Black Sabbath - Paranoid (Sanctuary)
4/5
By: Various Scribes
Listening to the new, crisply re-mastered edition of Paranoid it's difficult not to fantasise about an alternative reality version of Black Sabbath, their mythic status left untarnished by Ozzy Osbourne's rebirth as Pater Ridiculi of the world's most irritating TV family.
From the opening, humungous, slab like chords of 'War Pigs' it's immediately clear that the hi-jacking of the world's most influential metal band by its own front man was deeply unjust. For whilst Ozzy may have been Black Sabbath's irrepressible voice and face, but its dark & heavy heart and soul belongs to Guitarist Tony Iommi. Iommi's fluid, jazz tinged eloquence on Planet Caravan for example proves that Sabbath were more than simply a heads down, balls to the wall metal machine - although it's in this guise on the title track where they are the most fun.
With so many of these "Uber-Deluxe-All-Singing-All-Dancing-Including-A-Bunch-Of-Stuff-We-Found-Down-The-Back-Of-The-Sofa" Editions of Classic Albums appearing, it's easy to dismiss them as purely cynical fan-fleecing exercises. However, the sought after, complete Quadraphonic mix of the album makes this a worthy purchase for those eager to re-assess the Midlands' metal monolith's finest hour. The host of instrumental versions that form part of Disc 3 enable the listener to appreciate both the solid workmanship of the band un-hindered by Osbournes vocals, while also understanding what it was he brought to the original line-up that has since descended into parody.
This Deluxe re-issue may finally go someway to exorcising the ubiquitous demon of globe-straddling, multi-media Entertainment Brand "The Osbournes TM."
Artists in this article: Black Sabbath
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