The 500 - #131 - Paranoid - Black Sabbath

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #131
Album Title: Paranoid
Artist: Black Sabbath
Genre: Heavy Metal
Recorded: Regent Sound and Island Studios, London, U.K.
Released: September, 1970
My age at release: 5
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #139, dropping 8 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: War Pigs/Luke's Wall

In early 1979, Black Sabbath (vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward) retreated to a sprawling Bel Air mansion in Los Angeles to write their ninth studio album. It was a disaster.

Sabbath were coming off a grueling seven-month world tour supporting Never Say Die!, an album that had received a lukewarm response from critics and fans alike. Heavy drinking and drug use had taken a toll on the band, and the effects were becoming increasingly visible. On stage, the once-dominant pioneers of heavy metal appeared tired and worn down, a stark contrast to the rising wave of youthful, high-energy rock acts, such as Van Halen, AC/DC, and Def Leppard, who were injecting fresh vitality into the genre.

Never Say Die! Black Sabbath's eighth studio record.

The Bel Air sessions quickly unraveled. The band’s substance abuse continued unabated but, according to guitarist Iommi, "Ozzy was on a different level.” While the group tried to spark creativity through loose jam sessions, Osbourne showed little interest and often refused to sing. Before long, rehearsals were abandoned entirely, replaced by all-night parties and days spent sleeping off hangovers. In Steven Rosen’s 1996 book ,The Story of Black Sabbath, drummer Bill Ward reflected on the chaos: “Alcohol was definitely one of the most damaging things to Black Sabbath. We were destined to destroy each other. The band was toxic -- very toxic.” Eventually, the situation became untenable and the decision was made to fire Osbourne and search for a new vocalist.

About the same time,I began my Black Sabbath fandom. A friend loaned me his copy of Sabotage, the band’s sixth album, which I smuggled home under a ski jacket. I liked it, but it didn’t blow me away. That moment came a few months later, in April,1980, when Sabbath released Heaven and Hell. This was the record they had hoped to create during those chaotic Bel Air sessions a year earlier, but instead it was recorded in Miami with a new voice at the helm. Ronnie James Dio was a powerhouse American metal singer who previously fronted the rock groups Elf and Rainbow. The result was a revitalized sound that marked a bold new chapter for the band. I purchased a copy on cassette shortly after its release and wore it down with repeated plays that summer. It is still one of my favourite Sabbath records.

Black Sabbath (1980), (l-r) Bill Ward, Ronnie James Dio, Tony 
Iommi and Geezer Butler.

There was a silver lining for fans like me when the original Black Sabbath lineup collapsed...it meant more music. In the autumn of 1980, Ozzy Osbourne released his debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz. The Birmingham-born singer had managed to regain enough focus to assemble a team of gifted musicians and songwriters, recording the album in Monmouth, Wales. The result was a stunning record that would later be ranked #9 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 2017 list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. For fans, the breakup was almost a bonus, while Sabbath forged ahead with Ronnie James Dio on Heaven and Hell, Ozzy launched a new era of his own, giving listeners twice the material to celebrate. From my perspective, immune to the events that led to it, the break-up of Sabbath was a net positive.

Blizzard Of Ozz, the debut record from Ozzy Osbourne.

Similar instances of the so-called "Split Effect" or "Creative Divergence" that affected other bands have resulted in some of my favourite music:

• Peter Gabriel’s exit from Genesis turned out to be a creative windfall for fans, as both camps went on to release multiple acclaimed records.
• When Fish (born Derek Dick) parted ways with neo-prog band Marillion in 1988, fans were treated to a creative explosion from both sides. Marillion pressed forward with a new vocalist, Steve Hogarth, while Fish had a successful solo career.
• The departure of David Lee Roth from Van Halen in 1985 was another net positive for me. Roth launched a flamboyant solo career, while Van Halen reinvented themselves with Sammy Hagar at the mic. The split gave listeners two distinct flavors of hard rock. You could opt for Roth’s swaggering, high-energy showmanship or Van Halen’s more polished, melodic approach under Hagar. I chose to enjoy both the same way a kid scoops two different flavours of ice cream on a single waffle cone

The two lead singers with Van Halen in the 70s' & 80s. 
David Lee Roth (left) and Sammy Hagar.

Black Sabbath’s Paranoid hit shelves in September, 1970, just seven months after their self-titled debut, a testament to the band’s creative momentum at the time. It was a period of focus and productivity. Their rehearsals were tight and studio time was used efficiently.

As an up-and-coming act, their excesses hadn’t yet derailed their creative process. In fact, the album’s iconic title track was famously written and recorded in about two hours. Originally, the record was set to be called War Pigs, after its blistering opening track, a scathing critique of the Vietnam War, which was raging at the time. Ultimately, the band opted for Paranoid, a name that would become synonymous with heavy metal history. That hastily written track would become the group's only Top Ten single. Clearly, they were firing on all cylinders in 1970.

1976 reissue of Paranoid single on picture disc.

Ronnie James Dio continued as Black Sabbath’s frontman for three records, bringing a new lyrical depth and operatic power to the band. At the same time, Dio launched a stellar solo career. For fans like me, the ’80s felt like triple the output -- Sabbath, Ozzy, and Dio records seemingly dropping every few months.

Ronnie James Dio second studio record -- Last In Line (1984).

During its 55-year history, Black Sabbath recruited several other singers, including former Deep Purple legends Ian Gillan and later Glenn Hughes. Each lineup brought its own flavour, from Gillan’s raw, blues tinged energy on Born Again to Hughes’ soulful touch on Seventh Star. Granted, many will argue that Seventh Star was a Sabbath record in name only because Tony Iommi was the last of the original members to feature on it. Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne carved out a wildly successful solo career, yet he never fully severed ties with Sabbath, reuniting for tours and albums that kept the early magic alive.

Seventh Star album jacket.

The most recent, and final, reunion came this past summer with the Back to the Beginning concert, a celebration of Sabbath’s legacy that closed a monumental chapter in rock history. The 10-hour benefit show, held at the Villa Park Football Stadium in the band's hometown of Birmingham, featured a who's who of rock legends performing the songs of Ozzy and Sabbath.

Ozzy, battling Parkinson’s and unable to walk, gave everything he had in a performance that was both triumphant and bittersweet. Just weeks later, the world mourned his passing, a loss that underscored how deeply his voice and presence shaped heavy metal. Black Sabbath began with Ozzy, and though others carried the torch brilliantly, it ended with him. A fitting tribute to the powerhouse of heavy metal.

Sabbath's final performance in Birmingham, July 5, 2025.