Well, it all depends on who you believe.
Don Henley stated in write-up in their "The Complete Greatest Hits"
CD: "....We were enamored with
hotels. Hotels were a big part of our lives. The Beverly Hills
Hotel had become something of a focal point....I though there were
a certain mystery and romance about it....There are plays like Neil
Simon's Plaza Suite and California Suite, which Glenn and I went to
see while writing the song.... bla bla bla"
Obviously this quotation does not prove either way whether the
Eagles sang Satanic songs.
While, hopefully, trying not to sound too pro-Eagles, bear in mind
that there are always nay-sayers, and witch-hunters.
One issue about backmasking that had bothered me is: If a song is
sung by another singer, ie cover-version, does the backmasking
still exist?
Or to put it simply,
(A) is backmasking merely a reverse sounding sentence, ie by saying
a sentence, instead of singing the song, would the words have come
across as backmasked....
(B) alternatively, is backmasking a technical insertion, ie,
phrases inserted in a recording attempting to reach the subliminal
level of consciousness.
If the answer is (A) - then we CANNOT even recite the phrases in
Hotel California or for that matter work that combination of words
in our conversation as it might cause someone to stumble.
If the answer is (B) - then go ahead and buy the cover version,
backmasked words are not in it.
Or maybe it is (C) - the meaning of the words convey an ideology
that is contrary to one's chosen lifestyle. Then there are plenty
of this around, whether it's Eagles or Carlos Santana
At the end of it all, it is cause and effect! Does the song (or for
that matter, any genre of entertainment) affect you? Never seen
Hotel California affecting aunties and uncles.
I like Hotel California, but I am not affected by it in a say
supernatural. I listen to it and enjoy it, but I will not listen to
it all the time. I prefer cantopop - particularly the ah-pek type,
as well as ah-beng mandarin pop,
To anyone interested, the three-piece stroller band at Mandarin
Hotel plays a mean Hotel California. Have a meal at Triple Three (a
pricey buffet restaurant) and if the band comes to your table, you
may request for Hotel California. Filipino accented song, no
backmasking, I assure you.
