Contemporary Christian Music?

[benshelpmeet]

Sherri, We also enjoy praise songs like....

ALL IN ALL

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up, I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus, [Precious] Lamb of God, worthy is Your name
Jesus, [You're the] Lamb of God, worthy is Your name

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again, I bless Your name
You are my all in all

When I fall down, You pick me up
When I am dry, You fill my cup
You are my all in all



And others....... We just make sure the BEAT is proper and good. Do you remember We Will Rock you? It is the song that comes to mind when trying to discribe the wrong beat. Bom Bom Psh that is in rock, country ( the beat is spead up ), and contempory and alot of other music ( It is often used in these groups but not all the time in every song. If you take away the words and just listen to the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle beat in the back ground. Not all contemporary,and praise and worship is wrong or bad . I just make sure the Beat is good. The Beat! The Beat! The Beat! Thats the decerning factor here. ( and the words are a given they have to be right ) Does all this make sence? I sure hope so I have a hard time explaining myself some times especially over the computer.

Your a sweet sister and a blessing to me!

[LindaFisk]

Ok, well I have to admit we listen to all kinds of music here! But I was wondering if anyone else likes David Phelps? We had a Christmas cd and recently I got some newer ones, My Child is Coming Home,The End of the Beginning and they are so good!

[benshelpmeet]

Here is his web site.


www.davidphelps.com/



I am courious what others think also. I clicked on his Arms Open Wide live video.

I honestly have never even heard of him before, his video was informative. Now I know who he is and what his music sounds like.

[benshelpmeet]

I just can't seem to quit thinking about this topic, so I came to my pc and did some more study, for those who haven't had the time. I sure hope this is a blessing and a help to someone out there.

Love your sister in Christ, ~ Darlene ~

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Definition of "rock beat"

The "rock beat" is a dominant and repetitious offbeat which competes with the melody and distracts from the words of a song.

The contradictory messages in the beat, the words, the melody, the style of the presentation, and the appearance of the musicians all create a subtle confusion in the minds, wills and emotions of the listeners, which leads them to question the absolute moral standards of God.

...........................................................................................
Fourteen-year-old Sari Ann Mitchell of California received a booklet entitled, Notice of Complaint Against the Unrecognized Enemy in the Church. This booklet contains testimonies from young people about how "Christian rock" has damaged their walk with the Lord and their relationships with others.
After reading the booklet, she sent it along with the following letter of appeal to her pastor:

January 19, 1990
Dear Pastor,
"I have been praying for a way to express how I feel about 'Christian contemporary' music to my friends and others. I was so happy to receive this booklet in the mail that I wanted to share it with you. I want to add my own personal testimony to the many in this booklet. I started listening to 'Christian contemporary' (rock) music when I was twelve. At this time I was attending a private Christian school, and there my friends all listened to it. The pressure was great, so I started to listen to some of their tapes once in a while. I became hooked. It may be hard to believe, but that music made me think sensuous thoughts, and the beat made me want to sway and dance like the world. After this I started to listen to 'Christian contemporary' music all the time, and even though my parents didn't like it, I got some tapes of my own to listen to. One day, I went to my friend's house, and she had her radio on. It was on a secular soft rock station. When I got home I turned my radio to that same station. I listened to it just once in a while, and it sounded just like the 'Christian contemporary' music, except the words were a little different. (Actually, I didn't even listen to the words!) When I started to make these compromises, I started to make other compromises too, like stopping my daily devotions and listening to music instead of studying. When I did do my homework, I listened to music, and I cheated on some of my homework so I could have time after school to listen to music. I shut myself up in my room and became secluded so I could listen to it. At this time, I also began to rebel against my parents. spreading from rebellion in music to rebellion in clothes. Then my Dad and Mom took me to a Basic Youth Seminar. There I heard stuff I had never heard before about music, dating, marriage, disloyalty, bitterness, genuine love, and much more. After that Seminar, I started to think about where my life was going. It wasn't going how I wanted it to go, no matter how hard I tried! I knew something was very wrong. Then I went to the Advanced Seminar. This cleared it up. I was going downhill, and only God could pull me up, so I gave it all up to Him, and every day He pulls me up a little higher. I have to tell you this because I want you to know I'm not just saying that I think 'Christian contemporary' music is bad and is compromising - I know it is. There's only one way to get out of its addictive clutch, and that's to give it up to God. So please don't let this wolf sneak into the church and kill people unaware"
Sari Ann Mitchell, age 14, California


This is just one of many testimonies

[benshelpmeet]

Here is another one
THE "ROCK BEAT" VIOLATES GOD'S COMMAND TO "GIVE NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL

When sons and daughters disregard the instruction of their parents by listening to the "rock beat," they are guilty of the kind of rebellion which is described in 1 Samuel 15:23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...."

Rebellion is simply reserving for myself the right to make final decisions. It is deciding to have an equal voice with those whom God has placed in authority over me.

This was the type of rebellion which Satan demonstrated when he said,"... I will be LIKE the most High (God)" (Isaiah 14:14).

Witchcraft involves exposing oneself to the realm and the power of Satan's control. Whoever gives Satan such "ground" violates the command of Ephesians 4:27: "Neither give place (ground) to the devil."

The Greek word for "place" in this verse refers to a sphere of jurisdiction. When Satan is given authority, he uses it to control and destroy the one who gave it to him.

HOW SATAN GAINED "GROUND" WHEN A TEENAGER LISTENED TO THE "ROCK BEAT"

"I started listening to 'contemporary Christian' music about four years ago. I thought that the music was OK, and I enjoyed it, but one day I was listening to a Christian radio station and a song came on that I had never heard, I liked the song even though it was questionable. When the group who played that song came to town, I went to their concert with some friends. I knew, however, that my parents would not have approved had they known what type of music was played. After the concert, I borrowed money from a friend to buy their tape. I brought it home, but my parents did not want me to keep it. I did anyway. I listened to it all the time and finally bought some other "Christian rock' tapes even thought my parents did not want me to. I listened to them for a while but soon got bored with them. I then started listening to secular rock on a light rock station without my parents' knowledge. I began to want to listen to rock music more and more, and I began to enjoy the harder stuff. I soon changed stations to a hard rock station so I could listen to the harder stuff. After listening to that station for about a year (all without my parents' knowledge), I found that the stuff I liked the station could play only at night. So I got the tapes of some of the groups I liked, and I found that I loved heavy metal. I just couldn't get enough. When I finally faced the reality of how wrong I was, I made commitments to give it up. However, I still struggle with it daily, and every time I hear it I am tempted to get back into it."
- David Brown, age 16, Arizona

[benshelpmeet]

THE TESTIMONY OF A FORMER SATANIST HIGH PRIEST THAT THE "ROCK BEAT" GIVES "GROUND"

"My background is not a good one, but I give thanks and praise to God for saving me from it. I was a Satanist high priest for nine years. I am writing in regard to 'Christian music' or what is called 'power tracts,' 'Christian rock and roll,' and 'contemporary Christian' music, and their counterparts, rock and roll, heavy metal, black metal, country music, rap, and punk. I understand that I cannot judge groups as to whether or not they are genuine believers. But the Bible does say that we are to judge their fruit. The Bible says that we are to be Christ-like. Some groups who play this kind of 'Christian' music say that they do so because it's the only way they can reach the young people of today. They claim that we must look like the world and use the world's music in order to reach young people with the Word of God. How long will Christians allow themselves to be deceived and lied to by Satan (the father of lies)? The Bible says we are to be in the world- not a part of it. It also says that to be a friend with the world is to be an enemy of God. As ambassadors for Christ, we should represent Him the best we can. Christ never changed His appearance, whether He talked with kings or the poor. When I first became involved in the occult, music had a big influence on my life. It was not just the words but the music itself. Its affect on me spiritually was to bring me into another state of consciousness. The beat and style of the music used in the occult rituals is the same that I now hear in 'Christian power tracts', 'Christian rock and roll,' 'Christian rap,' and in much of what is called 'Christian contemporary' music today. People who were saved from the youth culture of today say, 'I cannot listen to this new Christian music, because when I hear it, it takes me back to my past when I was lost. It brings all that back to me- lustful desires, love of money, sex, suicide, and rebellion against authority. Think of the struggle that these young Christians have when they try to separate the things of the world from the things of God. When they hear what is called 'Christian music that sounds just like the world, these vulnerable young Christians become confused and the music becomes a stumbling block in their lives. Normally a Christian will take only what is good and leave the bad. This discernment does not always work with music, however, because if the music is bad and the words are good, many Christians are not able to separate them and both are swallowed together. Satan tried a mixed-message tactic on Jesus in the desert when he misquoted Scripture by mixing it with half-truths. Jesus rebuked Satan for this tactic and quoted the whole truth back to him."

- David Pratt, Chatanooga, Tennessee

[benshelpmeet]

Here is another


THE "ROCK BEAT" ITSELF IS DEMONIC

In April 1990, a Christian from Zimbabwe, Africa, arrived for his first visit to the United States. He is a native missionary under the Awana Youth Association.

When he turned on a Christian radio station and listened to the music, he was shocked. Here is his report:

"I am very sensitive to the beat in music, because when I was a boy, I played the drums in our village worship rituals. The beat that I played on the drum was to get the demon spirits into the people. When I became a Christian, I rejected this kind of beat because I realized how damaging it was. When I turned on a Christian radio station in the United States, I was shocked. The same beat that I used to play to call up the evil spirits is in the music I heard on the Christian station"

- Stephen Maphosah, Zimbabwe, Africa

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ROCK BEAT' DOES GIVE "GROUND" TO THE DEVIL

"In 1981, I was driving down a jungle road in the Ivory Coast with several African pastors in the car with me. I had recently received a couple of cassette tapes from our denominational headquarters that were intended for our teenaged daughter. There were recording of various 'Christian rock' artists. In listening to the tapes, I was very disturbed in my own spirit that such material was being sent to our missionary kids. But not trusting my own reaction alone and realizing that these pastors with whom I was traveling were very sensitive to the spirit world (both good and evil), I decided to play that tapes for them. The reaction I got was immediate and verbally violent! One of the pastors asked me this question, 'Do you mean to tell us that this kind of music is played in your churches in America?' I answered in the affirmative. His response was filled with disgust and anger as he replied with another question. 'What are you doing allowing you church people in America to call up the evil spirits with their music?'

- Rev. Joe Meyers, Tacoma, Washington

[benshelpmeet]

THE "ROCK BEAT" MOCKS GOD'S COMMAND TO "LOVE NOT THE WORLD"

There is absolutely no way that Christians who love the "rock beat" can deny that they love the world.

The "rock beat" not only originated with the ungodly elements of this world, but it expresses the evil intentions of the world's system which is opposed to Christ and His Truth.

The very phrase "rock 'n' roll" describes a form of immorality. To say that we can have "Christian rock" is like saying we can have "Christian immorality."

Furthermore the "rock beat" does not come alone. It was originally designed to stir up and express rebellion to authority, as well as immorality.

Those who try to put Christian words to a "rock beat" are simply imitating the world, and because one of the strongest evidences of admiration is imitation, they are guilty of violating God's command in 1 John 2:15-16: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

God condemns any Christian who loves the world. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is emnity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4).

Christians are to be in the world but not of the world. We are not to be influenced by their evil ways; instead, we are to be a light in their darkness. God brought judgment to His own people when they"...mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them... Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. (Psalm 106 35-42)

[benshelpmeet]

HOW THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LINKS THE "ROCK BEAT" WITH THE WORLD


"'Doctors should be alert to the listening habits of young patients as a clue to their emotional health, because fascination with rock'n'roll, especially heavy metal music, may be associated with drug use, premarital sex and satanic rites,' a committee of the American Medical Association said.

'At the very least, commitment to a rock subculture is symptomatic of adolescent alienation,' the AMA's Group on Science and Technology said in its report, 'Adolescents and Their Music,' published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The AMA committee reported that 'the average teenager listens to 10,400 hours of rock music during the years between the 7th and 12th grades, and music surpasses television as an influence in teenagers' lives.

While TV viewing often is supervised by parents, music largely is uncensored,' the committee said.

'As an important agent of adolescent socialization, however, the negative messages of rock music should not be dismissed,' the committee said.

The committee expressed special concern about two relatively recent developments in rock music - heavy metal rock and music videos.

'The violent and sexual content of the video images are disturbing to many,' the committee said.

'...A study found that 7th and 10th graders, after watching one hour of music videos, were more likely to approve of premarital sex than were a control group of adolescents.'

(Reported in the Chicago Sun Times, September 15,1989)

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THE "ROCK BEAT" DISREGARDS GOD'S COMMAND NOT TO OFFEND CHRISTIANS

On Friday afternoon May 18, 1990, a twenty-year-old man attending the Detroit Basic Seminar asked the following question.

"Several years ago I was saved out of a life of immorality and drugs. The church I began attending told me to get rid of my rock music. I did and have been growing in the Lord. But now my church is playing the same kind of music they told me to give up. What am I to do?"

This grievous question exposes the violation of the law of love in the matter of "Christian rock" music. It brings us directly to the appeal of the Apostle Paul regarding questionable things:

It is good not to do "...any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak" (Romans 14:21)

This vital command is repeated in 1 Corinthians 8:9-13. It puts to silence any Christian who says he has a right to play the music that he enjoys. "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak....And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethern, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ"

The "rock beat" offends Christians who, when they first hear it, immediately discern in their spirits that it is not of God but is of the world.

[benshelpmeet]

HOW A YOUNG MISSIONARY WAS OFFENDED BY THE "ROCK BEAT''

"In the summer of 1988, I attended a missionary training conference with many other Christian young people. Some of the music contained a subtle "rock beat." The beat offended me, and I decided to appeal to the leader of the group. However, before I could make my appeal, he preached a message to the whole group justifying the "rock beat" by condemning anyone who judged another person for his music style. Last year, a much larger conference was held by the same organization. This time I was absolutely shocked when I heard the music. The "rock beat" was so strong that many young people began to dance in a worldly manner. I was so grieved, I had to walk out of the meetings whenever the music was played. It was a strange mixture of pure worship and sensual beat. The conflicting messages created confusion in me and grieved my spirit. After the training we went into an area for outreach. Our goal was to bring young people into an evening meeting, but at the meeting, they again played the rock music. I could not even attend these meetings, and there were several others who felt the same way. We prayed and fasted and then made our appeal to the national Christian leaders. They received our appeal; however, they had been looking to the American Christians for an example and assumed that because the Americans did it, it must be right."

- Janet Yast, age 27, Pennsylvania

P.S. What disappoints me so much is that this leader has had such a great influence on my life. He is such a Godly man; I just cannot understand why he is not discerning in this area of compromise.

[benshelpmeet]

HOW THE LAW OF SYMPATHETIC VIBRATION EXPLAINS WHY THE "ROCK BEAT" OFFENDS MANY

In music, there is a law of sympathetic vibration. This law is demonstrated by a tuning fork. When a note is played on the piano, the tuning fork vibrates at that pitch.

Similarly, when we hear sounds, our whole body will either vibrate with the sound , or react to it.

When a little child hears a syncopated "rock beat," he will tend to sway and dance. If however, the child is spiritually discerning, he will say to his parents, "That is bad music".

The "rock beat" not only offends Christians who have not been exposed to it, but it also offends Christians who have come out of the rock culture and are trying to rid their lives of the rebellion and immorality that the "rock beat" stirs up in them.

HOW THE "ROCK BEAT" OFFENDS THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE THE WORLD'S CORRUPTION

"I used to reject my family and spend all my free time in my room listening to music that did not glorify God. I slid deeper and deeper into the satanic realm. I knew it was satanic, but I couldn't get out. It also gave Satan a handle to get into another areas of my life. I loved the world and the world's music. I listened to it, sang it, and talked about it, and when anyone said they didn't listen to it, I would ridicule them. Rock music had dulled my senses. Even when I knew something was wrong, I would do it anyway. Rock is powerful, and if anyone tells you that it isn't, they are lying. I needed it all the time, just like a smoker needs a smoke. I couldn't go on a vacation without secretly taking a radio. I am now trying to get away from this kind of music. If anyone plays the "rock beat," it reminds me of songs that I can remember word for word, note for note."
- Dan Steele, age 18, Minnesota

The "rock beat" is not only offending Christians in America, but it is especially grievous to Christians in other countries who are being influenced by American missionaries and visiting youth groups.

Stephen Maphosah, who was trained to use the beat for demonic worship (see testimony on pate 8), visited a Christian bookstore on June 25, 1990. He purchased samples of ten individual "contemporary Christian" musicians and groups that are among the most listened to by Christians in America.

He evaluated each tape on the basis of its beat. Some tapes contained the demonic beat that he was accustomed to in his ancestral worship of evil spirits. Other tapes contained a slower variation of the demonic beat. However, he classified all the tapes as "unacceptable and offensive to the Christians of this country."

[benshelpmeet]

THE "ROCK BEAT DEFIES GOD'S COMMAND TO JUDGE ALL THINGS AS GOOD OR EVIL.

In the early years of the "Christian rock beat," the beat and the sound were justified on the basis that "music is amoral".

If such a conclusion is accepted, then music is not a matter of good and evil, but simply a matter of personal taste.

Yet such false reasoning is in total opposition to the words of Scripture.

Music is the product of words and actions, and nowhere in Scripture is there an "amoral" classification for words and actions.

"...We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10)

All Christians are commanded by God to exercise their spiritual senses in order to discern between good and evil.

"But strong meat belongeth to them that are fo full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14)

HOW A FAMILY DISCERNED THAT A "CHRISTIAN" CHILDREN'S TAPE WAS EVIL

"The day before our three-year-old daughter's surgery, I went shopping for a small gift to give her when she came home from the hospital. At our local Christian bookstore I bought a tape of children's songs. When she arrived home we presented her with the tape. She immediately wanted to hear it. We don't own a television set, so listening to her tapes is one of her favorite pastimes. We played if for her and were disappointed to find that some of the songs had definite rock overtones to them. She picked up on this, too, because we have trained her to recognize the evil in 'rock and roll' music. Once we knew which songs we didn't care for, we would just skip over them. Whenever she would ask to hear the tape and it came to a song we didn't care for, she would ask us to fix the tape for her. That was all fine and well, but I noticed as time went on that she was wanting to listen to that particular tape more than her favorite tapes. At the same time, we started to notice some behavior changes in her that we didn't really care for. She is a normal three-year-old who would challenge our authority, but she usually knew her boundaries. Usually she would pray and participate enthusiastically in our family devotions, pray before meals, be active and responsive in Sunday school, memorize Scripture, and love to sing songs about Jesus. However, the more she listened to this 'Christian' children's tape, the more I noticed her behavior change. She started pushing, shoving kicking, and biting her friends and her sister. She back-talked more than she ever dared before, and she make faces at us when we asked her to do something. She stopped participating in our devotions, stopped praying, didn't want to go to church anymore, and started doing things I had never seen her or her friends do before. She became openly defiant and rebellious to her father and me, even hitting or kicking us if we asked her to accompany us on an errand or something along those lines. I honestly couldn't figure out what was happening, but because I had been a very rebellious child when I was growing up, I thought I was beginning to reap what I had sown. Things continued to get worse. It seemed as though I was forever spanking her, standing her in the corner, or sending her to bed. I started doubting my ability as a parent, and this caused insecurity and other problems to come into my life. It literally affected our whole family, and we were constantly in a turmoil. We tried discipline, we tried reasoning, we prayed a hedge of thorns, and we tried easing up on the discipline. Nothing worked. Our personal devotions and prayer lives were affected. Instead of drawing closer to the Lord, I started drifting. This all happened in a three-week period of time. Finally, one evening after the children were in bed, my husband and I discussed our dilemma. He suggested that maybe we ought to do some 'housecleaning'. The more I though about it, the more I realized that our daughter's behavior had started changing the day we gave her that tape. My husband was thinking the very same thing. We also noticed that some magazines we had been subscribing to had pictures of alcohol and cigarettes, and different cult articles were scattered through their pages. We decided to burn the tape and the magazines as soon as possible. The next morning after breakfast, we explained to our daughter what we intended to do. When she asked why, we told her that having these things in our house did not please Jesus. We showed her some of the pictures in the magazines, and she agreed with us. She wasn't agreeable about including her tape in the things to be burned, but she didn't put up as much of a fight as I had expected. We took everything outside, piled it up, and set fire to it as we all stood by and watched. When we came back in the house, we asked her to forgive us for allowing those thing to come into our house. She did and then went on her way. This all happened on a Friday, and our daughter's behavior was still pretty bad. However, by Monday the change in her behavior was incredible! I thought we had brought the wrong child home from church on Sunday! Our home is just about back to normal now, since our 'umbrella' has been patched. The change in our daughter has been obvious, not only to us but also to our friends who went through this with us. We have learned much from this experience, mainly to be careful about what things enter our home."

Not everything labeled 'Christian' contains the Lords blessing.
- The Patrick Hait family, Maryland

Evaluating the evil of the "rock beat" is not a matter of musical ability, but rather of spiritual discernment. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1)

[benshelpmeet]

THE "ROCK BEAT" DISOBEYS GOD'S COMMAND TO AVOID "ALL ********* APPEARANCE OF EVIL."

A Christian magazine that claims to be "the most widely read resource serving youth ministry" contains a chart in its September 1990 issue which matches every world rock sound with a comparable "Christian rock" group sound.
Notice the categories:
- Heavy metal
- Punk/Thrash
- Rap
- Dance pop
- Rock 'n' roll
- Difficult-to-categorize

Not only are "Christian rock" groups imitating the sound of evil rock groups, but they are also copying the evil dress styles and appearance of the world's musicians.

An impartial observer would find it difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between many "Christian rock" groups and worldly rock groups by simply looking at their album covers.

So-called "Christian groups" are now even using satanic symbols on their album covers.

How can Christians justify such a blatant disobedience to the clear command of Scripture?

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).

Not only is it difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish worldly rock groups from most "Christian rock" groups, but it is also very hard to determine which members are men and which ones are women, because of the long hair, skirts, and other attire worn by many of the men.

This is in clear violation of the following instruction of Scripture: "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" (1 Corinthians 11:14)

"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 22:5)



THE "ROCK BEAT" CONTRADICTS GOD'S COMMAND NOT TO BE BROUGHT UNDER ITS POWER.

The "rock beat" is, in and of itself, an addiction. Those who vibrate with it begin to desire more and more of it. Like a drug addiction, one's appetite for it increases so that the "rock beat" in "contemporary Christian" music soon becomes dissatisfying, and a stronger beat is required.

The "rock beat" therefore violates the following Scripture:

"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient...I will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Corinthians 6:12)

Seventeen-year-old Susanna adds her testimony to several others in this booklet to confirm the addictive nature of the "rock beat":