On This Day in 1970. Black Sabbath Was at No. 1 in the UK With One of the Most Important Metal Albums in History

On this day (October 10) in 1970, Black Sabbath was at No. 1 with their sophomore album Paranoid. Released just seven months after the band’s self-titled debut album, it contained some of their best-known songs. Moreover, the album would go on to be incredibly influential in the formation and future of heavy metal.

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It is far from controversial to say that Black Sabbath is one of the most important bands in heavy metal. Many credit them with the formation of the genre as a whole. More specifically, however, one can draw a direct line from their early output to modern doom, sludge, and stoner metal. However, the band’s influence is much wider than that. It’s rare to find a metal band in any subgenre that doesn’t count Sabbath among their influences. Paranoid is arguably the album that put the band on the map.

[RELATED: The “Filler” Song Black Sabbath Didn’t Expect to Become an Immortal Hit]

Paranoid wasn’t just a hit album for Black Sabbath. It is a seminal album for heavy metal because it contains so many enduring and influential songs. Every song on the LP is a classic. The tracklist contains “Hand of Doom,” “Electric Funeral,” “Iron Man,” “Fairies Wear Boots,” “War Pigs,” and the title track. Listening to the album in its entirety today is akin to a heavy metal history lesson.

Black Sabbath Wrote One of the Most Iconic Metal Songs as Album Filler

“Paranoid,” the album’s title track, is among Black Sabbath’s most popular songs. Echoes of the riffs, writing, and rhythm section can be heard throughout heavy music today. Some fans would likely be surprised to learn that it started its life as a throwaway song written in a matter of minutes as album filler.

Sabbath bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler recalled how the song came together. “A lot of the Paranoid album was written around the time of our first album, Black Sabbath. We recorded the whole thing in about two or three days, live in the studio,” he said. “The song ‘Paranoid’ was written as an afterthought. We basically needed a three-minute filler for the album, and Tony came up with the riff. I quickly did the lyrics, and Ozzy was reading them as he was singing.”

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