Today (September 18) marks the 50th anniversary of the release of “Paranoid”, the second studio album by the legendary British heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH.
Earlier today, SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi took to his social media to acknowledge the half-century milestone, writing in a message: “I look back and am amazed how we released ‘Black Sabbath’ in February 1970 then toured, wrote, recorded and released ‘Paranoid’ only 7 months later! And these weren’t knock-off albums, they are both full of our classic tracks.”
The 50th anniversary of “Paranoid” will be celebrated with a 5-LP/4CD edition, released on October 9, featuring the vinyl debut of two 1970 concerts.
“Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition” includes the original album, in addition to a rare 1974 Quad Mix of the album folded down to stereo, plus two concerts from 1970, from Montreux and Brussels, that are pressed on vinyl for the first time. The five-LP set comes with a hardbound book with extensive liner notes featuring interviews with all four band members, rare photos, and memorabilia, a poster, as well as a replica of the tour book sold during the “Paranoid” tour.
After the success of the band’s self-titled debut in early 1970, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward returned that fall with “Paranoid”. The record became the band’s first album to top the U.K. charts and has sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone. Today, songs like “War Pigs”, “Planet Caravan”, “Iron Man” and, of course, “Paranoid”, continue to inspire a new generation of musicians around the world.
“Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition” first two LPs feature the original album plus a Quadraphonic Mix of the album. Originally released on vinyl and 8-track cartridge in 1974, but subsequently long out of print, the Quad Mix has now been made available as a fold-down to stereo mix on vinyl for this set.
The collection’s final three LPs mark the official vinyl debut of two 1970 live performances. The first was recorded on August 31 in Montreux, Switzerland shortly before the release of “Paranoid”. It captures the band, already a tight musical unit, thundering through new songs like “Hand Of Doom” and “Iron Man” while mixing in “N.I.B.” and “Behind The Wall Of Sleep” from their debut album. The second concert was recorded a few months later in Brussels during the band’s performance for Belgian television. Unofficial versions of this classic show have circulated in the past, but they’ve never sounded this good.
“Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition” track listing:
LP 1: Original Album
Side A
* War Pigs / Luke’s Wall
* Paranoid
* Planet Caravan
* Iron Man
Side B
* Electric Funeral
* Hand Of Doom
* Rat Salad
* Jack The Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots
LP 2: Quadradisc Mix in Stereo (WS4 1887) 1974
Side C
* War Pigs / Luke’s Wall
* Paranoid
* Planet Caravan
* Iron Man
Side D
* Electric Funeral
* Hand Of Doom
* Rat Salad
* Jack The Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots
LP 3: Live in Montreux 1970 (Part One)
Side E
* Intro
* Paranoid
* N.I.B.
* Behind The Wall Of Sleep
Side F
* Iron Man
* War Pigs
LP 4: Live in Montreux 1970 (Part Two)/Live in Brussels 1970 (Part One)
Side G
* Fairies Wear Boots
* Hand Of Doom
Side H
* Paranoid
* Hand Of Doom
* Rat Salad
* Iron Man
LP 5: Live in Brussels 1970 (Part Two)
Side J
* Black Sabbath
* N.I.B.
Side K
* Behind The Wall Of Sleep
* War Pigs
* Fairies Wear Boots
I look back and am amazed how we released ‘Black Sabbath’ in February 1970 then toured, wrote, recorded and released…
Posted by Tony Iommi on Friday, September 18, 2020
