Paranoid (studio album)
by Black Sabbath

Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Year: 1970
Overall rank: 50th   
Average Rating: 
86/100 (from 2,100 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Best album of 1970 (1st)
Award Top 20 albums of the 1970s (16th)
Award Top 50 albums of all time (50th)

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Black Sabbath - Paranoid / Iron Man - 4" Tiny Vinyl - New Sealed
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Black Sabbath - Paranoid [Rhino HiFi] [Brick & Mortar Exclusive] NEW Vinyl
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Black Sabbath Paranoid Original 1970 WS-1887 LP 1st Press GREEN ARTISAN Vinyl EX
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Black Sabbath bestography

Paranoid is ranked as the best album by Black Sabbath.

Black Sabbath album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (50th)
Paranoid
Lower ranked (256th) »
Black Sabbath

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Dec
11
Thu
19:00
Black Sabbath Cover Band Rehearsal with Primitive Ring
Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Dec
13
Sat
20:00
Ozzmania - Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath Tribute
Warehouse 9, San Pedro, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Dec
28
Sun
14:00
Linkin Park, Pearl Jam, Jane's Addiction, STP, Black Sabbath Tributes - Riot & Chaos Tribute Fest
Garden Amphitheatre, Garden Grove, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
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Paranoid track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 87 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Track pick (930 - 684 votes)
Average Rating: 93 (684 votes)Comments: View 11
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2.
Track pick (910 - 702 votes)
Average Rating: 91 (702 votes)Comments: View 7
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3.
Average Rating: 86 (488 votes)Comments: View 8
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4.
Track pick (910 - 647 votes)
Average Rating: 91 (647 votes)Comments: View 8
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5.
Average Rating: 86 (474 votes)Comments: View 5
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6.
Average Rating: 85 (428 votes)Comments: View 7
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Average Rating: 79 (403 votes)Comments: View 6
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8.
Average Rating: 86 (438 votes)Comments: View 6
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Paranoid rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 50th | 1970s rank: 16th | 1970 rank: 1st

Paranoid collection

Paranoid ratings

Average Rating: 
86/100 (from 2,100 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 2,100 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 !
4 hours ago Carad30   481/100
 
90/100
 !
42 hours ago IkoIko6   5385/100
 
5/100
 !
11/12/2025 23:53 NYAndreas   1,43243/100
 
85/100
 !
11/12/2025 07:50 Quarkif   9374/100
 
95/100
 !
11/05/2025 01:19 mnmont   24789/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 86.1/100, a mean average of 85.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.1.

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Paranoid comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 139 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
90/100
From 07/31/2025 16:59 | #310363
I can't get enough of Bill Wards drumming, the solo in rat salad is brimming with energy.
Rest In Peace Ozzy 🕊️✝️😈🔥
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/05/2025 18:09 | #308831
This is the 1st heavy metal album that caught my ear with lots of bass and hot guitar licks. Every song has great pace. War Pigs and Iron Man must be the most recognized songs from this band. Even my kids born in the late 90’s love this album and Master of Reality.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/06/2024 16:11 | #303389
A solid 8/10 album for the casual listener. Tracks 1,2,4,5 are great, the rest are just OK. I can definitely see why metal heads would rate this even higher, though.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 04/18/2024 02:54 | #303041
Side 1 is possibly one of the greatest sides in hard rock / early heavy metal.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/30/2024 15:49 | #302760
"War Pigs" set the bar for heavy metal protest songs; truly a classic.

"Paranoid" was 20 years ahead of its time; many of the new wave and synth pop bands of the 80s owe their style to that song alone.

"Planet Caravan" has some wonderful guitar work and nice percussion and smooth bass work. This is almost a smooth Jazz/samba fusion; not something you'd hear on a heavy metal album, but you hear it here. A relaxing song, but not quite up to the level of the first two tracks.

"Iron Man" is an iconic heavy metal song with a riff that is played to this day. The song sounds like a fusion of southern rock and heavy metal.

Side Two is very good, but simply can't match the excellence of side one. That being said, this is truly a landmark album in the history of 20th Century popular music.

9.5/10!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/14/2024 14:29 | #302463
Still one of the greatest albums of all time. Despite having heard War Pigs, Iron Man and Paranoid too many times in my life, this is the quintessential heavy metal album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/09/2024 01:05 | #301840
Solid as fuck record.
Strong, wide and heavy with a purpose.
Great musicianship!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/23/2024 00:58 | #301396
Masterpiece. The riffs and guitar tone on this album are some of the greatest ever put to record. Ozzy is in his absolute prime here.

5 Stars.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 12/27/2023 17:09 | #300689
Iconic album. First four tracks are incredible, unfortunately it drops in quality after that but it's still an incredible album. War Pigs the pick for me.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 06/06/2023 21:14 | #297421
Amazing first four songs. Pretty steep decline in the second half.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (1 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1970
1. Paranoid by Black Sabbath
2. After The Gold Rush by Neil Young
3. All Things Must Pass by George Harrison
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
5. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon
6. Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
7. Moondance by Van Morrison
8. Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival
9. Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin
10. Fun House by The Stooges
11. Let It Be by The Beatles
12. Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
13. Loaded by The Velvet Underground
14. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & The Dominos
15. Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
16. American Beauty by Grateful Dead
17. Deep Purple In Rock by Deep Purple
18. Abraxas by Santana
19. Morrison Hotel by The Doors
20. Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens
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