* Illustration: Sarah King * Ever since the mid-'60s, when thousands of bored and/or hopped-up Beatles fans wore out their needles playing Revolver backward, music fans have searched recordings for hidden messages. Often, the findings reflect nothing more than enhanced imaginations: If you really hear Robert Plant pledging his devotion to Satan on "Stairway to Heaven," you may need to cut down on the hot-knifing. But plenty of real missives are embedded in your favorite albums and videos. Can you dig 'em?
1967 The 3-D lenticular album art on the Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request contains tucked-away images of the Beatles.
1970 Vinyl pressings of Led Zeppelin III are discreetly inscribed with quotes from British occultist and "sex magick" hedonist Aleister Crowley.
1971 The liner notes on Violet Sedan Chair's album Seven Suns list a missing 11th song, and the penultimate track is rumored to produce hallucinatory effects when played on multiple turntables.
1984 On Purple Rain's "Darling Nikki," Prince closes with gibberish that, when played backward, sounds like "Hello, how are you? I'm fine, 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon."
1991 Nirvana buries an unlisted song, "Endless, Nameless," 13 minutes after the finale of Nevermind; hidden tracks soon become a staple of '90s alt-rock.
2000 A booklet concealed under the CD tray of Radiohead's Kid A contains images of gun-toting teddy bears, fanged monsters, and a demonic-looking Tony Blair.
2000 What appears to be an airport sign (J33-3) on the cover of U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind is a biblical reference to Jeremiah 33:3.
2005 Beck pays homage to Mad magazine's Al Jaffee by sneaking his name onto a TV screen in the "Girl" video.
2006 Tupac Shakur fans claim to hear the message "Yes, you'll see me, I'll be back" back-masked on the posthumous release Pac's Life.
2008 Coldplay includes two "hidden" tracks on Viva la Vida—but then reveals the names of the songs online, ruining the surprise.
Play Previous: Playlist: J.J. Abrams Picks What's Wired This Month Next: Star Trek's Beast Master Reveals How to Create a Monster
