Paranoid – of, like, or suffering from paranoia; that’s the dictionary.com definition. Instead, let’s use a picture of the album cover to Paranoid and illustrate what the word truly represents; the greatest hard rock/heavy metal album in history that defined a genre and created a paradigm shift in what was considered “mainstream.”

Paranoid was released in September of 1970 and was the follow up to the band’s self-titled debut earlier in the year. It’s considered by many to be Sabbath’s magnum opus. It was produced by Rodger Bain on a shoe-string budget for the Vertigo label. The actual tracks were laid down from June 16-21 of 1970. It took five days to record one of the most influential records of all time.

The original title of the album was “War Pigs.” Due to pressure from the record company to avoid the Vietnam War controversy, they decided to re-name it at the last minute. Ironically, the song “Paranoid” was an afterthought that was laid down in 20 minutes after Tony Iommi came up with the riff. By this time Sabbath hadn’t had anything remotely resembling a radio single. “Paranoid” fit the bill. It came in at under three minutes and had a catchy repetitive sound that stuck in your head, and Ozzy’s nasally vocals that had the listener humming and singing along.

“Paranoid” is the aberration. Most of the songs, including “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “Hand of Doom,” and “Fairies Wear Boots” were much more in depth, and some epic-like, especially for the time. Sabbath embodied the anti-peace movement. They didn’t conform or really understand what all of the love and peace was about. They were four guys who grew up in post-World War II England in the very poor steel town of Birmingham. The idea of peace and love wasn’t part of their existence. They wrote songs and explored themes that they related to; namely chaos, war, anti-religious sentiments, and last but not least, drugs. If you want an education on the ravages of heroine addiction listen to “Hand of Doom” and you can stop there. Every track has been covered and re-covered by numerous bands. Check out Pantera’s version of “Planet Caravan.” Remember to drop those tabs of acid first!

The album has been lauded in many publications. It’s in every top 100 list there is, and in the top-three when the category is hard rock. Ben Mitchell of Blender called it “the greatest metal album of all time.” Of course there were some critics that just didn’t get it. Years later, now that history has proven the worth and simple brilliance of the band and the record, history has been re-written and Paranoid is considered a breakthrough work even by those who originally marginalized the band as a gimmick when they first came on the scene.

Paranoid peaked at number 12 on the U.S. charts in 1971. In ’09 it was certified quadruple-platinum in the USA. When the charts were blanketed with the likes of Paul Anka, Pat Boone, and The Partridge Family, Black Sabbath made eyebrows turn upward and foreheads crinkle. In June the “Classic Albums” series released a DVD profiling the album. It contains interviews with all of the original members. It will eventually be broadcast on VH1 Classic as part of their “Classic Albums” programming. It’s said that the DVD is much more in depth and longer than the TV show.

All of the Ozzy-led Black Sabbath albums will have an anniversary this decade. Stories will be written about others, but Paranoid is the one that needs to be celebrated, not only because it’s a great record, but because it set the tone for future hard rock and heavy metal music.