Shred Zeppelin

Now that you're all sufficiently schooled in the many artistic nuances of 60+ Versions of "Stairway to Heaven", we ask that you spend some time deconstructing them all with the aid of these two WUWU-FM radio personalities discussing the allegedly Satanic messages contained in Led Zep's original version. [Download MP3].

Marvel at the relatively recent past (summer '82), in which the world was so footloose and fancy free that its inhabitants had to make up imaginary demons on record albums, instead of worrying about the real demons that are in charge of the world. Also, marvel at the fact that in order to effectively communicate the desired Satanic message, Robert Plant had to reveal his fierce Trenton accent, strangely only evident when he sang, ummm, backwards. ("Because ahhw live wit' Sayt'n"?)

Fortunately, modern digital technology makes it a lot easier to listen to your records backwards, and doesn't put your treasured hi-fi equipment at risk the same way that errantly spinning LPs does. There's even a great website that features many of the classics of the genre. For those not up to speed on the available digital marvels that enable this, we have a special tool for it here at WFMU, so as to not leave anyone out of our eventual joyride on the Lake of Fire. Last one in's a rotten egg!

By the way, WUWU-FM (aside from being fun to say if pronounced "woo-woo-eff-emm") is now alleged to have been "a failed experiment in Buffalo, NY". (It lasted for just north of a year as the "new wave" station before switching formats.) Apparently, the working class tastes of Buffalo did not smile upon edgy new artists like Flock of Seagulls and Men at Work. Listener Henry, who supplied me with this MP3, claims that today's Buffalo FM rock stations still sound the same way they did 20+ years ago, with artists like Supertramp and Molly Hatchet in heavy rotation as though they were hot up and comers.

Comments

[Paul]

Most of WUWU staff were refugess from WZIR (Wizard FM!). That station switched to "new wave" for about two years ending the summer of '81. Gary Storm was either the music or programme director (can't remember which) and his midnight shift (called "Oil of Dog") was quite memorable. WZIR would feature a single band for an hour straight from 6-7pm. Bands included Pil, Joy Division and The Jam. Yes, once upon a time there was such a thing as adventurous commercial radio. Only problem was, it wasn't commercially viable.

So WUWU was another attempt at it, not as successful as WZIR, IMO. Don't know how well managed WUWU was. I remember one night a DJ getting punched out live on air and then dead air.

Anyone remember WGRQ's "Power Rock"? Two hours on Sunday night in the early '80s. That's where I was introduced to Dead Kennedys, YMO, Visage, Jah Wobble.

If anyone has any more info about this interesting chapter in Western NY music/radio history please get in touch: polvough at gmail dot com. I'd kill for more audio.

[Steve PMX]

but without imaginary demons and the spectre of black magic/satanism to guide them, Venom might not have ever released their classic masterpiece Black Metal in 1982. That album could single-handedly wipe it's own ass with all of today's 'metal' bands combined.

Subliminal messages in rock music played backwards is something very 80s in my mind, but there's still alot of religious freaks who will search to find anything which may be construed as giving them insight into impending doom or 'the rapture.' One organization even provides Training Courses on deciphering backwards music/speech/etc....:

http://www.reversespeech.com/training_courses.htm

[Recordgeek]

The whole backwards masking / devil worship angle is part of the sacred legacy of record geekdom - at least for those of us who grew up in the midwest during the eighties. I'll bet half the records I bought between the ages of 13 and 20 were purchased simply because my friends and I had seen them mentioned in anti-rock tracts. In highschool, a record simply was not cool in our crowd until Bob Larson had gotten all bent out of shape about it on "Talk Back." Back then, a copy of "The Satan Seller" was as important a piece of rock 'n' roll equipment as were our Black Flag records. To this day, a close friend and I will watch "Hell's Bells: The Dangers of Rock Music" all the way through, then play demonic rock records into the wee small hours. It is the urban legend which gives the ephemora of youth power.

My contribution to the canon can be found at http://recordgeek1.tripod.com/etchedinblack/id16.html

[Brian C]

Paul--I remember GRQ's "Power Rock". Cool punk/new wave show on the heavy metal station 93 FM. 8-10 Sunday nights. I'll email ya.

[John From Toronto]

I remember WUWU and Gary Storm's show specifically.

Failed experiment it may have been but is was fun and original compared to many of the radio stations at the time.

[God's Girl]

What I saw on your website here was dispicable! You all are playing with fire in a most literal sense! There is a judgement coming someday,and it is nothing to make light about. Those who treat God's grace and love with disregard will face the punishment of Hell! It will be worse than anything any of us can ever imagine! I pray that God will somehow get through to your hearts and have mercy on your souls! It is not his desire that any man should perish but that all should come to repentence! I hope that you will realize the error of your ways befor it is too late and give your lives to Christ, who loves you, instead of to Satan, who despises your soul! One day every knee will bow before Christ and declare that HE ALONE is LORD regardless of what they think today. Do it today while there is time instead of in the end where you are forced and must still suffer consequences besides! THERE IS STILL HOPE! I love you all and will be praying that God will get hold of your hearts before it is too late!

[ZenMatt]

I can see how out-dated this BLOG is but I'm still intrigued to make a post. I'd heard Stairway backwards at the age of 8, I am now 37. Thing is, I'd forgotten all about the backwards Stairway ideology until I accidently found the WUWU FM exerpt on playlist.com. There are Christian fundamentalists abroad who will disect heavy metal songs and other popular music looking for hidden messages. If anyone is well-versed in the english language you know very good and well that common conversation will also have sounds in the likes of forward english. Kinda makes we wanna disect a bunch of Amy Grant and Mercy Me albums looking for the same. C'mon folks... Christianty in its own rite has a bloody history of coaxing the world into submission to its beliefs covered in martyr fashion to continue the cause. The Stairway disecting is yet another effort on Christiandom's behalf to instill it's "Godly Fear" dogma practice. When one belief system claims to be the one and only "true" religous/philosophical belief system it is by nature- obsoleting everyone else. The problem is that there are a handful of other religions that also feel very strongly that they are the one and only and this creates less humanhood than we started with. It's spiritual country-clubism at its finest! Lay off Led Zeppelin and start trying to find a way to get along with the rest of the spiritual world. God has many names and they are ALL correct. Just diffrent flavors coming from different parts of the world. By claiming that HE ALONE is the one and only you are short-changing your fellow common man. It's quite narrow minded actually. Quite a selective belief in itself trying to sweep so many hundred years of Chistianity's bloody entourage under the carpet. Don't believe me? Visit the California Missions and ask how they were built... you might learn that Father Padre Serra enslavened the Chumash and other native indians to build them. Many were killed. The Christians will have their day and will find themselves questioning the very roots of what they've come to believe. Until then... have a nice day!

[Andy]

It's all a blur now but I remember both WZIR and WUWU. I think WZIR had "Dempster Bucks of the Buffalo Sniveling Snooze", who turned out to be Dale Anderson. He got in trouble with the Snooze and stopped appearing on WZIR.

WUWU was a mess, a headless horse. One night the DJ's got drunk and kept playing "Peek-a-Boo" by DEVO, over and over and over. I remember thinking, "What a waste of an opportunity". Near the end, a couple of the DJ's locked themselves in the transmitter and kept broadcasting until the police finally shut them down.

Those were the days! (I forgot most of them but everybody tells me I had a good time...)

[Alex]

Oh, god, the antics of WUWU! Does anybody remember the "Mammas and Pappas Weekend"? All weekend long, they kept alternating between "Pappa oom mow mow" and "Mamma oom mow mow" by the Rivingtons (with, occasionally, "The bird is the word" thrown in). Two and a half DAYS of this! To this day, whenever I hear any Rivington's song, I cringe......