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In June 1970, just four months after the release of their eponymous debut, Black Sabbath returned to the studio to record their second album, initially titled ‘War Pigs’ after the opening track, a protest song critical of the absurdities of war.
However in an attempt to prevent unwanted backlash from and negative publicity pertaining to pro Vietnam supporters, Warner decided to rechristen the album. ‘Paranoid’ an eleventh-hour offering, was only intended as a filler in lieu of a sufficient amount of album tracks, yet despite being allegedly written in just twenty minutes, it would prove to be a to be a musical turning point, peaking in the UK at number 4 and paving the way for its long-player namesake. Although panned by many critics of the time, it’s since been rightly recognised as a ground breaking piece of work with Rolling Stone rightfully describing the album as one that “changed music forever” and Time Magazine declaring it “the birthplace of heavy metal”.
With the summer of love a distant memory and released at a time when Vietnam was a pawn amongst an ever present Cold War threat, ‘Paranoid’ tapped into public consciousness by reflecting the horrors of contemporary society such as war (‘Electric Funeral’), isolation (‘Iron Man’), drug abuse (‘Hand Of Doom’, ‘Planet Caravan’ and ‘Fairies Wear Boots’) and mental illness, dealt with through the title track which written from the point of view of a man suffering from paranoia examines the negativity associated with it.
Lyrical theme and content aside, attempting to describe a genre known the world over courtesy of an album thirty-nine years old, is a pointless and thankless task. But by deviating from the entrenched blues of their debut and the hard-rock of their peers, a legacy was created and heavy metal was born. The re-release of ‘Paranoid’ as a triple CD featuring the re-mastered original alongside a rare 1974 quadraphonic mix and instrumental / alternative lyric version is the first in a set of forthcoming Black Sabbath deluxe expanded editions and one that in the words of Slash “is the whole Sabbath experience.” Nothing short of a timeless masterpiece.
