Paranoid

Issued in a gatefold sleeve.

The album was originally supposed to be titled War Pigs and the cover art was designed with that title in mind, but the record company objected (presumably due to the Vietnam War), so it was re-titled Paranoid.

"Paranoid" was the last song composed and recorded for the album at the behest of the producer, who thought they needed an extra track.

According to popular belief, the name for doom metal came from the song "Hand of Doom".

"Fairies Wear Boots" was inspired by a time when Ozzy and Geezer were hassled by skinheads, thus an insult to the boot-wearing "fairy" skinheads.

"Iron Man" is based on a fictional character thought up by Ozzy and Geezer, not the Marvel comics hero of the same name.

On the North American edition of the album, the songs "War Pigs" and "Fairies Wear Boots" were titled "War Pigs/Luke's Wall" and "Jack The Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots", respectively.

A Classic Albums documentary has been made for Paranoid, chronicling its inception, recording process, and legacy.

Recording information:

Recorded at Regent Sound and Island Studios.
All songs by Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward.

Identifiers:

Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 1): 6360011 1Y//1 420 1 2 1
Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 1): 6360011 2Y//1 420 1 1 5
Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 2): 6360011 1Y//2 420 1 2 4
Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 2): 6360011 2Y//2 420 1 1 1
Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 3): 6360011 1Y//▽420 12 12
Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 3): 6360011 2Y//▽420 11 17
Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 4): 6360011 1Y//▽420 12 7
Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 4): 6360011 2Y//▽420 12 19
Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 5): 6360011 1Y//2▽420 12 10
Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 5): 6360011 2Y//1▽420 11 33
Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 6): 6360011 1Y//▽420 15 17
Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 6): 6360011 2Y//▽420 11 27