Black Sabbath released Paranoid, their trailblazing second album, a mere seven months after their debut. It was a cultural molotov, exploding to number one in the UK and 12 in the US, despite practically zero radio play.
Compositionally, Paranoid refined Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward’s signature, minor-key sound into a set of groundbreaking anthems. Its bleak themes of war, mental illness and political unrest, delivered with technical simplicity and raw emotion, exemplified the essence of heavy metal, drafting its blueprint for the next 50 years. Here are the stories behind the album’s eight iconic tracks:
