Let us all, for just ten minutes, try to forget what our old friend Ozzy Osborne has become. Let us try to forget that this Rock music pioneer and cult legend has reduced himself to a dithering, ridiculous cartoon character complaining about poodle-poo. Let us forget that this idiot of a man, who trusted his wife with his own dignity and self-respect, has ended up no better than Z-list reality TV stars such as Nasty Nick or Jade Goody. Let us forget that Ozzy has shit all over his own career so badly that records such as the one in question, Paranoid, is barely even associated with his past. What a terrible shame. I want to hark back to a time when Ozzy's band Black Sabbath were right out on the edge, writing and recording serious and revolutionary Rock music with depth and meaning. In order to do that you have to get your Living With The Osbornes DVD's series 1-5010 and place them firmly in the bin. Actually, fuck it, don't place them, launch them.
In 1970 Black Sabbath released Paranoid, their second studio album, which eventually went on to top the album charts. It is, to this day, Black Sabbath's classic album. As I have explained before, I am not adverse to any kind of music as long as it connects with me in some way. Early Sabbath stuff such as this album is deemed to be Heavy Metal, although I would dispute that somewhat. To me this record is an exercise in great guitar playing and great songwriting. Often the genre 'Heavy Metal' alienates audiences; that would be a great shame here since Paranoid is a brilliant, brilliant album. It opens with the politically fuelled War Pigs - a fantastic, doom-laden rant about those in positions of power. Ok, so we know that Ozzy isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, so we'll forgive him for his opening rhyming couplet: "Generals gather in their masses/Just like witches at black masses." Following that is the title track, Paranoid, in which drummer, Bill Ward, explained was written in twenty minutes in the studio because they didn't have enough songs for the album. This legendary single was the spark that ignited the interest in this record, voted The Best Heavy Metal Album Of All Time, and rightly so. It is one of the guitar riffs to end all riffs.
Planet Caravan, the album's highlight, is a wonderful, bluesy, experimental jam with fantastic, dreamy vocal effects. It sounds like something straight off a Doves record. My favourite Black Sabbath moment ever, it must be said. Iron Man, the second single off the album, is thumping Sabbath with all the trademark Heavy Metal ingredients. Electric Funeral is built around a searing, distoted guitar riff as Ozzy wails his dark lyrics, and Hand Of Doom is another bluesy, bass-led groove from Geezer Butler that builds up into a thrilling creshendo. Continuing the theme of tortured song titles, Rat Salad is a Led Zep style, lead guitar masterpiece. It is songs like this that push guitarist Tony Iommi into the upper leagues of legendary playing status. The record closes with the intense Fairies Wear Boots - another anthemic exercise in excellence from a seriously tight 3-piece musical backbone. This also boasts Ozzy's finest vocal performance on the record.
I cannot rate this album any higher. My roots are in the acoustic scene, and always have been. However, I'm so pleased that I was open minded enough to get my hands on this record. An absolute classic, and not to be bypassed because of its 'Heavy Metal' status; it does have its heavy moments, but also wanders through melancholy Blues, Soft Rock, and in some parts even Jazz. If Ozzy would only realise the legacy that he is destroying then this record, along with other early Sabbath works, may get the legendary credit that they so truly deserve.
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