OH LORD YEAH!
Paranoid took Black Sabbath into the big leagues and sealed their legacy as heavy metal pioneers. On its 50th birthday, we celebrate every extraordinary track
WORDS: MALCOLM DOME
GETTY
The unexpected success of Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album meant the band were back in the studio working on their second record just four months after its release on February 13, 1970. And like its predecessor, it was done very quickly. However, when issued on September 18 that year, Paranoid not only propelled the band to even bigger success, but also gave them a more mainstream acknowledgement, thanks to the title track’s Top Five achievement as a single. This second album refined the musical blueprint of the debut, taking the music to new heights. Alongside Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, Sabbath were now regarded as true heavy pioneers.
Geezer Butler at Regent Sounds. He wrote the song Paranoid about depression, which was groundbreaking in 1970
WAR PIGS
This song dates back to a couple of years before it was recorded. “We used to play multiple sets every night at clubs in Switzerland, and jammed a lot to take up time,” recalls Tony Iommi. “That’s where the idea for War Pigs came from.”
Geezer and Tony: hands of doom
“SOLDIERS HAD BECOME JUNKIES - THEY WERE IN A STATE”
GEEZER BUTLER