Black Sabbath - 1971 - Paranoid (US 1st Pressing) {Chronus} [24-96 VINYL]

Black Sabbath
"Paranoid"
1970
Warner Brothers
Original U.S. pressing (green label)

24bit-96kHz vinyl transfer (for DVD burning)

16bit version available here (for CD burning)

If you have never heard these original Sabbath "greenies" then you will be in for an audiophile's delight. With the possible exception of the original UK Vertigo pressings, these US 1st pressings are as good as they get. All the vinyl reissues, all the CD reissues, all the remasters, blah blah blah, nothing touches these originals. Absolutely stunning. I have the green label pressings of the debut album as well as 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' that I will get up at some point. All of these green label originals are smoking hot

1 War pigs / Luke's Wall (7:55)
2 Paranoid (2:47)
3 Planet Caravan (4:26)
4 Iron Man (5:47)
5 ELectric Funeral (4:48)
6 Hand of Doom (7:07)
7 Rat Salad (2:28)
8 Jack the Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots(6:13)

Ozzy Osbourne (vocals)
Tony Iommi (guitar)
Geezer Butler (bass)
Bill Ward (drums)

PARANOID proved to be Black Sabbath's most focused, consistent, and successful record. Leaving behind the amorphous, extended jams of their debut for focused songs and a more structured sound, Black Sabbath virtually wrote the book on heavy metal with the ominous, unforgettable riffs, thunderous rhythms, and dark themes on this release. There are some up-tempo rockers, the famous title track for one, but for the most part PARANOID oozes along like a bad dream, as on the slinky, creepy opener, "War Pigs," or the lumbering thud of "Iron Man" (which boasts one of the most indelible electric guitar riffs in rock history). The album's title is apt: PARANOID is filled with an edgy aggression and lyrics about war, insanity, death, and destruction. Ozzy Osbourne's flat, affectless voice merges perfectly with Tony Iommi's fuzzed-out, sledgehammer power chords and the bruising bass and drum lines to create an intense, freaky, horror-show universe. There are elements of blues-rock and psychedelia (the floating "Planet Caravan," in particular), but Black Sabbath basically invents here what would become one of the most popular genres of music in the latter 20th century and beyond. Even after the millions of heavy metal albums that have followed in its wake, PARANOID stands as an all-time classic.

How this was transferred:


Vinyl >> Music Hall MMF-5 turntable with Goldring G1012 cartridge & Music Hall Speedbox >> Yamaha RX-570 Receiver (phono stage preamp) >> E-MU 0404 External soundcard (24Bit96kHz) >> Laptop

>> Recorded using Wavelab 5

>> Click Repair with light settings was used to clean up any major clicks or pops (24 bit/96kHz)

-DeClick 25
-DeCrackle 0

>> Stray clicks and pops manually removed using Adobe Audition 2.0 (32 bit float/96kHz)

***No other Noise Restoration or EQ software was used***

>> DC Bias removed from all tracks using Adobe Audition 2.0 (32 bit float/96kHz)

>> No Amplification

First transfer with the new soundcard, a great way to break it in :)