Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler recently shared his candid thoughts about the band’s album covers. He specifically called out one release as having “the worst cover ever” during his appearance at Steel City Con in Pennsylvania.
Butler reflected on the band’s early days and their reception by critics. He also addressed his strong feelings about one particular album cover.
“We thought we’d last about two or three years at the most when we put the first album out,” Butler said. “Everybody completely slagged it in the press. They hated us, calling us Satanists and all this crap, because they didn’t really listen to the lyrics. We would read all these terrible reviews and think, ‘Oh, God, we must be terrible,’ but the fans loved us, and the more we played, the bigger the crowds got, and the fans really stayed with us.”
Butler then turned his attention to what he considers Black Sabbath’s worst album artwork.
“We thought that was a terrible cover,” Butler continued, referring to the 1970 album ‘Paranoid’. “It came from my manager at the time who we quickly left. I still don’t know what the cover represents. Some guy dressed up with a sword. It is the worst cover ever.”
Butler’s criticism of the Paranoid cover reflects the band’s complex relationship with their visual presentation during their formative years. This period established them as pioneers of heavy metal music.
The year 1970 proved to be pivotal for Black Sabbath. They released not only Paranoid but also their groundbreaking debut album. Wikipedia reported that their self-titled debut was released on February 13, 1970, and reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart. This commercial success came despite the harsh critical reception Butler mentioned in his recent comments.
The debut album’s impact on music history cannot be overstated. Something Else Reviews noted that Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut is widely regarded as the first true heavy metal record that arrived in 1970 and changed everything. This revolutionary sound would define not only the band’s career but an entire genre of music.
The band’s early releases established them as innovators in heavy music. They faced criticism from the press and struggled with management decisions that affected their visual presentation. Butler’s recent comments about the Paranoid cover reveal how these early experiences with poor creative decisions from their management team left lasting impressions on the band members.
Black Sabbath’s ability to overcome both critical dismissal and questionable artistic choices speaks to the power of their music and their connection with fans. Their 1970 releases laid the foundation for heavy metal as a genre. This proved that sometimes the most revolutionary art emerges despite, rather than because of, industry support and polished presentation.
