Black Sabbath, Paranoid - In Retrospect

50 years ago, something magical happened. Utterly beyond the realms of what was thought possible or probably, four blokes from Aston, Birmingham, were set to change the world forever. Reeling off of the energy of a debut album that introduced a fresh face of musical evil to the world, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Tony Iommi set about writing what would become an inimitable cornerstone of music culture. They took an honest look at the world around them, and committed their feelings to record. The result is an album of devilishly ferocious highs, and brooding, often insidious lows, with expertly crafted songs weaving through lyrical themes of drug use, and a strong anti-war sentiment. Paranoid, the album that is beloved by the everyone: elitist doom metal drones, the old guard who can remember the year 1970 (we're a young writing team), and everyone in between. Is it doom? Is it Dad Rock? Yes. It's nothing short of brilliant. Join us (Matt, Joe, and Jack) as we pick it apart track by track.

What an iconic opening to an album. Paranoid no less, one of the biggest metal albums of the 20th century. I mean, if Sabbath aren’t the forefathers of Doom and West Midlands metal, I don’t know who is. Iommi’s solo is iconic as ever to boot, that double tracking that’s never the same, you just can’t beat it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for Hendrix, but Iommi just does it. Whatever ‘it’ is, he does it. The lyrics really fit with the aesthetic of the time as well - the Vietnam war had not long finished, and protests were growing in popularity. I mean, not suggesting that’s what it’s about, but you can’t deny that it works in favour of the general psyche of their intended audience. 7 minutes is such a bold opening statement as well, not only are they making a slight political statement but they’re subjecting the listener to 7 minutes of it. I mean, this isn’t prog, but it bloody works. Not one minute of it feels excessive, and that’s impressive. JR.

Call me out if you disagree, but this has the most iconic riff of the whole album, apart from maybe Iron Man. I mean it’s even made it into that joke category of one of those first riffs you learn and play badly. Strong wielders of The Riff, it simply oozes throughout the song, serving as the main thematic material. One of the simpler tracks on the album, but by all means one of those most effective. Let’s just say there’s a reason it’s the title track of the album, and subsequently one of their greatest hits. I particularly like how the lyrics play into their vision of subtle psychedelia that’s not so subtle, or at least, not quite as obvious as it was with Pink Floyd in their early days. It’s a straight-up classic, let’s be honest. JR.

Three tracks in, and there's a sudden change of pace. Planet Caravan dials back everything you knew about Black Sabbath up to this point for a solitary trip through the aether. Haunting vocals and an emotive band drift mournfully through the night sky. Also hear my second favourite Iommi solo, flaunting his jazz beginnings with finesse and style. This track may be a sleeper for many, but if you ask me, this inspired so many stoner bands to feature a tripped out acoustic jam on their albums: Down's 'Jail', Kyuss' 'Space Cadet', Monster Magnet's 'The Duke (of Supernature),' I'm sure you can think of more. Even when Sabbath unplug, they warp the fabric of reality. JC.

The bass drum thuds away like ominous, approaching footsteps before Tony Iommi performs his iconic behind-the-nut guitar bend, as if a robot is screaming in pain. 'I am Iron Man!' announces Ozzy, and the legendary riff kicks in. As a 13 year old, this was the song that really made me sit up and notice Black Sabbath properly. Whether it was the lyrical narrative, the drum performance - especially towards the end, the blinding middle guitar solo, or a combination of all three, it left a real impact on my impressionable ears, and a young metalhead was born. This is one of Sabbath's best songs ever, full of fantastic riffs, and clever progression, as the intro is repeated towards the end in a totally different context. Iron Man has its place set in, erm, iron, in my heart. MN.

One of the truest moments of doom metal to come on Paranoid, Electric Funeral is one of Sabbath's heaviest songs, packed to the brim with evil, apocalyptic riffage and indeed, apocalyptic vocals and lyrics. In classic Sabbath form, they allow plenty of room to groove and rock out in the song's infectious midsection. Ozzy sounds particularly demented as he repeats the 'Electric Funeral' hook towards the end of the section - and then the rest of the band draw us right back down again. It's exactly the kinds of guitar ideas that are on this song that make Iommi the OG Riff God. No one comes close, do they? MN.

Opening with a funky bassline, backed by a quasi-reggae, Bonham-style beat, ‘Hand of Doom’ soon evolves into the sort of loud, heavy riff we’ve come to expect. This is all until about 2 minutes in, when we’re introduced suddenly to a triplet-feel variation. I knew Iommi was inspired by Holst with ‘Black Sabbath’, but to hear a theme and variations feels impressive. ‘Hand of Doom’ shows us a vastly changing landscape, frequently dipping into new sections before revisiting older ones in a cyclic fashion, leaving the outro as a mirror to the intro. It’s not often you get to hear a band incorporating a palindromic structure in such way, and it only makes me love them even more. Iommi really knew his shit, and this song showcases this to its fullest extent. Hands-down love it. JR.

Many are influenced by Sabbath. Few actually sound like them. No one quite solos like Iommi, no ones quite got Bill Ward 's feel (see 13). Why might that be? Being the 'first' heavy metal band, there weren't any metal bands before them to take influence from. Within Sabbath's free-form jams you hear a band influenced by jazz and blues. Throughout Rat Salad you get the best of Bill Ward's improvisational skills. He shows off some real chops and flair throughout this short piece that showcases his true talent. The guitar and bass improvisation is great as well - you get the impression this was thrown together in a short amount of time, but there are never any half measures and Sabbath's black magic is evident. MN.

Fairies Wear Boots, I think, is my favourite Sabbath song. The bass in the intro is some of Butler's finest work, and the swing that the song breaks into is pure, refined, Black Sabbath magic. All four members have a chance to shine in equal measure. This is a band at full force. This is Black Sabbath dictating the path that the darker side of counterculture would travel for the next half a century, at the very least. JC

Here's to you, Black Sabbath. Here's to 50 years of amazing music beyond compare.