Paranoid (album)

Paranoid
Studio album by Black Sabbath
Released	18 September 1970
Recorded	Regent Sound Studios and Island Studios, London[1]
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	42:06
Label	Vertigo
Producer	Rodger Bain
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Blender link Robert Christgau (C-) link Rolling Stone April 15, 1971
Black Sabbath chronology
Black Sabbath (1970) Paranoid (1970) Master of Reality (1971)

Paranoid is the second album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and contains some of their most famous work, including the songs "Iron Man", "War Pigs", and the title track "Paranoid." Released September 18 1970 in the UK, only seven months after the band's debut, Paranoid is Black Sabbath's only UK #1 album, displacing Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water for one week. Paranoid peaked at number 12 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart (North America). The singles "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" peaked at number 61 and number 52, respectively, on the Pop singles chart. "Paranoid" as a single went to number 4 in the UK. In 2003, the album was ranked number 130 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The original UK vinyl release was in a gatefold sleeve, with the generic Vertigo 'swirl' inner bag. The inner of the gatefold had a b/w photo of the band, posed outdoors on a grassy hill, being their first appearance on album artwork. To spread the original picture over the gatefold, Osbourne was separated from the other members of the band and a section of the grass was copied and dropped into the gap. This is only readily apparent when one sees that original promo photo, whereupon it is then easy to spot the added grass on the LP. The album was originally titled "War Pigs" but it is said that the record company changed it to "Paranoid" because of sensitivity about the Vietnam War.^[2] However, the band's visual interpretation of a "War Pig" was still featured on the cover. Nonetheless, the album's title and its picture of man with a sword jumping out from behind a tree meshed well together and the cover is now considered a classic album cover. The song "Iron Man" was voted number 1 on the TV music channel VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. The title-track was written, mixed and added to the album last at Island studios, in an old church. The band sensed at the time that the song was lighter, with the potential to become a single.^[3] In 2006, the album was ranked number 6 on Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.^[4]

Track listing

All tracks by Osbourne, Iommi, Ward, and Butler.

Side one

1. "War Pigs/Luke's Wall" – 7:58
2. "Paranoid" – 2:52
3. "Planet Caravan" – 4:34
4. "Iron Man" – 5:58

Side two

1. "Electric Funeral" – 4:52
2. "Hand of Doom" – 7:09
3. "Rat Salad" – 2:30
4. "Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots" – 6:13

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Tony Iommi – guitar
• Geezer Butler – bass guitar
• Bill Ward – drums
• Keef – design, photography, cover design
• Tom (Colonel) Allom – engineer
• Tony Allom – engineer
• Brian Humphries – engineer

Covers

• "Paranoid" has been covered by former Iron Maiden vocalist, Blaze Bayley.
• "Paranoid" has been covered for the video games Rock Band and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
• "Paranoid" has been covered by Megadeth on the Nativity in Black tribute album. The band has also performed this cover live.
• "Paranoid" has also been covered in a Heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.
• "Paranoid" has also been covered in a hardcore techno style by Ultraviolence. It is available on the Killing God album and as a single.
• "Paranoid" has also been covered by 3rd Stike on their Lost Angel album.
• "Paranoid" has also been covered by Silverchair live.
• "Planet Caravan" has been covered by Pantera on their 1994 album Far Beyond Driven. The song was also released as import CD single, and can be found on the 2-CD hits package, The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits! released in 2003. They also covered "Electric Funeral" on the Nativity in Black II tribute album.
• "War Pigs" has been covered by Faith No More on their 1989 album The Real Thing, and by Tesla for their Real to Reel album series.
• "War Pigs" has also been covered by The Dresden Dolls on multiple gigs and has become a staple on their live set.
• "War Pigs" is covered by Cake on their 2007 compilation album B-Sides and Rarities.
• "Iron Man", "War Pigs" and "Paranoid" have all been covered for the Guitar Hero series.
• "Iron Man" has been covered by The Cardigans on their album First Band on the Moon.
• "Iron Man" has been covered by NOFX.
• "Iron Man" was covered by Metallica when Black Sabbath was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
• "Iron Man" has been covered by The Bad Plus on their album Give as a jazz version.
• "Hand of Doom" has been covered by HIM on their album Uneasy Listening Vol. 2, and by Slayer.
• Sir Mix-A-Lot did a version of "Iron Man" on his album Swass with the band Metal Church.

Release history

Paranoid has been released by a variety of labels, both officially and as bootlegs.
The list below shows the most commonly known versions of the album that are available.

References