From Loudersound.
Black Sabbath’s performance of Paranoid at Jazz Bilzen festival in August 1970 is a sweet snapshot of metal history.
Black Sabbath’s Paranoid is indisputably one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time, but it wasn’t always an instantly recognisable rock anthem. When Sabbath played the Jazz Bilzen festival in Belgium on August 21, 1970, their signature song had yet to break into the UK charts, or trouble European radio airwaves, so it’s easy to imagine how confusing it was for an audience of stoned hippies gathered to see the likes of Cat Stevens, The Kinks and Dizzie Gillespie, to hear Ozzy Osbourne wailing about insanity, depression and suicidal thoughts over *that Tony Iommi riff.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine, because there’s priceless footage of Sabbath’s performance on the band’s official YouTube channel. It’s a wonderful snapshot of heavy metal history.
Famously, Sabbath knocked out Paranoid in 30 minutes purely to add another three minutes of music to their second album. Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler initially didn’t want to jam on Tony Iommi’s ‘throwaway’ riff at all because they considered it a Led Zeppelin rip-off.
“Ozzy and I thought it was too close to Communication Breakdown by Led Zeppelin,” Butler recalled. “We always loved Zeppelin in them days, sitting round on the floor smoking dope and listening to that first album. So when Tony came up with the riff to Paranoid me and Ozzy spotted it immediately and went, ‘Naw, we can’t do that!’ In fact we ended up having quite a big argument about it. Guess who was wrong?”
“I remember going home and I said to my then-wife, ’I think we’ve written a single’,” Ozzy recalled. “She said, ‘But you don’t write singles.’ I said, ‘I know, but this has been driving me nuts on the train all the way back’.”
Paranoid reached number 4 on the UK singles chart on August 29, 1970. Its parent album, Paranoid, became Sabbath’s only number 1 album of the decade one month later.
Paranoid – 50th Anniversary Edition 5-LP box set in stock now!
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- Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality - 1st + Poster - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £995.00, $1,303.45, €1,184.05 (New Item) (arrived 06-Sep-2024 15:08)on September 8, 2024 at 12:31 am
BLACK SABBATH Master Of Reality (Rare 1971 UK first pressing 8-track vinyl LP on an inverted black 'swirl' label, with machine stamped 1Y1/2Y1 matrices & an inverted 'swirl' die-cut inner, fully laminated & embossed box picture sleeve completewith the incredibly rare fold-out poster. See 'More Info' for condition details...) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Black Sabbath - Hand Of Doom 1970-1978 - UK - vinyl box set - £199.99, $261.99, €237.99 (New Item) (arrived 20-Aug-2024 10:14)on September 8, 2024 at 12:31 am
BLACK SABBATH Hand Of Doom 1970-1978 (2023 UK/EU Limited Super Deluxe Edition EIGHT Picture Disc LP Box Set, comprising the band's self-titled debut [1970] as well as the multi-platinum Paranoid [1970], the platinum albums Master Of Reality [1971], Vol. 4 [1972] & Sabbath Bloody Sabbath [1973], the gold-certified Sabotage [1975], alongside Technical Ecstasy [1976] & Never Say Die! [1978]. Each Picture Disc is housed in its respective die-cut picture sleeve, complete with a bonus colour poster of the band taken in Los Angeles during the summer of 1972 whilst the band were recording Vol. 4, all kept in a black & purple spot lacquered picture box with flip-top opening. Limited to 3000 copies, the packaging shows minimal shelf wear & the contents are Near Mint BMGCAT860BOX)
- Black Sabbath - Mob Rules World Tour Programme - US - tour programme - £35.00, $45.85, €41.65 (New Item) (arrived 23-Jul-2024 15:37)on September 8, 2024 at 12:31 am
BLACK SABBATH Mob Rules World Tour Programme (1981 US tour programme, measuring 12" square, available on the world tour supporting the band's tenth studio album, which ran from 15 November 1981 to 13 August 1982. Packed with snaps of the bandonstage and in action - A real treat with great artwork!)
- Black Sabbath - Sabbath Jacket - UK - jacket - Promo - £195.00, $255.45, €232.05 (New Item) (arrived 23-Jul-2024 16:22)on September 8, 2024 at 12:31 am
BLACK SABBATH Sabbath Jacket (1999 Black Nylon windbreaker jacket with polyester lining popper front fastening with drawstring. The item features the fantastic band logo in white over left breast & 'Sabbath' in white on reverse with 2 front pockets. This item appears Un-worn and in incredible condition with no holes/discoloration throughout. This jacket comes ready to wear. Size - XL. See more for exact sizing...)
- Black Sabbath - T.V. Crimes - UK - 12" picture disc - £35.00, $45.85, €41.65 (New Item) (arrived 24-Jul-2024 13:51)on September 8, 2024 at 12:31 am
BLACK SABBATH TV Crimes (Limited Edition 1992 UK 3-track 12" Picture Disc single, also featuring Letters From Earth - Alternative Version & Mob Rules - Live, housed in a PVC sleeve with illustrated backing insert 12EIRSPD178)
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