10 Even More Perfect 1970s Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
8. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
To some, Black Sabbath's Paranoid is the true launching point of what would become heavy metal.
The band's second album, this 1970 release is Sabbath fully in their groove, as easily highlighted by the fact that this is an album that houses the phenomenal War Pigs, Iron Man and of course the titular Paranoid.
As a collection of rock songs, Paranoid remains a seminal piece of work, with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward often stealing the show. For Iommi, he was proving himself as one of the finest guitarists in the game by this point, and Ward's unrelenting power on the drums was mesmerising across all eight tracks on the original release of this 1970 album.
That's not to say bassist Geezer Butler was a slouch, mind, for his deep, frenetic basslines usually served as the glue to Iommi, Ward and the vocals of Ozzy Osbourne. While Ozzy is obviously Ozzy and forever takes the spotlight, he's on particularly menacing, stalking form here as his delivery punctuates the energy and message of the music around him.
Like the title track suggests, so much of that message was one of anti-war and of a fear of being sent to fight in a battle you didn't believe in. Plus, y'know, a whole host of drugs being consumed to only further amp up ones paranoia.