Paranoid was not only Black Sabbath's most popular record (it was a number one smash in the U.K., and "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" both scraped the U.S. charts despite virtually nonexistent radio play), it also stands as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time. Paranoid refined Black Sabbath's signature sound -- crushingly loud, minor-key dirges loosely based on heavy blues-rock -- and applied it to a newly consistent set of songs with utterly memorable riffs, most of which now rank as all-time metal classics. Where the extended, multi-sectioned songs on the debut sometimes felt like aimless jams, their counterparts on Paranoid have been given focus and direction, lending an epic drama to now-standards like "War Pigs" and "Iron Man" (which sports one of the most immediately identifiable riffs in metal history). The subject matter is unrelentingly, obsessively dark, covering both supernatural/sci-fi horrors and the real-life traumas of death, war, nuclear annihilation, mental illness, drug hallucinations, and narcotic abuse. Yet Sabbath makes it totally convincing, thanks to the crawling, muddled bleakness and bad-trip depression evoked so frighteningly well by their music. Even the qualities that made critics deplore the album (and the group) for years increase the overall effect -- the technical simplicity of Ozzy Osbourne's vocals and Tony Iommi's lead guitar vocabulary; the spots when the lyrics sink into melodrama or awkwardness; the lack of subtlety and the infrequent dynamic contrast. Everything adds up to more than the sum of its parts, as though the anxieties behind the music simply demanded that the band achieve catharsis by steamrolling everything in its path, including its own limitations. Monolithic and primally powerful, Paranoid defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history.
White House backs Pelosi on use of bigger planeBy JIM KUHNHENNThe Associated PressWASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., received some rare help Thursday from the White House against a barrage of Republican criticism over how she intends to get back home.For security reasons, Pelosi is entitled to fly to her San Francisco district on military planes.The House sergeant-at-arms, who h.
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There are four trees on the top of my house,one at each corner. This one is the north-westerner.Resized from 1760x1320 -> 320x240as usual, no edit no crop no filter.Looking west at the dusk, the Sun is now wellbehind the mountains in the background, approaching night-time...
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White House backs Pelosi on use of bigger planeBy JIM KUHNHENNThe Associated PressWASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., received some rare help Thursday from the White House against a barrage of Republican criticism over how she intends to get back home.For security reasons, Pelosi is entitled to fly to her San Francisco district on military planes.The House sergeant-at-arms, who h.
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There are four trees on the top of my house,one at each corner. This one is the north-westerner.Resized from 1760x1320 -> 320x240as usual, no edit no crop no filter.Looking west at the dusk, the Sun is now wellbehind the mountains in the background, approaching night-time...
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Here's my other all-time favourite Sabbath track, "Planet Caravan".It's amazing not many people I've spoken to know of this fine, chilled-out classic. Chill out? Sabbath? Yeah, & I'm not the only one. Even French duo Air featured this track on their Late Night Tales mix CD.Depending on how you hear it, "Planet Caravan" can be relaxing or just downright creepy. A perfect track to watch the stars...
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"War Pigs" is one of the best known of all Black Sabbath's work. It first appeared on their incredible 1970 release, Paranoid. Now it's a classic and not only has it been covered by dozens of bands (including Faith No More, Weezer, Phish, Sacred Reich, Gov't Mule, Red House Painters, and Pig) but there are even two bands, one from Australia and one from Hungary, named War Pigs. It was originall...
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On June 29th, Sanctuary/Universal Music UK is releasing Deluxe CD and LP Editions of the following Black Sabbath titles: Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid and Master Of Reality (1971). The reissues are detailed below:Black Sabbath was released in the United Kingdom on Friday the 13th of February 1970. The album is often regarded as one of the first heavy metal albums. Black Sabbath reached number ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 War Pigs |
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| 2 Paranoid |
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| 3 Planet Caravan |
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| 4 Iron Man |
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| 5 Electric Funeral |
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| 6 Hand of Doom |
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| 7 Rat Salad |
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| 8 Fairies Wear Boots |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Paranoid")
