Today we have Black Sabbath's second studio album Paranoid. Released in 1970, the album is often considered one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. It also Black Sabbath's most celebrated work.
It would have been loads of fun to give this a D+ too but simply by virtue of "Planet Caravan," a quiet and enjoyable slow jam which buries Ozzy's voice in effects so as to appease me, this is leagues ahead of their debut. Iommi still takes ages to finish soloing and Ozzy still sounds like a drug-impaired loser, but the songs, built around solid riffs, have clear arrangements and direction; the production is well-done; and, while I dislike the avenues Butler uses and their literary value is minimal, the lyrics do have admirable themes. A remarkable step-forward and at least this time around, I can say "not for me." C
