1. Joe Walsh - "Life's Been Good"
This one isn't really tough to find. Nowadays, or at least when albums were still being purchased quite regularly, it isn't uncommon for an artist or band to include a song after the last track on an album. Perhaps it's just a song that isn't listed or maybe it appears after a few minutes of silence. Well what appears after the last track on Walsh's But Seriously, Folks... released in 1978 isn't really a song. I am not sure i'd even call it a reward for not stopping the album after a little bit of silence. Joe Walsh comes in after "Life's Been Good" fades out and says "Uh oh, here comes a flock of wah-wahs" and then multiple voices chime in and began to imitate duck sounds. You can't make that up folks. Why is it there? No one knows...Walsh himself probably can't even remember, but i'm sure at the time it was funny to him and maybe one other person. Thankfully it's been edited out in the single version for radio play.
2. Led Zeppelin - "In Through The Out Door"
Zeppelin's final album with the original four members was 1978's In Through The Out Door. Musically it was solid, though it did deviate slightly from the jazz and blues inspired rock that Zeppelin fans have come to know. The album sleeve itself was somewhat different. Gone were the intricate pictures, colourful spreads or even the number system that the band would assign to previous albums (1 through 4). In Through The Out Door merely featured black and white photographs of a smoky bar and inside it had bland black and white pencil drawings. Bland until that is someone had the idea (probably by accident) to get those pictures wet, for once they were wiped with water they would become permanently colourized. It was never mentioned in the liner notes and the band never officially announced the trick. It was simply just meant to be accidentally discovered.
3. Moist - "Creature"
This one is probably not a true Easter Egg as it appears it wasn't done deliberately. There a few hidden vocals on Moist's sophomore album Creature that it seems were picked up by in studio microphones and either not noticed in post or simply left in. At the end of track 2 "Theme From Cola" as soon as David Usher stops singing and the music ends turn the volume way up and hear the other band members' reactions to Usher's over eager performance. Also on the soft, piano-driven track "Disco Days" when David stops singing and the piano continues for another few minutes a faint conversation can heard behind the music, though what is being discussed is impossible to make out. Again, nothing too mind-blowing here, but sometimes it's the little things.
4. Damien Rice - "9 Crimes"
I've talked about Damien Rice's 2 albums before O and 9. On the second album there is a little treat for fans if you look in the pre-gap. Now a pregrap is essentially track 0 on a CD. Like how most songs have a second or two of silence between them track 1 usually has the same, but CD players typically are programmed to began playing on track 1 and skip the pregap all together. On Damien Rice's 9 when the first track starts playing, press the skip back button and hold it down to rewind the CD. You'll have to rewind through the 3 minute pregap, but it's worth it as there is a demo version of "9 Crimes" waiting to be listened to.
5. Radiohead - "Kid A"
Radiohead have always done things their way. From songs, to albums and videos Radiohead have been in a category all their own. When Kid A was released in 2000 it was noted to be quite a departure from their previous albums. While Radiohead albums have typically been a little left of center they always had the draw of mainstream radio and video play. Kid A seemed to be more experimental, a trait that would stick with the band for the next decade, but it's the album sleeve that caught people's attention here. There were no lyrics or band photos, just a few blank pages and some landscape paintings. Oh and a cryptic little swimming pool of blood...that's for another list. If you cracked the jewel case open however and looked under the CD tray, you would find a second booklet filled with poetry, original artwork, political satire and commentary and some truly bizarre scribblings. Don't go running out to buy a copy and see for yourself though, as the hidden booklet was only featured on original pressings of the album back in 2000.
6. Korn - "Daddy"
Korn are another band that used the album format to it's fullest extent. They usually include full, lush booklets with imagery relating to the album's themes. On 1998's Follow The Leader the first 60 seconds of the record is complete silence in honour of a fan that had passed away. And on their breakthrough self-titled album when the last track "Daddy" comes to an end it's followed by about 5 minutes of dead air, after which a hidden track begins to play. It isn't one of the most bizarre hidden tracks, but it could be one of the most disturbing. Producer Ross Robinson claims he found it on some old tapes as he was mixing in the studio and felt it needed to be heard on the record. It seems to be a recording of a husband and wife arguing while attempting to fix a car, but the way in which the man speaks to his wife is what makes it almost unlistenable. Add that to the fact that "Daddy" itself is an intense, personal track for Jonathan Davis, when the album is truly over you may need a moment of silence for yourself.
7. Incubus - "Chuck"
Chuck isn't a song by Incubus or an album, but rather a moustached, smirking face that seems to appear in their album sleeves. He is prominently featured on the cover of 1997's S.C.I.E.N.C.E and also makes appearances inside of the booklets for their next two albums. Who is he? No one really knows, Incubus' lips are sealed, but there are theories of course. Some say he was one of the band members' high school gym teacher. Some say he is Brandon Boyd's father's longtime friend. Others think he is the morphed combination of all 5 of Incubus' members faces. Perhaps it's one of the world's great mysteries that we are destined to ponder over forever.
8. Pearl Jam - "Yield"
Pearl Jam is another band who's albums are usually just as interesting and in depth as their songs. Who can forget the polaroids that came with No Code? Or the ancient textbook on the human condition known as Vitalogy? But did you know about the Yield game? Pearl Jam's 1997 album Yield was hyped more than any of their albums since their first, they even made a music video for a song off of it...the unforgettable "Do The Evolution". Next time you've got the album and booklet in front of you though, take a look at the yield sign on the cover. Because hidden in every picture inside that booklet is the same yield sign. Some are more obvious than others, but it's there. Something to accompany your next Yield session with.
9. Tool - "Lateralus"
I don't know if i'm smart enough to explain this one, but i'll try. In 2001 Tool were ready to release their first album in 6 years. 1995's Aenima was the last they did with Zoo Entertainment and they were stuck in legal red tape trying to get out of the contract for years after. So when they announced that recording for Lateralus had begun they wanted to make a special album for their fans. Tool is fronted by human enigma Maynard James Kennan and has the brilliant Adam Jones on lead guitar. Upon listening to Lateralus you can detect something is a bit off...the songs are incredible, don't get me wrong, but there's almost a formulaic undertone in some of them. The title track itself apparently uses a mathematical equation in it's rythym section. One fan discovered if you rip the songs, eliminate all the dead space and rearrange them in an order similar to that equation it creates one continuous song that transitions itself seamlessly. Again the band isn't budging on whether it was intentional or not, but it's quite a brilliant Easter Egg if it's legit. Way better than syncing the album up to an old timey movie.
10. Jimi Hendrix - "Third Stone From The Sun"
Here's one that might be hard to hear for yourself in these modern times. On Hendrix's album Are You Experienced the song "Third Stone From The Sun" was known as wildly psychadelic and instrumental track. Jimi's typical guitar swimming over a myriad of bizarre sounds just begging for a hallucinogenic background. That is until you sped the 33 1/2 RPM LP up to the 45 speed and discovered that those bizarre sounds is actually a conversation between two aliens orbiting the earth. Jimi never ceases to amaze m, even all these years later.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Make some requests!!
JZ
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