Artist: BLACK SABBATH
Album: PARANOID REMASTERED (CD)

Release date: 1970/ 2010
EAN/UPS: 5050749203229
Media type: CD

Paranoid is the influential and iconic second album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and contains some of their most famous work, including the songs "Iron Man", "War Pigs", and the title track "Paranoid."

Released September 18, 1970 in the UK, only seven months after the band's debut, Paranoid is Black Sabbath's only UK #1 album, displacing Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water for one week.

Paranoid peaked at number 12 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart (North America). The singles "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" peaked at number 61 and number 52, respectively, on the Pop singles chart. "Paranoid" as a single went to number 4 in the UK. In 2003, the album was ranked number 130 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The original UK vinyl release was in a gatefold sleeve, with the generic Vertigo 'swirl' inner bag. The inner of the gatefold had a b/w photo of the band, posed outdoors on a grassy hill, being their first appearance on album artwork. To spread the original picture over the gatefold, Osbourne was separated from the other members of the band and a section of the grass was copied and dropped into the gap. This is only readily apparent when one sees that original promo photo, whereupon it is then easy to spot the added grass on the LP.

The album was originally titled "War Pigs" but it is said that the record company changed it to "Paranoid" because of sensitivity about the Vietnam War. However, the band's visual interpretation of a "War Pig" was still featured on the cover. Nonetheless, the album's title and its picture of man with a sword jumping out from behind a tree meshed well together and the cover is now considered a classic album cover. The song "Iron Man" was voted number 1 on the TV music channel VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs.

The title-track was written, mixed and added to the album last at Island studios, in an old church. The band sensed at the time that the song was lighter, with the potential to become a single.

In 2006, the album was ranked number 6 on Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.

All tracks by Osbourne, Iommi, Ward, and Butler.

TRACKLIST :

"War Pigs/Luke's Wall" – 7:58
"Paranoid" – 2:52
"Planet Caravan" – 4:34
"Iron Man" – 5:58

"Electric Funeral" – 4:52
"Hand of Doom" – 7:09
"Rat Salad" – 2:30
"Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots" – 6:13

LINE-UP:

Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitar
Geezer Butler – bass guitar
Bill Ward – drums