Eagle Rock Entertainment continues their impeccable track record for finding new ways for music fan boys to praise their idols with their latest release in the Classic Album DVD series, the making of Black Sabbath's Paranoid.
Despite the focus on the "Heaven and Hell" lineup of Black Sabbath (Ronnie, not Ozzy) who have been covered extensively in recent years, all four original members participated in this very well produced show, which includes in-depth interviews that go much further into the lore of the pioneering heavy band than the usual magazine fare.
Following a historical line to Sabbath's surprising rise in 1970-'71, their first, and self-titled album's resonance and importance is glossed over on the DVD. The told tales here focus of the solidity and formation of their sound with the making of Paranoid, their second full length release.
The nuggets are plentiful and at times revelatory, perhaps even for the band's devoted faithful. Ozzy Osbourne, from the sharp end of his familiar mumble, explains his super simple secret to coming up with such memorable vocal melodies: "If I couldn't come up with a melody to what Tony had, I'd sing the riff."
Guitarist Tony Iommi explains how after a depressing period following the on-the-job accident that cut off the tips of his two middle fingers, it was his boss who pestered him to keep playing by giving him a Django Reinhardt album for inspiration. Reinhardt was a famous jazz guitar virtuoso from the 1930s who rose to prominence despite having a mangled hand.
Discussing his lyrical exploration and influence, bassist Geezer Butler corrects critics and historians of the band who deemed the songs satanic by explaining, "I was into learning about the astral plane. It was all about the future of the world. I was really into pollution. There were a lot of things going wrong in the world and nobody was saying anything about it."
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