Editorial Reviews His musical abilities were noticed early, and he was given free reign by his parents to try his hand at various instruments. LaVey was mainly attracted to the keyboards because of their scope and versatility. He found time to practice and could easily reproduce songs heard by ear without recourse to fake books or sheet music. This talent would prove to be one of his main sources of income for many years, particularly his calliope playing during his carnival days, and later his many stints as an organist in bars, lounges, and nightclubs. These venues gave him the chance to study how various melodic lines and chord progressions swayed the emotions of his audiences, from the spectators at the carnival and spook shows, to the individuals seeking solace for the disappointments in their lives in distilled spirits and the smoke-filled taverns for which LaVey’s playing provided a soundtrack. In the process of creating his lectures, LaVey was led to distill a unique philosophy based on his life experiences and research. When a member of his Magic Circle suggested that he had the basis for a new religion, LaVey agreed and decided to found the Church of Satan as the best means for communicating his ideas. And so, in 1966 on the night of May Eve—the traditional Witches’ Sabbath—LaVey declared the founding of the Church of Satan as well as renumbering 1966 as the year One, Anno Satanas—the first year of the Age of Satan. The attention of the press soon followed, particularly with the wedding of Radical journalist John Raymond to New York socialite Judith Case on February 1st, 1967. Famed photographer Joe Rosenthal was sent by the San Francisco Chronicle to capture an image, which was then printed in the Chronicle as well as the Los Angeles Times and other major newspapers. LaVey began the mass dissemination of his philosophy via the release of a record album, The Satanic Mass (Murgenstrumm, 1968). The album featured a cover graphic named by LaVey as the "Sigil of Baphomet:" the goat head in a pentagram, circled with the Hebrew word "Leviathan," which has since become the ubiquitous symbol of Satanism the world over. Featured on the album was part of the rite of baptism written for three-year-old Zeena (performed on May 23rd, 1967). In addition to the actual recording of a Satanic ritual, side two of the LP had LaVey reading excerpts from the as-yet-unpublished The Satanic Bible over music by! Beethoven, Wagner, and Sousa. His Friday lectures continued and he instituted a series of "Witches’ Workshops" to instruct women in the art of attaining their will through glamour, feminine whiles, and the skillful discovery and exploitation of men’s fetishes. By the end of 1969, LaVey had taken monographs he had written to explain the philosophy and ritual practices of the Church of Satan and melded them with all of his philosophical influences from Ayn Rand, Nietzsche, Mencken, and London along with the base wisdom of the carnival folk. He prefaced these essays and rites with reworked excerpts from Ragnar Redbeard’s Might is Right and concluded it with "Satanized" versions of John Dee’s Enochian Keys to create The Satanic Bible. It has never gone out of print and remains the main source for the contemporary Satanic movement. The Satanic Bible was followed in 1971
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About the Artist
Anton Szandor LaVey (1930—1997) was the founder of the Church of Satan, the first organized church in modern times promulgating a religious philosophy championing Satan as the symbol of personal freedom and individualism. Unlike the founders of other religions, who claimed exalted "inspiration" delivered through some supernatural entity, LaVey readily acknowledged that he used his own faculties to synthesize Satanism, based on his understanding of the human animal and insights gained from earlier philosophers who advocated materialism and individualism. Concerning his role as founder, he said that, "If he didn’t do it himself, someone else, perhaps less qualified, would have."
Album Description
Former High Priest and founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey may surprise you with his selection of tunes that he plays and sings with close friends. The songs come from the early 1900's, suicide songs and sentimental stirrings. Short descriptions for each track lend some significance on each song, but as with most of the work that Anton LaVey has done, it's a small door to a sometimes unseemly and Satanic world. Applying the true definition of "occult" to these songs is probably most appropriate, as they are hidden wonders.