Paranoid
by Black Sabbath

Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Year: 1970
Release date: 1970-09-18
Overall rank: 50th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
86/100 (from 2,116 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
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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Product Details
Availability

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Black Sabbath - Paranoid [New Vinyl LP] Black, Ltd Ed, 180 Gram
Condition: New


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Black Sabbath Paranoid Lp Vinyl OG 1970 1st PROMO Press W/Insert EX/EX Wax
Condition: Used

$399.99


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Black Sabbath - 3 vinyl Records Lot ( Vol 4 , Master of Reality, paranoid. New
Condition: New

$115.00


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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 (257th) »
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

Mar
13
Fri
Van Halen, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin Tributes and more - Rock & Roll 2026 Redux
Garden Amphitheatre, Garden Grove, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
21
Sat
MADAME OZZY Tribute to OZZY OSBOURNE & BLACK SABBATH featuring Mistress of Reality
Temblor Brewing Company, Bakersfield, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Apr
04
Sat
Masters Of Metal Night: Tributes to Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper
Pop's Concert Venue, Sauget, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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Paranoid track list

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

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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
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 HaydenTop 100 Music Albums of 197061/1002
2026RiveraTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s40/10012
2026pinkfreud1981Top 99 Greatest Music Albums62/9938
2026fabm0Decade 1970s19/100 -
2026wizardalienTop 100 Greatest Albums of the 20th Century28/100 -
2026 ssteveTop 29 Music Albums of 19701/295
2026joathomeTop 34 Music Albums of 197030/341
2026saltysurpriseTop 54 Music Albums of 19703/545
2026 arthurbittencourtTop 100 Greatest Music Albums17/10084
2026 LebowskiRamsTop 100 Greatest Music Albums93/1008
2026jlsfourthTop 70 Music Albums of the 1970s59/703
2026BurndenAceTop 100 Greatest Music Albums91/10010
2026byuzakGreatest Music Albums 100-20038/51 -
2026stareaterogni0nTop 100 Greatest Music Albums52/10048
2026mrmcrookGreatest Music Albums #101 - 20053/100 -
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 100 Music Albums of 19706/1005
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1970s62/1008
2026pinkfreud1981Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s38/10013
2026byuzakTop 38 Music Albums of 19706/384
2026JohnnyoTop 100 greatest music albums (alternative list)33/100 -
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 1,740
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 18,677
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Paranoid collection

Paranoid ratings

Average Rating: 
86/100 (from 2,116 votes)
  Ratings distribution 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 2,116 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 
12 hours ago Devilwoac  Ratings distribution  85396/100
 
90/100
 
5 days ago classicjoe  Ratings distribution  13478/100
 
95/100
 
02/22/2026 13:03 lvillela  Ratings distribution  6194/100
 
90/100
 
02/21/2026 23:22 bkogz  Ratings distribution  90185/100
 
100/100
 
02/20/2026 19:09 Kronikal433  Ratings distribution  15493/100

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 86.2/100, a mean average of 85.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.2.

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Paranoid comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 140 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 01/25/2026 09:06 | #312796
Goodbye flower power, welcome doom!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 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) | +3 votes (3 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)
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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. Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens
20. Morrison Hotel by The Doors
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