Grand Funk Railroad - Paranoid (1969)

What a year 1969 had been ... the year of Led Zeppelin and the true start of heavy metal. And it was accomplished without sidelining progressive rock, blues rock, and psychedelic bands like Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, and others. Zeppelin produced two LPs, Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II, the second one containing their first MAJOR commercial hit single in the United States, “Whole Lotta Love.“ As the year drew near a close, the airwaves were suddenly bombarded by other new heavy bands with a similar sound that rivaled Zeppelin, in particular King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man“ and this song, “Paranoid,“ by the American band Grand Funk Railroad, released for airplay during the Christmas holidays of December 1969 with continued play during the winter of 1970. Like Cream, GFR was a trio ... one that packed a powerful punch. Their first LP, On Time, had not gathered too much attention until the release of “Paranoid“ to FM “underground“ sta