Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Bands were a hell of a lot moe prolific in the 60's and 70's. While you get bands these days that take 5 years or so to record a follow up album, Black Sabbath's second album "Paranoid" was released 7 months after their self titled debut! While it's not my favourite Sabbath album, It'll always be a special one for me as it was the first of their albums I bought (I remember buying it at "More Than Music" in Tamworth in 1996). Sabbath are one of the most important and influential band of all time and there should be a statue of the four of them in Birmingham city centre.

Sabbath took blues and made it heavier out of necessity (Guitarist Tony Iommi lost a few fingertips in an industrial accident so tuned his guitar down to make it easier to play) and in doing so pretty much created Heavy Metal as we know it. Obviously Ozzy's vocals and Iommi's Riffs are a very big part of their sound but don't underestimate the rhythm section. Probably my favourite aspect of Sabath's sound is how Ward's drums and Butler's bass are always pulling against eachother as if one is trying to speed up and the other is trying to slow down, which gives them a groove like no other rock band before. This album is full of riff filled awesomeness with only the instrumental "Rat Salad" falling short of the mark. Other than tha you've got the title track, "Iron Man", "War Pigs", "Fairies Wear Boots", "Electric Funeral", the psychedelic "Planet Caravan" and "Hand Of Doom", possibly the best example of the rhythm section's groove...