07/01/2022
Have you been paranoid for 50 years?
On Jan. 7, 1971, many kids in the US heard the words "I AM IRON MAN" for the first time. It was on this date that Black Sabbath released their 2nd LP "Paranoid".
The album was issued in the United Kingdom in October 1970, where its sales were enhanced by the success of the "Paranoid" single. "That single attracted screaming kids," Tony Iommi recalled in the liner notes to Reunion in 1998. "We saw people dancing when we played it and we decided that we shouldn't do singles for a long while after that to stay true to the fans who'd liked us before we'd become popular." Paranoid 's US release was delayed until January 1971, as the Black Sabbath album was still on the charts at the time of its UK release. Paranoid reached No. 12 in the US in March 1971 with virtually no radio airplay. Like Black Sabbath, the album was panned by rock critics of the era.
We wonder how many albums those critics have sold? We bet they thought Black Sabbath was a dance band…...
Happy 51st US Birthday to "Paranoid"!!!
