inner light of his soul was destroyed during childhood. Only a small fragment of it remains.

His heart is a portal for many masters of higher worlds to work through, hence the periods during his life when he seemed to be into New Age Spirituality..

Then his abrupt changes in religion after times of trauma, when his mind became fragmented even further, allowing different energies to step in.

The egoic characters that work through him are strictly of a dark nature, as egos preference is to remain separate from the unity of the human race, place itself as supreme ruler of the human being, wreak chaos and disorder etc... all with a charming grin and sedutive magnetism, usually displayed through the eyes. Many fall prey to it.

Then there's the nightclubbing vampire character, the one that never sees the sun, pale white skin, the lover of artificial light, female 'sacrifice' ( like Paris Hilton ). It loves to look down its nose at others, especially women who it subconsciously sees as some kind of threat, dominate them and outcast them from it's society.

Then there's the snivelling spiteful prat who gets aggressive if you don't get him what he wants immediately, and takes most heinous revenge on anyone it deems to have hurt it. It employs spies to investigate websites, for the sniff of what it would describe as 'foul play' but in reality, foul play to the entity is merely anything that exposes its existence, or directly threatens its self-motivated business interests.

There's another one called ' Pure Ego ' which has utterly no empathy for others, and any honest criticism it receives, it views as rage, then it placates the so-called rage with love songs. It never says I love you, but demands to hear it. It is paranoid beyond belief, has a plethora of imaginary enemies and listens only to the praises of its yes-people.

Then there's the geek, which is as close to the real Prince as you will get. Humour is its forte when in defence mode. A kind of lovable character, though nonetheless frustrating if you want to be serious about an issue.

Somewhere in the centre of it all is the same life-source we all share.

I wonder which 'intelligence' we will see manifest itself through Prince next.
[Edited 6/27/07 4:01am]

Has anybody tried this one yet??


When"Kiss" is reversed, within the within the first 30 seconds of the song playing backwards (during the part where Prince sings "You Don't Have To Be Rich To Be My Girl" at the end), you clearly hear the following: "Ssik" ("Kiss" said backwards sounds like "Sick"); You then hear Prince CLEARLY shouting "The Lord Is In My Life;" "The Lord is Coming Soon For You"