In 1970, the course of rock history was set to change dramatically, with the release of Paranoid, Black Sabbath’s follow-up to their debut self-titled album.
This eight –track masterpiece was trashed by critics worldwide, but went on to become what has been described as the most influential heavy metal album of all time.
In 2010, Eagle Rock Entertainment released Paranoid, a documentary from the BBC Classic Albums series, which is a recollection of the making of Black Sabbath’s most notable album, narrated by first hand accounts of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, intersected with original live video footage and opinion pieces from music industry professionals.
The structure of the documentary loosely follows the album’s track listing, with iconic tracks ‘War Pigs’, ‘Iron Man, and others being explained in detail which allows for further appreciation.
An interesting aspect of this film is the slight variations in the stories of the band members as to how the ideas that led to this album came to fruition, and the revelation that at the time, nobody had a clear vision of what they wanted – that this album was simply slapped together during jam sessions.
In fact, the title track was written and recorded at the studio in the space of 40 minutes because the record company wanted something “shorter” to release as a single.
It’s anecdotes like these that provide an in-depth look into the making of, and moreover the importance of one of the great rock albums of all time.
