The title track of their era-defining second album, Paranoid became a huge hit for Black Sabbath when they decided to make it their first single release in August 1970. It went to Number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, its barbed wire riff and howling vocals echoing through the ages as a track that reshaped rock music.
But, in further evidence that some musicians would make terrible music critics - especially when it’s their own music they need to judge - bassist Geezer Butler told Classic Rock’s Mick Wall that they very nearly binned the song that became their calling card. Him and Ozzy refused to play it when guitarist Tony Iommi originally came up with the riff, he explained.
