Transcript
Nicole Shine: Lou.
Conor: hey everyone welcome back to glenwood's music club where each week we pick an album legendary or obscure loved or not and review it in this episode we're reviewing another one of my choices uh black sabbath's paranoid it was released in september 18th 1970 it's the band's second studio album recorded June 16th through the in 1970 at Regent Sound Studios and Island Studios in London, England.
Conor: ah Black Sabbath's seminal 1970 album Paranoid primarily explores the themes of war, mental anguish, the horrors of nuclear conflict, and alienation.
Conor: Rather than the peace and love themes common in the nineteen sixty s the band drew on drew on the bleak industrial reality of their upbringing to tackle the dark underbelly of the human experience.
Conor: Many publications now cite Paranoid as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time. The album was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame's Definite Records section in 2006. and the Recording Academy honored Black Sabbath, a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2019, heavily can celebrating the legacy of the paranoid album.
Conor: So babe, how did you find out about this album? Did you discover it or did someone introduce it to you?
Nicole Shine: Um, it's one of those, again, like, Dark Side, it's one of those things that have kind of always been around.
Conor: Yeah, yeah.
Nicole Shine: Um, I don't know, it's just kind of always was there. You can't remember when you first knew about it, you know mean? Because it's been around so long.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Like, it was recorded 10 years before I was born, so
Conor: Yeah, I know, right? I was there when it released. No, you aren't.
Nicole Shine: Um, so like, I feel like us the interesting thing is I feel like until we got together, I never really sat down and listened to this whole album, even though I heard every song on it.
Conor: Yeah, at one time or another.
Nicole Shine: You know what I mean? it's
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: It's one of those songs, it's one of those albums where it's like, you've heard every song on it, but you can't remember ever actually sitting down and listening to it until we got together, like listening to the whole thing, like in one ah sitting.
Conor: Yeah, no, totally. Yeah.
Nicole Shine: um So yeah, that's interesting.
Conor: Yeah, I don't recall being introduced to this album specifically as well, but I do recall being introduced to the band. um I wonder if that was the same for you. Like you remember being introduced to the band more than the album.
Conor: I was thinking, yeah.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, I feel like I heard the songs like on the radio or through just list various things.
Conor: Right.
Nicole Shine: um I think if you listen to a certain kind of music, eventually um if something is ubiquitous enough, you'll just kind of those absorb it.
Nicole Shine: You know what mean?
Conor: No, yeah, totally.
Nicole Shine: Yeah. introduced
Conor: um Yeah. Like i was saying, I was introduced to Black Sabbath rather than the album.
Nicole Shine: than album.
Conor: My cousins introduced me. And from there, I ended up just discovering this album. basically from my own um interest you know going through the catalog and stuff like that um i used to be like that when i was younger just real big on once i get into a band i just i'm like all right let's discover more and more and more but i never went past the ozzy era sabbath i don't know about you or
Nicole Shine: I
Nicole Shine: yeah no no yeah um no no offense to the
Conor: That's right.
Nicole Shine: azzie you know what i mean like
Conor: Yeah, I agree 100%.
Nicole Shine: um again rest in peace to the goat but um yeah so like I've always whenever I think Black Sabbath I think Ozzy like you know
Conor: Yeah, ditto. di know All right, let's get into the tracks. First track is War Pigs. A direct anti-war anthem written as a scathing indictment of the Vietnam War and the politicians who send innocent people to die.
Conor: What are your thoughts on this opener?
Conor: I know, right?
Nicole Shine: I mean, this song is classic. I mean, just that just that opening.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: um It's probably one of the most like classic song openings of all time.
Conor: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Shine: um And Ozzy was like, all right now.
Conor: ah
Nicole Shine: He cracks me up. like I'll crack up every time I hear him do that shit. like It don't matter.
Conor: right
Nicole Shine: I can hear him do that.
Conor: no
Nicole Shine: 5,000 different songs, five with you know, different times, and this is always funny to me.
Conor: every time right um yeah there's been like a lot of war songs written over time but this one like i recognize the most um and it's funny because like the first time i heard the song it wasn't black sabbath's version it was
Nicole Shine: Alright, now.
Nicole Shine: It's a very Aussie-ism.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: a cover done by Faith No More.
Nicole Shine: Of course.
Conor: Of course, which we'll get there.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: We'll get there. But yeah, great song, great opener.
Nicole Shine: yeah
Conor: All right, next song is Paranoid. The title track tackles the heavy emotional toil toll of clinical depression and the mental isolation that frequently follows heavy drug use or anxiety.
Conor: Thoughts on Paranoid?
Nicole Shine: Another banger. I feel like this side one, this whole side one is like Black Sabbath's greatest hit.
Conor: but
Nicole Shine: But um yes, this um funny enough, this is the song, like, when I think Black Sabbath, I think of this song. Like, I know a lot of people, yeah, a lot of people think Iron Man.
Conor: like their theme song. Yeah. Yeah.
Nicole Shine: But for me, when I think, and there when like, you think of a band or you think of Black Sabbath, you know, like, what it sound like is this song.
Nicole Shine: Like, I don't know.
Conor: Yeah, yeah. Like if you wanted to introduce someone who's never heard them before, you'd probably like pick this song, right? Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, I feel like everyone's heard this fucking song.
Conor: Right.
Nicole Shine: Even if they haven't, they weren't trying to hear it.
Conor: Yeah, yeah, no, totally.
Nicole Shine: You know what
Conor: um Yeah, I mean, this song just gets you going. You can't help but get up and move or at the very least like bob your head, you know.
Nicole Shine: mean? Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: All right. Next song, Planet Caravan. A stark departure from the heavy instrumentation. This track acts as a psychedelic cosmic love song about floating peacefully through space.
Conor: Thoughts on Planet Caravan.
Nicole Shine: I love this song. Who covered this?
Conor: Pantera.
Nicole Shine: Yeah. I'm like, somebody covered this that I like. um this is so This is such a good song. um Yeah, there's not much i can really say about it.
Conor: Right?
Nicole Shine: I mean, it's different from the rest of the album.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: um i like that they decided to do a more, go in a different direction, try some different things, especially with it being their second album.
Conor: Yeah, that's really risky for sure.
Nicole Shine: You know, they didn't, it wasn't like taking chances, but it worked out really well because this is a really cool fucking song.
Conor: Right, really paid off.
Nicole Shine: Yeah. Yeah.
Conor: Yeah, I agree. Beautiful song all around. And you mentioned what i was going to mention in my critique. Like, I actually was going to say that, you know, Pantera obviously does it on their Far Beyond Driven album.
Conor: And, oh yeah.
Nicole Shine: I feel like I heard that that version first. Yeah. Yeah.
Conor: And i said...
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: that I actually listened to the Pantera's version more than the original.
Nicole Shine: yeah
Conor: Don't get me wrong, this original is good, but Pantera just does so much fucking justice to the song. Yeah, for sure. All right, next song is Iron Man.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: a sci-fi allegory about a time traveler who and journeys to the future, witnesses the apocalypse and is turned into steel. Upon returning to the present,
Conor: to warn humanity he is mocked which drives him to seek vengeance and fulfill his own apocalyptic vision that's a fucking story man right there like i read that and i was like holy shit right thoughts on this one
Nicole Shine: yeah
Nicole Shine: Um, this is, of course, the song that most, this is the radio song.
Conor: yeah radio
Nicole Shine: It's the song from the radio. It's the song that people say when you ask if they like the band.
Nicole Shine: Okay, now I got that other got the jingle out of the way. Um, of course it's a banger.
Conor: Totally.
Nicole Shine: Of course the class it's classic. It's probably the most classic guitar riff of all time. I'm trying to think of a more iconic.
Conor: It's up there. Are we talking just Black Sabbath or everyone?
Nicole Shine: time I'm talking about everyone.
Conor: Oh, God. Maybe smoke on the water.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, it's it has to be a tie between this and Smoke on the Water. Yeah.
Conor: Yeah, because everyone fucking knows that. Like you said, regardless of what type of music you like, Like everyone's fucking heard this fucking song, you know, and they're like, oh, Black Sabbath or Ozzy.
Nicole Shine: yeah I think any, I don't, yeah, whatever music you like, everybody knows. dar turn er no and Like, is it doesn't matter.
Conor: Yep.
Nicole Shine: Like, and they, they can finish it. Like, you just have to start it. And I bet you, out of 10 people, 8 people will be able to finish it.
Conor: Oh, yeah, totally. For sure.
Nicole Shine: yeah. So, yeah, I mean, what else? It's Iron Man, come on.
Conor: Yeah, right.
Nicole Shine: Yeah. This is.
Conor: This is kind of funny. Ozzy's voice on the beginning of the song when he says, i am Iron Man, that used to freak me the fuck out.
Nicole Shine: you i mean Yeah, yeah
Conor: Seriously. Like, I used to not like to listen to the first part until after his voice. Because that just, ah yeah, just freaked me out. But yeah, most notable song from the album, I think.
Conor: But not the best in my opinion. It's great, but yeah.
Nicole Shine: it's great. um Like I said, this whole side one could be It's great, you know. Yeah.
Conor: Yeah, everyone knows, right?
Nicole Shine: Like to have a great sense. Yeah. All right.
Conor: All right. So that would lead us to, if we're doing sides on a tape, this would be a side B start of it.
Nicole Shine: So, we're doing time.
Conor: Electric Funeral. A bleak and apocalyptic track focusing on the horrors of nuclear warfare, radiation, and the radioactive wasteland it creates.
Conor: Thoughts on this one?
Nicole Shine: I love this fucking song.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: It's so good.
Conor: I know. i know.
Nicole Shine: Sissy bone. It is so good, dude. Love this fucking song, bro.
Nicole Shine: I'm not going to give it away yet, but I love this song. Yeah, it's real good.
Conor: Yeah. Yep.
Nicole Shine: It's real good.
Conor: Yep.
Nicole Shine: It's a... oh um I feel like Side 2 is the weaker of the two sides, but this song is a good way to start it.
Conor: no i hear you i hear you um my only like thing on this like i love this song too but i was like that's psychedelic wall guitar is so fucking crushing i love that i love it all right next is hand of doom a cautionary anti-drug song detailing the harsh realities of their heroin epidemic and the physical and psychological destruction of addiction thoughts on this one
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Mm.
Nicole Shine: one i don't like so much yeah um I might be in a minority um but this one this one just doesn't compared to the rest of not even compared to the rest of the songs on the album I just this one just didn't it's kind of a miss for me um yeah what do you think
Conor: Really? Okay.
Conor: Didn't hit.
Conor: Right on. I fucking love the the funky drum beat. Like that drum beat is like funky drum is just so good I love that shit I can't say yeah know yeah oh I love that and then like midway the song changes tone and feels like a different song but it's still the same song then it goes back to that it's pretty cool right yeah
Nicole Shine: Yeah, it's the funky drum beat. Yeah, i know.
Nicole Shine: You know, a lot of songs on this album do that. Where they are start start differently or they go into something different and come back. Yeah.
Conor: I'm glad you noticed that like normally that'd be jarring but it's pretty damn cool
Nicole Shine: Hmm.
Conor: Pretty damn cool.
Nicole Shine: Hmm.
Conor: All right. Next song, a Rat Salad. An instrumental track acting as a musical showcase that features a massive drum solo by Bill Ward serving as a brief jam session rather than a lyrical narrative.
Conor: Thoughts on Rat Salad?
Nicole Shine: okay So this is an instrumental.
Conor: Yes.
Nicole Shine: we've been had ah We've had this conversation in the past two or three albums.
Conor: Instrumental. Yes.
Nicole Shine: um
Conor: Yes, we have.
Nicole Shine: um But yes, this is an instrumental. i would consider So this is what I would consider instrumental. it's a performance of music from the band, it just doesn't have lyrics.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: As opposed to an interlude, which is just, it's like noise or talking or something like that.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: um That being said, again, this one, this is just kind of misses for me too, a little bit.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Sad to say, I do, I don't have anything against, I actually like instrumentals, but um yeah, this one just, it's kind of a miss for me.
Conor: yeah
Nicole Shine: just doesn't, Mm-hmm.
Conor: Yeah, yeah.
Nicole Shine: Mm-hmm.
Conor: um Yeah, I agree.
Nicole Shine: Mm-hmm.
Conor: Like, it's a good instrumental slash jam session and ah way to show off the band's talents, you know? If I'm being honest, I'd probably skip this one when listening to the album.
Conor: um The guitar, though, actually one of the first things I learned on guitar from one of my instructors, so it does hold up place in my heart because of that, though, so... Yeah,
Conor: Yeah, that's good stuff.
Nicole Shine: That's good stuff.
Conor: That's good stuff. A little something there for our listeners. All right. Last song on the album, Fairies Wear Boots. A satirical jab at drug culture. The lyrics were inspired by a real-life hallucination the band experienced after a night of heavy drinking, And using marijuana.
Conor: Thoughts on fairies wear boots?
Nicole Shine: Alright, we are back to the bangers.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: um I love this song as well. That funk, that like... I don't know.
Conor: Yeah. Yeah. Don't. don't ah
Nicole Shine: Yeah, I really, really like this fucking song.
Conor: Right.
Nicole Shine: um Again, it's a song I've always heard, but just, you know.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: yeah Yeah, so is i like it's a good way to end the album.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: I really, really like it. um Again, love the groove. It's very groovy.
Conor: right yeah
Nicole Shine: it's it' To me, it was it really doesn't even give metal. it gives It's very groovy, you know?
Conor: yeah this album has a lot of good groove you know to it for sure um yeah i said the same thing like good closing song um i dig the guitar a lot um but yeah good closer to the album all right so favorite and least favorite songs what's your favorite
Nicole Shine: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Shine: So my favorite is probably going to be a Electric Juno.
Conor: Nice.
Nicole Shine: Again, like i didn't want to give it away when we were talking, but I love that fucking song.
Conor: You kind of did when you sat back.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: cause i was hu
Nicole Shine: I did i really like the song. um
Conor: Least favorite.
Nicole Shine: Probably Hand of Doom.
Conor: Really? Okay.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, it's funny that the favorite and least favorite are right next to each other. um
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Again, um yeah i like i even like the instrumental of Ratsala, I think, better than Hand of Doom.
Conor: Wow.
Nicole Shine: Hand of Doom just really didn't do it for me.
Conor: Okay.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: No, totally.
Nicole Shine: Mm-hmm.
Conor: um Yeah, my favorite is, yeah Electric Funeral. I had like three of them written down, but I was like, all right, I got to put these in order. So, yeah, I'm just saying an Electric Funeral.
Conor: um And it's funny because when I was younger, it was probably like, probably Iron Man like everyone, you know? Um, but I think that was more just because everyone liked it or whatever, you know, but then I started really listening to the album and I'm like, Oh my God, there's so much better shit on here.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: Um, least favorite is rat salad. Yeah. I mean, that's a good instrumental. It definitely has some awesome showcasing of bill wards, drum mob ability and all that stuff and everyone jamming.
Conor: But if I'm listening to it, I would probably skip that one.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: But, um,
Nicole Shine: You're not a fan of the instrumental.
Conor: It's weird. I know I'm going to get to an album where I do like instrumental stuff, but we're going to have Yeah.
Nicole Shine: We're going to classical jazz album one day where it's like nothing but instrumental. Kind of like the whole album is skit.
Conor: So I can.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: Oh, God.
Nicole Shine: wow. I do like a classic.
Conor: No, I do like instrumentals. I swear.
Nicole Shine: this
Conor: ah swear. All right. So does it hold up?
Nicole Shine: Yeah, I thought of a new ah ah new question.
Conor: Okay.
Nicole Shine: Because I feel like, like I said, we mostly are picking albums. We're going back and forth and picking albums that you know we like. Each one of us likes each each week. so um And we're picking pretty good albums.
Nicole Shine: I think in our heart of hers hearts, we just don't want pick shitty albums.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: but um So i've I've thought of a question that would probably be more of a conversation starter.
Conor: OK.
Nicole Shine: um So what I had thought was, if you had never heard any other albums or songs from the band, would this album make you want to explore more of their material?
Conor: Oh, yeah, that's good.
Nicole Shine: So say you never heard any Black Sabbath other than you sat down and you listened to this for the first time.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Would this make you want to like dig deeper into their catalog or explore more of their music?
Conor: Okay.
Conor: No, I like that. That's good because, yeah, we might be doing reviews on some albums from bands. Excuse me, gosh. Where, yeah.
Conor: Yeah, I would say so for this album, yeah. I gotta be like, oh shit, what are they about? Let's see what else they got. um
Nicole Shine: yeah I think i think by the sheer um variety like the fact that they kind of did some um some experimenting or you know it would probably make me a little curious as to um
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Hey, what else do these guys have? You know what I mean?
Conor: Right?
Nicole Shine: As opposed to...
Conor: yeah
Nicole Shine: um Because I feel like even if I've never heard a Black Sabbath album, I've heard War Pigs, I've heard Paranoia, heard Iron Man. But the other, like, Planet Caravan, Electric Funeral, Fairies Wear Boots, it would kind of make me curious, like, man, what else are these guys giving?
Conor: Yeah, yeah.
Nicole Shine: You know what I mean? Besides if I hadn't heard any there of their other albums.
Conor: Right? Because cause you were saying like you were high on the first floor, you know first half of the album.
Nicole Shine: Um...
Nicole Shine: o
Conor: So that right there, you're going to be like, oh shit, let's hear if some of the other albums are the same. Yeah.
Nicole Shine: yeah and they they invented metal i mean with their um i like their first album like it has more of a a special place in my heart because i feel like it's the album that invented metal you know i mean like
Conor: Yeah.
Conor: yeah
Conor: Yeah, yeah.
Nicole Shine: they un invented a fucking genre. And I feel like with this album, it was like, seemen it was defining it.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Like the first one kind of, because this was only a year later. So I like the first one kind of invented it And the second one was like, we said what we said.
Conor: ah that
Nicole Shine: um We said what we said. um This is what it, yeah, this is what it is.
Conor: And we're going to it again
Nicole Shine: And this is what you're getting. So yeah.
Conor: This is the exclamation point after we said what we said.
Nicole Shine: Yeah. So yeah.
Conor: That's funny. All right, go through the album ranking system.
Nicole Shine: all Alright. So, our album ranking system. We go based on skips. um ah Zero skips is a no notes perfect album.
Nicole Shine: One skip is a mulligan. Everyone gets one. um Even the most perfect of albums can have something where, you know, they might have done something on a song and it just doesn't quite hold up.
Conor: Or took a chance like Black Sabbath did with playing Caravan, but it was a good one.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, it just...
Conor: Sorry.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, where um it just doesn't quite do it for you.
Conor: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Shine: But, you know, the other other songs, all every other song is just undeniable. um Two songs is classic. two good it's Still better than the majority of albums. It's still in the top of its class.
Conor: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Shine: um Three skips is good. Four skips is mid. Here I go. Five skips is ass.
Conor: Yes.
Nicole Shine: And six plus gifts is trash. um And for double albums, just double the number. And that is our ranking system.
Conor: Nice. So what would you rank it?
Nicole Shine: So based on our ranking system, I'd have to give it a classic for me. um i'm going to I'm going to skip Hand of Doom. And if I'm being honest, I'm going to skip Rap Solid.
Nicole Shine: But every other song is a definite play. So I'm going to give it a classic.
Conor: nice that's i mean that's totally yeah i agree with that um mine would just be a mulligan and obviously don't laugh i'd skip rat salad yeah yeah you know you knew yeah yeah that's true that's true but um
Nicole Shine: Yeah, I know. I know. Well, you said you was skipping.
Nicole Shine: So yeah know you're you're a much um knowledgeable about Black, more knowledgeable about Black Sabbath than I am.
Nicole Shine: So I normally do the, where does this rank in my album?
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: But since you are more knowledgeable of their albums than I am, where would you rank this?
Conor: Ooh. Gosh.
Conor: I'm just going to go in terms of their albums. um
Nicole Shine: And you can just do the Ozzy ones if you don't know the other. Yeah.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: i Yeah. Sorry, Ronnie James Dio.
Nicole Shine: Sorry. But.
Conor: But um gosh, out of all the Sabbath albums, Ozzy Sabbath albums, this would probably be my, um probably my second or third.
Nicole Shine: Yeah.
Conor: Yeah. um I think first would be Black Sabbath, the first one.
Nicole Shine: Yeah, I mean that Black Sabbath, the song is, yeah, it's probably, it's one of my, it's on my, we, we're such nerds.
Conor: isn't it o God, it's so good.
Nicole Shine: We did a list of our favorite, like 200, was it? Favorite out songs of all time.
Conor: Hey, I'm proud of that list. That's right.
Nicole Shine: And it's definitely on my, on my list. I love that fucking song.
Conor: Like, if fucking the ground was going to rip open and Cthulhu was going to come out, I'd expect him to be playing that shit coming out, you know?
Nicole Shine: Throwing up the horns.
Conor: Yeah. Like, if we're going to die by Cthulhu, I'd want to hear that song, you know?
Nicole Shine: Yeah, that's like his theme song.
Conor: It really is.
Nicole Shine: like it it's It's undeniable, that fucking song.
Conor: It really is. And it's so slow, but it's so fucking heavy, you know, which is hilarious. But yeah, it'd be, it'd probably would be my second favorite album from Ozzy Sabbath. And my third would be, um, was it volume four?
Conor: Yeah. Volume four. We'll have to do that one later, but, um, yeah. All right. Well, that'll do.
Nicole Shine: well we
Conor: Sorry. Okay.
Nicole Shine: ah okay still in my wrap up um we'll be back um
Conor: yeah
Nicole Shine: with another album this next week will be my turn um i'm kind of i kind of got a a few in the works i kind of i'm like
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: I'm kind of going back and forth between um Demon Days, Mezzanine, Massive Attack, um The Benz, might rip that radio head seal, since I broke the tool seal, or Fantastic Planet, I've been talking about that for a couple weeks.
Conor: Munkka.
Conor: Right. Yeah.
Conor: I'm waiting for that seal be broken.
Conor: Oh, yeah.
Nicole Shine: um or even Leviathan. um
Conor: Nice. Okay.
Nicole Shine: So it'll it'll be one of those. I just haven't quite figured out which one yet.
Conor: Yeah.
Nicole Shine: And we will be back um this weekend with a movie. I'm pretty pretty sure we're going to do Goldfinger series. because you know every every few movies we're going to continue on our um our bond journey um so that will be the next one up right after we did from rusher with love so goldfinger will be next right so all right thank you guys for hanging out with us um and we will see you guys or not see you guys but you guys will hear from us sometime this weekend um have a good Fourth of July.
Conor: Oh, okay.
Conor: yeah don't blow your hand off bye
Nicole Shine: Yep. All right.
