Besides the Dolphins have already won (23-20 over Green Bay - Yeehaw!) and the three afternoon games all feature teams I don't like (MIN/DAL, SF/OAK, and NYJ/DEN).
So, without further ado,
Disc 194 is...Paranoid
Artist: Black SabbathYear of Release: 1970
What’s Up With The Cover?: I have often wondered this. It looks like a guy in a subpar Halloween costume waiving a plastic sword around. If this is supposed to represent the visions of a paranoid mind, it does a poor job of it.
How I Came To Know It: As I've noted in previous Black Sabbath reviews, I've known the band since I was ten. I knew a lot of the songs off of Paranoid, but never owned it until Sheila bought it for my birthday shortly after we got together (mid-nineties).
How It Stacks Up: I have eleven Black Sabbath albums and "Paranoid" is one of the best in a strong field. I'll say it comes in third.
Rating: 5 stars.
"Paranoid" is a staple in the collection of anyone serious about hard rock or heavy metal. It is one of those albums that everyone owns - if you don't own it, then please don't admit it - why embarrass yourself like that?
Chronologically, it comes second after their self-titled debut earlier the same year. It has a more fully realized sound than the first album to my ear, and avoids the small amounts of noodling that exist on its predecessor.
True, the first song, "War Pigs" is eight minutes long - should we sound a noodle alert? No, we should not - my only regret is that "War Pigs" isn't twelve minutes long.
In fact, with "War Pigs", "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", this record has three of the greatest, most instantly recognizable rock songs ever written.
On this listen I paid closer attention to the lyrics of "Iron Man", which are far more subtle than the whole "heavy bolts of lead/fill his victims full of dread" stuff that we all loved as teenagers. Here's the part that caught my attention this time:
"He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
Where he travelled time
For the future of mankind
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfold."
I found it interesting that he was supposed to save the world by travelling through time, but once he is transformed, he is shunned by humanity. In doing so, they incite his hatred. Hence by travelling through time to save the people, he actually sets of the string of events that will doom them (and sets himself up as the facilitator of that doom).
More importantly, the song has a kick ass riff, and a Tony Iommi's guitar solo near the end is the master at his best.
Other standouts on this classic are "Hand of Doom" (about drug use, and how it will eventually kill you) and "Fairies Wear Boots" which I believe tells of a fight with some skinheads.
There are no bad songs on this record - its only range is from good to perfect. Sometimes a couple of months after I give a five star review I have second thoughts that I was too generous (Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philadelphia" comes to mind). There is no danger of that here. "Paranoid" remains one of the world's most perfect rock albums, and sounds as fresh and interesting today as it ever did, forty years after it was first released.
Best tracks: War Pigs, Iron Man, Paranoid, Hand of Doom, Fairies Wear Boots.
2 comments:
Interesting that you picked all non-famous tracks as your "best tracks." Do you not recommend the better-known ones, then, or is it that you want to just highlight these?
Would you go back and re-visit albums you think you've been too easy or too harsh on?
Actually that was an error - I accidentally had songs listed from an earlier Black Mountain review. I've since adjusted and included the many (and famous) great tracks from the album I was actually reviewing.
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