secret messages

Messages written with the intent that they only be viewed by certain parties. Sometimes, this is ensured simply by hiding the messages in a designated area or using a secure courier. More and more often, however, the messages are encoded so that should someone other than the party intercept the message, they would be unable to read it.

With privacy becoming more of a concern on the Internet, people are turning towards encryption to keep their messages secret. Public key encryption is quite popular, with PGPbeing the most common way to implement it.

See also:

• Secret Decoder Ring
• Conspiracies

Secret Messages
Electric Light Orchestra
Released: 1983

The 11th album released by the Electric Light Orchestra, initially meant to be a double album but ultimately trimmed down as the record company decided not to fund a double album.

This album is regarded as ELO's last good/decent album, with its successor Balance of Power being the last album produced by the group with any original members outside of Jeff Lynne but losing much of the band's edge and style. In 2001, Jeff Lynne whipped a band together and released Zoom, an album that almost entirely forgot what ELO was supposed to sound like; Secret Messages was really the last of the original ELO's unique sounds.

An extended version of this album was released later on; its track listing appears below as this is the version you're most likely to find if you hit a music store or online site to buy it.

1. Secret Messages
2. Loser Gone Wild
3. Bluebird
4. Take Me On and On
5. Time After Time
6. Four Little Diamonds
7. Stranger
8. Danger Ahead
9. Letter From Spain
10. Train of Gold
11. Rock 'n' Roll is King
12. No Way Out
13. Endless Lies
14. After All