Garage Sale Vinyl: Black Sabbath
Paranoid / Warner Bros. / January 1971 (U.S.)
by Christopher Long
Maybe it’s because we’ve lost so many music legends this year, but I’ve been feeling kinda nostalgic lately, more so than usual. While recently back visiting in Florida, I found myself at the home of the gal formerly known as “the GF,” where I was thumbing through her massive collection of garage sale vinyl classics that I’d assisted her in assembling over the last decade. One of those records was a battered and tattered copy of a particular LP that had been left behind several years ago by a former friend. Doggonit, there ain’t nothin’ like gettin’ FREE vinyl!
Overseen by early ’70s metal producer Rodger Bain, Paranoid is a bona fide classic. Boasting such iconic staples as “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” and “Fairies Wear Boots,” the eight-track collection could be considered (practically) a Black Sabbath “Greatest Hits” record.
Rediscovering this treasure tucked within the GF’s trove was a special treat, as its well-worn condition was truly authentic. Its musty smell and warm, oft-overpowering crackle were authentic as well. Also, the paper label pasted in the center of each side of the record was the (extremely) old-school, green Warner Bros. design with guitarist Tony Iommi’s name misspelled, “Ioomi.”
As I dove back into the record, I was reminded, yet again, of just what an innovative band Black Sabbath was. As I’ve said many times before, timeline is everything. When Paranoid was recorded back in 1970, society was still coming out of the hippie-dippie “peace and love” era. Yet here were these grubby-looking British blokes with a ten-ton sound and dark lyrics reflecting topics that are still considered (by many) to be “cool.”
But to me, what defined Sabbath was less about what they were playing, and more about how it all sounded. Ozzy Osbourne’s eerie, seemingly possessed vocal style was truly unique, especially in 1970. Truth be told, he wouldn’t have stood a chance of turning a single chair on The Voice, yet when he died last July, the world knew that it had lost a legend. Tony Iommi’s distinctive warlock-in-training guitar tone has yet to be duplicated, and Geezer Butler’s fat bass tracks still sound evil. It could also be said that Bill Ward’s raw power and unproduced drum sound was the (not-so) secret ingredient in the Sabbath sauce. Without that combination of individual sounds, this ferocious lion would have been a bout as frightening as a pussy cat.
Aside from the record’s more celebrated tracks, Paranoid was the home of several other standouts, including the psychedelic “Planet Caravan,” which was covered famously by Pantera in 1994, “Hand of Doom,” which was covered by Slayer in 2000, and the trippy “Electric Funeral,” also covered by Pantera in 2000.
After more than 50 years, Paranoid stands as a loud and proud, and surprisingly still-relevant piece of work. The fact that the GF and I got our OG copy for FREE makes it even more badass!
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paranoid Track List
*All songs written by Iommi, Butler, Ward, and Osbourne
SIDE ONE
1. War Pigs (7:55)
2. Paranoid (2:50)
3. Planet Caravan (4:30)
4. Iron Man (6:00)
SIDE TWO
1. Electric Funeral (4:50)
2. Hand of Doom (7:10)
3. Rat Salad (2:30
4. Fairies Wear Boots (6:15)
