History And Analysis Of The Album Paranoid By Black Sabbath
The documentary Classic Album: Black Sabbath: Paranoid plunges onto the creation of Black Sabbath’s, and the people involved on the creation second studio album.
The time is September 18, 1970, the UK based band had just released their second studio album after the release of their debut album, self titled “Black Sabbath” on February 1970. Seven months later the band would release their second studio album “Paranoid”. Black Sabbath was an English rock band, formed in Birmingham, United Kingdom In 1968, “The four musicians got their start in such psychedelic outfits as the Rare Breed and Mythology. Influenced by the reigning British blues bands - Led Zeppelin, Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers”, composed by guitarist and main songwriter Tony Iommi, bassist and main lyricist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and singer Ozzy Osbourne.
Phil Alexander (MOJO and Kerrang editor) discusses the position of Black Sabbath and their position on one of the top ten first British bands to come to the US, with Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones. The band had changed their name by the time they began to record, in 1968. Their first recorded song, titled as Black Sabbath was titled, “Wicked Women”, after this song they moved toward to writing their self Titled Song, “Black Sabbath”. With the help of Tom Allen, their sound engineer. They had released their first studio album. They technique the studio used to recorded Their first album was simplistic, they would all as a band perform, giving a sense of a live band, they had 4 days to record and mix the album. They took 2 days from 10am to 2pm to record and another two days from 10am to 6pm to mix the songs. After Releasing their debut album which did well, their album was number 8 on UK albums chart. During That Same year the band moved toward to write their Second studio album, Paranoid, on which was released on September 18, 1970. The Record was created and written on the road. The process of this album and its songs consisted that where the opening songs they would play from their shows or just jammin on the bus. “We finished the first album, toured Europe for six weeks and then went right back in the studio, ” bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler”, ‘Paranoid was produced by Rodger Bain and recorded in London at two studios, Regent Sound and Island. Many have claimed that it’s the most powerful example of heavy metal music in its purest form’ but before there was “Paranoid” there was “War Pigs”.
The origin of the creation of the album “Paranoid”, the albums first songs which began recording were “N. I. B. ” which was written on 1970, followed by that “War Pigs” which followed during the vietnam War. The song captured all the turmoil of the time. The reason for Butler, lyricist, to write this song was for all the political issues in which people who ran the banks and govt and sending the poor to war and work. Afterwards Followed “Iron Man” which was as Butler puts it, it was about time travel a man in which travels in time and also influencing was the pollution, while keeping him interested in politics, the song which had a sense of futuristic approaches for the song lyrics while also Iommi idea of the song was when composing was the feeling of a large monster walking which resulted on the intro of the song.
From there on Followed “Planet Caravan” which was written as a jazz Style. Due to Iommi’s influences. The song revolves around the topic of going into space with your loved one and exploring the universe. Finally it came to “electric Funeral” which was about the cold war and the fear of being attacked by an atom bomb in which Phil Alexander (MOJO and Kerrang editor) puts it, “a track in which in sense of an apocalyptic world… due to sabbath payed attention around the world”. It related to an era of the cold war and the peace monuments around the world. These songs where the laying foundation for Blacks Sabbath's second studio album. While all these songs were written every time the band had a chance to go to the studio and record and prepare the song. After time they went back to the studio with more songs, this resulted on the creation of “hand of Doom” which related to the topic of drug overdose on many soldiers during the Vietnam War, the traumas the people had to go on to live with after the band had gone to a military base. Following that they wrote “Fairies Wear Boots” which was written by Ozzy Osbourne, resulted on an encounter with a group of skinheads at one of their shows. While also the use of drugs in which were dope, and LSD. At this point the band had been just going to studio sessions which were just to record and mix the songs.
Paranoid the last song from the album to be written, once signed by Warner Bros Records, after accepting the release of their album, they were needing a fill in song, a 4 min song, the song was relating as Butler explains, “when i was young i would go thru alot of depression, couldn't relate to nobody”. The song was released as a single, the song was number taking down simon and garfunkel songs at the moment of its release. Great success came after the release of Paranoid, till this day Paranoid is considered as one the greatest 100 metal albums of all-time leading to being put as the number 1, leading to influencing the genre and the musicians to come, as Rob Hallford describes in an interview with Rolling stone, “Paranoid is important because it’s the blueprint for metal”.
