Black Sabbath, formed in 1968 in Birmingham, UK, is considered the first and most influential heavy metal band. Their 1970 self-titled debut and second album Paranoid, featuring songs like "Iron Man" and "War Pigs", helped define the genre with their occult-inspired lyrics and Tony Iommi's heavily distorted, downtuned guitar sound. Paranoid in particular, certified 4x platinum, contains some of their best known tracks and established their signature dark sound. Despite lineup changes, Black Sabbath continues to influence bands and has sold over 100 million records worldwide, cementing their status as kings of 1970s heavy metal.

2. ! Formed in Birmingham, UK in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocals),
Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass guitar), and Bill Ward (drums).
! Originally called Polka Tulk before changing to Earth
! Began incorporating occult- and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-
down guitars, changing their name to Black Sabbath and achieving
multiple platinum records in the 1970s.
! Total of 22 musicians have at one time been members of Black
Sabbath.
! Despite an association with occult and horror themes, Black Sabbath
also composed songs dealing with social and political issues such as
drugs and war.
! Black Sabbath is generally considered both the first and greatest
heavy metal band.

3. The Dark Side
! Geezer Butler noted people lining up for the Boris
Karloff horror film “Black Sabbath”
– Osbourne and Butler wrote the lyrics for a
song called "Black Sabbath", which was
inspired by the work of occult writer Dennis
Wheatley
! Band changes name to Black Sabbath in August
1969, decides to focus on writing similar material,
and create the musical equivalent of horror
films.
! Making use of the musical tri-tone (aka "The
Devil's Interval“) along with Iommi’s heavy,
ominous guitar, and dark lyrics, the band pushed
in a darker direction
! Self-titled “Black Sabbath” released in February
1970
– #8 in the UK Albums Chart, reached #23 on the Billboard
200

4. Guitarist Tony Iommi
! In 1966, Iommi suffers workplace accident,
losing the tips of two fingers on his right hand.
! Almost gave up music, but was urged by a
friend to listen to Django Reinhardt, a jazz
guitarist who lost the use of two fingers.
! Iommi creates two thimbles made of plastic
and leather to cap off his missing fingers.
! The guitarist began using lighter strings, and
detuning his guitar, to better grip the strings
with his prosthesis, a move which
inadvertently gave the music a darker feel
! Left handed guitarist ROCK

5. Paranoid – The Album
! Band quickly returned to the studio in
June 1970, only 4 months after “Black
Sabbath” was released.
! Released in September 1970, band’s
2nd studio album
! Commonly identified as the band's
magnum opus.
– Certified four times platinum by the
RIAA and contains some of the
band's best-known tracks, including
the title track, "Iron Man" and "War
Pigs".
! Originally named "War Pigs", which
was critical of the Vietnam War.

6. Track List
! Side one
– "War Pigs" – 7:55 *
– "Paranoid" – 2:47
– "Planet Caravan" – 4:30
– "Iron Man" – 5:58
! Side two
– "Electric Funeral" – 4:47
– "Hand of Doom" – 7:07
– "Rat Salad" – 2:29
– "Fairies Wear Boots" – 6:13 *
* On the North American edition of the album, the songs "War Pigs"
and "Fairies Wear Boots" were entitled "War Pigs/Luke's Wall" and
"Jack The Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots", respectively.

7. Album Cover Trivia
What was the inspiration
for the Album Cover?
A. The view from Shannon’s room, again under siege
from Adam, circa 1982.
B. The band's visual interpretation of a "war pig" was
featured on the cover; a distorted, eerie
photograph of a bearded man wielding a sword,
and shield jumping out from behind a tree.

8. “Paranoid” – The Single
! "Paranoid" was written in the studio at the
last minute.
– As (drummer) Bill Ward explains: "We didn't have
enough songs for the album, and Tony just
played the (Paranoid) guitar lick and that was it.
It took 20-25 minutes from top to bottom.“
– The single was released ahead of the album in
September 1970 and reached #4 on the UK
charts, remaining Black Sabbath's only top ten
hit.

9. Legacy
! Black Sabbath helped define the heavy metal genre, one of
the first and most influential hard rock bands
! Ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band" of all time
! Second in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list, behind
Led Zeppelin.
! Over 15 million records sold in the United States alone, 100
million worldwide
! Rolling Stone touted band as the heavy-metal kings of the
'70s

10. Legacy-- Devil Hands

11. Legacy
! Metallica inducts Black Sabbath into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 2006
– Ulrich: "Black Sabbath is and always will be synonymous with
heavy metal“
– Hetfield: "Sabbath got me started on all that evil-sounding shit,
and it's stuck with me. Tony Iommi is the king of the heavy riff.“
! Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash said of the Paranoid album:
– "There's just something about that whole record that, when you're
a kid and you're turned onto it, it's like a whole different world. It
just opens up your mind to another dimension...Paranoid is the
whole Sabbath experience; very indicative of what Sabbath
meant at the time.
! Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian:
– "I always get the question, 'What are your top five metal albums?'
I make it easy for myself and always say the first five Sabbath
albums

12. Plan B’s Take
! Album Kicks Ass!
! Great album experience
! 15+ album plays since purchase
! Loved the down-tuned guitar before
learning what that was
! Instrumentation creates “Musical
Multiplier”
! Appreciation for innovation and success
despite mainstream media
! What’s with the British angst in the 70’s?