Black Sabbath - Paranoid

I’m definitely not a metal guy and I definitely have a hard time finding music that I actually enjoy from that genre. But I’ve always been a firm believer in finding the ‘classics’ – the so-called ‘greatest albums of all time’ – and finding a way to love them, if not appreciate them at least. So when I finally came across an overpriced vinyl copy of this album – which is in much worse condition than I had originally thought – I immediately jumped on it. Still not a metal fan, or even much of an overall Ozzy fan but Paranoid most definitely changed the game in heavy rock/metal music and this album, is still a great one.

One of the things I liked about it when I first heard it years back was how there were these massive hits and then other blissful, not-that-well-known, doozies. “Black Caravan” always stood out for its heady, Pink Floyd-like transcendence. After the crazy opener and before the explosive big-namer, the band took a break for a breezy, Latin-infused, almost jazzy experience with this song. I like the YouTube comment: “It doesn’t even sound like Ozzy” but maybe and especially in this scenario, diversity was key.


And regardless of where your tastes lie, these were some awesome musicians back in their days. Bill Ward’s soloing on “Rat Salad” is still a genuine showcase of skillful musicianship; instead of blasting our ears off for the whole album Ward eases in and out of his solos with sublime results, while Tony Iommi riffs in between. The latter’s solo work is downright marvelous on the aforementioned song, too. – Bryan