Paranoid - Song By Song

[Zzzptm]

I've always loved this track. Iron Man and Paranoid got played all the time on the radio, and I love 'em, but Hand of Doom is the one I truly look forward to most when I play Paranoid end-to-end.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I'll kick off Rat Salad.

This is a rare track in that it is an instrumental which isn't an accoustic lead gentle peice or a synth lead ambient peice, it's full on hard rock with a drum solo! It's one of their better instrumentals.

I can't think of another "rock" instrumental by the boys.

[Typhon]

^^^^^^
Agreed, and I was glad it contained a drum solo.  Bill Ward can do no-wrong throughout the Great 8.   

[Charger]

^^^^^^
 Bill Ward can do no-wrong throughout the Great 8.   

Swinging the Chain comes to mind...he did do awfully wrong there!


Anyhow... Rat Salad is a nice little instrumental...nothing much else can be said about that...rather insignificant track all in all. More like a small part of an instrumental jam than anything else.

[Jack the Stripper]

Yeah it’s just a fun jazzy instrumental jam that adds another different element to the album and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Bill’s the obvious standout but Tony also adds some nice playing along with some good solid bass work from Geezer.

Btw...
Rat Salad > Moby Dick... All day every day
 

[Zzzptm]

I do like me some Rat Salad. Bill Ward lets the sticks fly and shows us all what he's got under the hood.

I think it would only be appropriate, by the way, to allow Jack the Stripper to lead off the discussion on, well... "Jack the Stripper".

[Jack the Stripper]

Ok so we‘ve come to my namesake and final song on the album Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots. A song inspired by Ozzy’s apparent encounter with a bunch of skinheads, although the lyrics are something completely different.

Have always loved this song....The intro has a unique jammy feel to it with some smooth playing by Tony. Bills drum breaks are iconic which still to to this day never sound quite right when played by someone else. Love the groove on the verses and Ozzy’s wacky tripped-out lyrics  bring a sense of fun to it with Geezer providing some very tasty bass runs throughout.

Summing up, Fairies is one of Sabbaths most dynamic songs and is a fine way to finish this brilliant album.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Fairies is another Top 10 song for me, I just love it to bits.

[Charger]

Fairies Wear Boots is one of those songs that always brings a smile to my face.

The riff is just so funky...it's a feel good song.

And that also carries on with the tongue in cheek lyrics. Probably some of the funniest lyrics in Sabbath's history...

The soloing on this one is also top notch.

Perhaps a bit of an oddity in Sabbath's catalogue but a good oddity. It's okay to have a "fun" song too even if you are all gloom and doom!

[Typhon]

Right off the bat, Iommi's guitar is pleasure to my ears, to begin Fairies Wear Boots.  I always make sure I give it my full listening attention right before it starts.    Of course the entire song is completely enjoyable.  A great closer to a superb album.  Probably Sabbath's best known album worldwide.

[Zzzptm]

Yes, those lyrics are FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN

CAUSE SMOKIN AND TRIPPIN ARE ALL THAT YOU DO
YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!



I remember belting those out in the hallway at high school with some of my buddies and other Sabbath fans joining in, great song!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

The inevitable, unnecessary ranking of the songs!

1= War Pigs
1= Fairies Wear Boots
3. Hand of Doom
4. Paranoid
5. Iron Man.
6= Electric Funeral
6= Planet Caravan
6= Rat Salad

[Charger]

1. Electric Funeral
2. War Pigs
3. Fairies Wear Boots
4. Hand Of Doom
5. Iron Man
6. Planet Caravan

7. Rat Salad
8. Paranoid

[Zzzptm]

Hand of Doom on the top of my list, Planet Caravan at the bottom. The rest are in a big, juicy delicious middle. This is a great album not just for the band but for rock in general.

[Typhon]

Inserting my final rating of the albums for completion's sake.

Paraniod - 10/10