Black Sabbath literally blew the roof off when premiering 'Paranoid'

In the new issue of Classic Rock magazine, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler has reflected on the writing and impact of the band’s iconic second album, Paranoid.

In one anecdote, Butler shared that back in the day Black Sabbath literally blew the roof off the barn in which they were rehearsing ahead of the studio sessions while premiering songs like ‘Iron Man’ and ‘War Pigs’ for producer Rodger Bain.

According to Butler, the band booked rehearsal time at the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales to show producer Rodger Bain, who had produced their self-titled debut album, their new material.

“There was an old barn where we set up,” Butler recalled, “but when we started playing, part of the roof fell in because of the volume.”

“We still lived in Brum with our parents at the time,” the bassist added, “so any chance to travel out of the inner city, we gladly took. It was sort of a paid holiday for us – we were very close, us against the world sort of thing. We loved having a laugh, getting stoned and drunk together.”

“We were four kids from Aston, just glad to be living our dream,” Butler said, adding that the album “still stands up today”, both musically and lyrically.

“Substitute any Vietnam reference with any current war, and the lyrics still stand up,” he said. “Mental health issues are finally being talked about in the media. Electric Funeral still applies as far as pollution and the destruction of Mother Earth is concerned. I think the lyrics to Paranoid are timeless.”