185. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)




















Track Listing

1. War Pigs
2. Paranoid
3. Planet Caravan
4. Iron Man
5. Electric Funeral
6. Hand Of Doom
7. Rad Salad
8. Fairies Wear Boots

Review

Another great album for completely different reasons from CSNY. In fact two albums could hardly be more dissimilar. Paranoid has some good moments, some great moments and some moments that are so bad they are great.

Lyrically this is one of the most risible albums I've had the pleasure to listen to, the songs rhyme in the most obvious ways, love, dove, glove style. The sound is however great, the ominous guitar by three-fingered Tony Iommi is simply powerful making for some of the most satisfying songs to play in Guitar Hero - Iron Man is in Guitar Hero I and War Pigs is in II, and they are my two favourite tracks to play advanced air-guitar to. There is just this giggly sense of fun to these songs today, because they are so over the top and their lyrics are so over the top, it is just amazing.

I don't think any tracks here can be considered complex music or even beautiful music but they are amazing at a completely different and visceral level. Of course if you start thinking about it you realise that the guitars sound like the guy only has 3 fingers, Ozzy has a voice like a cat who just had his balls stepped on and the lyrics were written with all the sagacity of a mildly retarded 13 year old goth. And the album is all the better for it. Forget all musical snobbery and just listen to it, you will have fun. Buy it at Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. War Pigs
2. Iron Man
3. Paranoid
4. Planet Caravan

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

After repeatedly being passed over by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since becoming eligible in 1997, Ozzy Osbourne famously demanded that Black Sabbath be removed from consideration for the institution. In 1999, Osbourne said after Black Sabbath was passed over their second year of eligibility, "Just take our name off the list. Save the ink." His basis for this position was that because the fans did not select the members, it was "totally irrelevant". The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ignored this request and Black Sabbath was finally inducted by Metallica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich on March 13, 2006.

War Pigs: