We've all heard the rumours about records holding secret messages, converting malleable minds to Satanism, and confessions of murder. But sometimes the truth is a whole lot goofier than the mad ramblings of the perpetually outraged moralists. So let's take a look at some of the strangest Easter eggs and treats for fans ever committed to music, starting with:

Empty Spaces - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd's classic album The Wall, has had its fair share of conspiracy theories heaped upon it, not least that playing it backwards reveals some pretty unchristian orders. Well, that's not entirely untrue. Kinda. Sorta. If you play their song 'Empty Spaces' forwards you might hear some strange mumbling. Play it backwards and - behold! - you'll find a secret message. And what does it say? 'Hello, hunters. Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont




Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

The Beatles recorded so many awesome songs that there's at least one song in their catalogue that'll appeal to everyone. Including the hipsters who say they loved the band before they were cool, and the hipsters who say that they hate the band because they're not cool. So the metal-heads have 'Helter Skelter', rockers get 'Twist and Shout', and balladeers can listen to, well, more or less any McCartney track. But what about your dog? At the end of the seminal Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, right after the final track, 'A Day in the Life', is a 15 kHz whistle - a frequency so high it can only be heard by our canine friends.





Bloodbath in Paradise - Ozzy Osbourne

Another classic from the back-masking days - listen to the opening to 'Bloodbath in Paradise', from Ozzy's fifth solo album, No Rest for the Wicked. If you've got both the vinyl and the time, play it backwards - we dare you! -Nah, don't worry, you won't hear cultist ramblings or proclamations by Ozzy of being the Devil, and your brain won't explode. But you will hear the Double-O parodying a classic line from The Exorcist, in which he declares, tongue-in-cheek, that, 'Your mother sells whelks in Hull'.





Here at London Speaker Hire, we love music. If you're seeking all the audio equipment you need to make your party go off with a bang - or just looking for superb speaker hire in London so you can hear these Easter eggs with crystal clear clarity - simply contact us on 020 3333 4444 and our awesomely knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to help.

In our last blog in this series we checked out some awesomely misbehaved musicians - or awesome musicians who misbehave. But with so many of them - it's a rockstar thang - it's impossible to fit them all into one list. So we'll continue our wild-child romp with:


The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols didn't last very long, but man, did they ever leave an imprint on music. Whether you dig on rancorous lyrics shouted at you by a maniacal front-man or not, it's undeniable that the Pistols tapped into a certain 70's psyche. Led by the rebellious Johnny Rotten and bassist Sid Vicious, the Sex Pistols sung about anarchy, Britain's apparently foolish deference to the Queen, and swore on early evening live TV, provoking a maelstrom of indignation from the sort of people who the Sex Pistols hated anyway. Even 30 years after their formation, when inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they declined the invitation, calling the museum a 'p*** stain'. That's punk, right there!





Amy Winehouse

Back in the early years of the 21^st century you couldn't open a tabloid without seeing the beehive barnetted Amy Winehouse groggily stumbling out of some hip London bar with all the elegance of a cat on stilts. She was described as a 'filthy-mouthed, down-to-earth diva' and 'a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor impulse control.' It didn't end well for the soul singer though, who died in 2011. Unless you're Keith Richards, drink and drug cocktails rarely work out in the long run. She binged her way through copious amounts of vodka and straight into the infamous 27 Club. Just before she overdosed, she was well on her way down - missing engagements and rambling lyricless through tracks like 'Valerie'.




Keith Moon

If you're looking for a true musical hellraiser, look no further than Keith Moon of The Who. You could pretty much write a whole book on Moon's misdemeanours alone. Moon pretty much created and defined what a rock and roll hellraiser should be. The British drummer had a penchant for blowing up toilets with dynamite, throwing TVs out the windows of hotel rooms, and he drank and drugged himself up to the eyeballs. As a consequence, he was banned from every hotel he ever attempted to check into. One memorable encounter with a hotel manager saw the man ask Moon to turn down his music as it was too loud. Moon excused himself, popped an explosive down the toilet and returned. After the loo was blown to smithereens, Moon said: 'Now that, dear boy, is noise.' On another occasion, he loaded his drum-kit with gunpowder set to ignite at the climax of The Who's anthem, 'My Generation'. The blast deafened the band, singed Pete Townshend's hair, and lodged shrapnel in Moon's arm. Rock on!




So if you're looking to really raise some hell at your event, here at London Speaker Hire we can help. We offer tons of great equipment to make your event a real blast, including PA hire. For more information, just contact us on 020 3333 4444 and our friendly staff will be happy to help.

In our last blog in this series we checked out some awesomely misbehaved musicians – or awesome musicians who misbehave. But with so many of them – it’s a rockstar thang – it’s impossible to fit them all into one list. So we’ll continue our wild-child romp with…

 

The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols didn’t last very long, but man, did they ever leave an imprint on music. Whether you dig on rancorous lyrics shouted at you by a maniacal front-man or not, it’s undeniable that the Pistols tapped into a certain 70’s psyche. Led by the rebellious Johnny Rotten and bassist Sid Vicious, the Sex Pistols sung about anarchy, Britain’s apparently foolish deference to the Queen, and swore on early evening live TV, provoking a maelstrom of indignation from the sort of people who the Sex Pistols hated anyway. Even 30 years after their formation, when inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they declined the invitation, calling the museum a ‘p*** stain’. That’s punk, right there!



 

Amy Winehouse

Back in the early years of the 21^st century you couldn’t open a tabloid without seeing the beehive barnetted Amy Winehouse groggily stumbling out of some hip London bar with all the elegance of a cat on stilts. She was described as a ‘filthy-mouthed, down-to-earth diva’ and ‘a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor impulse control.’ It didn’t end well for the soul singer though, who died in 2011. Unless you’re Keith Richards, drink and drug cocktails rarely work out in the long run. She binged her way through copious amounts of vodka and straight into the infamous 27 Club. Just before she overdosed, she was well on her way down – missing engagements and rambling lyricless through tracks like ‘Valerie’.



 

Keith Moon

If you’re looking for a true musical hellraiser, look no further than Keith Moon of The Who. You could pretty much write a whole book on Moon’s misdemeanours alone. Moon pretty much created and defined what a rock and roll hellraiser should be. The British drummer had a penchant for blowing up toilets with dynamite, throwing TVs out the windows of hotel rooms, and he drank and drugged himself up to the eyeballs. As a consequence, he was banned from every hotel he ever attempted to check into. One memorable encounter with a hotel manager saw the man ask Moon to turn down his music as it was too loud. Moon excused himself, popped an explosive down the toilet and returned. After the loo was blown to smithereens, Moon said: ‘Now that, dear boy, is noise.’ On another occasion, he loaded his drum-kit with gunpowder set to ignite at the climax of The Who’s anthem, ‘My Generation.’ The blast deafened the band, singed Pete Townshend’s hair, and lodged shrapnel in Moon’s arm. Rock on!



 

So if you’re looking to really raise some hell at your event, here at London Speaker Hire we can help. We offer tons of great equipment to make your event a real blast, including PA hire. For more information, just contact us on 020 3333 4444 and our friendly staff will be happy to help.