Best Black Sabbath ‘Paranoid’ Song – Readers Poll

After the unexpected success of their self-titled debut album in early 1970, Black Sabbath were quickly sent back into the studio to record a followup album.

Despite the rush, ‘Paranoid,’ which was released in September 1970, dispels any theories about sophomore slumps, becoming the band’s first and only No. 1 album in the U.K.

Sabbath had promptly figured out how to build upon their creative breakthrough and composed a slew of brooding masterpieces for 'Paranoid' -- including ‘War Pigs,' ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Fairies Wear Boots’ and the title track – that would dominate their concert set lists for decades.

They managed all this while getting no respect from most rock critics, who couldn’t get past Sabbath’s very human imperfections and their music’s mass appeal to fans disillusioned by seeing their late-‘60s dreams give way to the massive bummer that dominated the early ‘70s.