We have two entries from Chicago on this list, this one is their fifth self-titled album which was a bit of a comeback for the band given how their fourth entry was a complete dud for them here in Australia. They would struggle for success following this album but came back stronger than ever later in the decade.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
Saturday in the park #43
Popular in 1972
This is the only success that prog band Tully had in their career; they were Australian which allowed them to see success with this album even though that success didn’t extend to their subsequent releases. I guess you can argue they were a bit ahead of the curve when it came to prog rock with us Aussies.
Peak position #6
Popular in 1970
Santana were one of the more popular bands during the first half of the decade, so it stands to reason that they were able to retain their popularity during the second half even if it they didn’t have the same level of buzz they had earlier in their career. This was the first of three successful albums they achieved in Australia during the latter half of the decade, with the other two being more successful.
Peak position #9
Popular in 1976
This will be the only appearance from Jethro Tull on this site, they’re a band that’s become highly controversial over the years not for their music but rather for an infamous blunder at the 1989 Grammy awards where they won best metal performance over the likes of Metallica and other well-beloved bands.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Bungle in the jungle #32
Popular in 1974, 1975
The last time anyone seemed to care about James Taylor in the music industry was with his duet with his (then) wife Carly Simon on “Mockingbird,” that was three years prior which should give you an idea of how jarring this albums success was this year for the singer/songwriter. Admittedly this came due to him scoring a hit this year with its lead single, and he has seen middling success over the years since.
Peak position #10
Hit singles
Handy man #13
Popular in 1977
Both of David Bowie’s entries on this list were technically from his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, this being the first entry into his alter ego’s discography which he discontinued when he found massive success with Pins ups shortly after he released Aladdin sane.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Starman #37
Popular in 1972
America had a great run in their career by this point in time, so it makes sense that the band best known for lines such as “there were plants and birds and rocks and things” and “cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain” would have massive success with their greatest hits package given how they were known for so much more than their novelty track “A horse with no name” back then.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Lonely people #43
Popular in 1976
I’m a bit surprised the Star Wars soundtracks didn’t sell better here in Australia back in the day considering A: how much of a cultural phenomenon the films were and B: them being the orchestral themes composed by John Williams especially given how the original trilogy was released when orchestral music was in vogue in the music scene.
Peak position #12
Popular in 1977, 1978
This is the only successful album from Australian prog band Madder Lake, this is one of many albums to be released during the dead zone where Bandstand had been cancelled but there wasn’t Countdown to pick up where that series left off in terms of promoting local artists of the 70’s.
Peak position #13
Hit singles
Goodbye lollipop #31
12lb toothbrush #35
Popular in 1973
Following the success of his earlier entry on this list, Billy Joel had little issues with finding success with this album even if he was still yet to have that big hit that would come on his later work. Indeed, he was a rising star in the music industry at this stage even in his native America where he still wasn’t the biggest piano man in the music scene.
Peak position #12
Hit singles
Say goodbye to Hollywood #45
Popular in 1976
There were no signs of these guys slowing down as they soldiered on throughout the decade with their prog rock, admittedly they weren’t as inescapable as they were with their magnum opus Dark side of the moon, however that didn’t mean that they were outselling the competition two to one.
Peak position #3
Popular in 1977
Even though this failed to spawn a hit for the Rolling stones, the lack of said hit seemed to help it become a moderate success here in Australia hence why it was able to appear on this list.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Tumbling dice #22
Popular in 1972
Sherbet was on a roll when they released this album a year into the Countdown era, so much so that it led to their biggest hit worldwide “Howzat” shortly after the album cycle finish and made them an international household name.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Life #4
Matter of time #5
Popular in 1975 ,1976
Sherbet was still able to find massive success this far into the decade due to how much love they were receiving on Countdown, although it was noticeably less success than they had earlier in the decade given how it wasn’t as inescapable as their earlier work (the cover might have had something to do with it.)
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Magazine Madonna #2
High rolling #33
Popular in 1977
This was the last successful album that Little river band had in Australia for nearly ten years, I’m guessing it’s because they were more interested in chasing their international appeal that they seemed to have forgotten to make music for us Aussies during the 80’s. They would have a surprise comeback in 1988 with Monsoon when Glenn Shorrock re-joined the band after John Farnham’s brief stint as the lead singer.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Lonesome loser #19
Popular in 1979
While this wasn’t as inescapable as the two albums it was sandwiched between, it was a huge hit for Leo Sayer back in the day proving how much we Aussies loved the British crooner among the likes of all the glam rock and disco of the moment. Naturally he would adopt some of the sounds of the moment on his next album which would prove to be equally as successful as his earlier entry on this list.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Moonlighting #13
Popular in 1975
Although he wasn’t among the biggest singers of the decade, Davis Essex did achieve a string of hits during the midpoint of the decade which would explain why the album with his biggest hit became a massive success for him here in Australia. Even so he did struggle to find success after this album down under, although his popularity did return on occasion over the years in his native UK.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Rolling stone #19
Hold me close #2
Popular in 1976
Jon English had begun to see massive worldwide success this year due to the popularity of his miniseries Against the wind, as such he released this greatest hits package to help fans navigate through his back catalogue that proved to be a success for him just as the decade was coming to an end. He would struggle to retain his popularity in the 80’s as did many of his contemporaries from the 70’s.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Get your love right #27
Popular in 1979
This was the final album John Lennon released before he briefly retired in music, of course he would come back in 1980 months before his death but at this stage he wanted to step out of the spotlight due to all of the drama he had found himself in both with the band as well as his personal relationships.
Peak position #5
Popular in 1975
Given how he had taken the Australian music scene by storm with his two entries on the previous list, Joe Cocker decided to release a two for one deal with this album containing his first two albums which of course was a huge success here as Australian exclusives tend to do well on our charts.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1972
She was certainly one of the most popular artists in Australia throughout the decade, she was definitively the most popular female Australian artist of the 70’s (that is if you count her as such as she was from America initially) so it makes sense that this live album would be a success for Marcia Hines when it was released.
Peak position #7
Popular in 1978
This was the first album to come from Wings, a band initially formed by Linda McCartney only to have her husband join them as their lead vocalist, this also means I’ve officially featured all of their albums on this side proving how consistently popular they were back in the day.
Peak position #3
Popular in 1972
This is the other big hit that Emerson Lake and Palmer had here in Australia during the first half of the 70’s, although they did have other albums that charted here before they were seemingly negatively impacted by the Countdown purge from 1974. They briefly recovered with their 1977 effort the Works.
Peak position #6
Popular in 1971
This is Bob Dylan’s only new entry on this list, although we will be revisiting his 1974 effort Before the flood later on as it was a decent success here in Australia that year. It makes sense he would find success with this album given how his two entries on my previous list did so well down under.
Peak position #6
Popular in 1972
This was a flop for the brothers Gibb upon its initial release, this is despite the fact that the lead single was their first Billboard chart topper for the trio as well as a big hit here at home. For whatever reason, the album took off in the early months of 1972 which allowed it to appear on this list.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
How can you mend a broken heart #3
Popular in 1972
There seemed to be no stopping these guys as they managed to score a huge hit with their second album this year which spawned two of their more popular tracks in their catalogue. For whatever reason, they would sport themselves as T.M.G after this album, presumably to seem more “hip” and “cool” with the youth of the moment.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Darktown strutters ball #3
Crazy #11
Popular in 1976
Wings were so inescapable this decade that even this greatest hits package managed to be a huge success for them, heck there were simply no signs of Paul McCartney slowing down in the music industry until the mid 80’s where his music became less critically acclaimed.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1979
Roger Whittaker saw a sudden rise in popularity this year due to the surprise success of his song from earlier in the decade “The last farewell,” as such people wanted to hear more from his music which prompted his label to release this greatest hits album to make that task easier for his new fans.
Peak position #9
Popular in 1975
Their self-titled debut album was a massive flop in Australia, this is despite the fact it was one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ proving there was an audience for them upon their initial breakthrough. Indeed, it’s likely due to this audience over there that their second album was a huge success here, even managing to spawn a hit single here that they lacked over there.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
Let’s go #6
Popular in 1979
I haven’t seen Cabaret, however from what I can gather, it was the quarter stone for every modern musical given it has a much more serious tone that would become synonymous with the likes of Moulin rouge, Chicago and some of the Disney renaissance movies. Naturally the soundtrack was a hit thanks to its star Liza Minnelli.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1973
This was the debut album for a band who would see many ups and downs in their career here in Australia, indeed they wouldn’t trouble the charts again for eight years after this album and it would be another two years after that before they would find a second successful album in their career. I guess the girls needed to find the right sound to pair their vocals with in order to connect to us Aussies.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Magic man #6
Popular in 1977
This was initially a flop for Roberta Flack worldwide, likely because nobody knew what to do with the umpteenth album that was inspired by Burt Bacharach and his brand of jazz. It was given a second chance three years after its release the lead single became a surprise chart topper for her in America and here in Australia.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
The first time I ever saw your face #1
Popular in 1972
This was originally released three years prior under the band’s original name Bjorn Benny and Agnetha Frida to deafening silence, likely because that’s not a compelling band name to give yourself regardless of what language you speak. The band reissued the album under their new name this year which became a huge success here likely due to how much in love we Aussies were with their music.
Peak position #10
Hit singles
Ring ring #7
Popular in 1976
Although the peak of their popularity wouldn’t come until 1982’s Eye in the sky, this British duo did receive a ton of success throughout the 70’s thanks to being a worthy candidate of the best prog group to come out of the decade. Named after the sci fi book of the 50’s, this album had a concept about a dystopian future that naturally connected with audiences around this time.
Peak position #10
Popular in 1977
I’m guessing the novelty of there not being a year of the cat was what allowed this album to be a success worldwide, either that or there was a ton of love for adult contemporary artists such as Al Stewart back in the day that I didn’t realise was a thing.
Peak position #10
Hit singles
Year of the cat #13
Popular in 1977
This was an album that was originally released six years prior to deafening silence for the Greek pop artist, it was given a second chance this year for reasons I can’t seem to fathom which allowed him to close out the decade with a successful album here in Australia. He was a one album wonder here of course, although I have heard him described as the Greek Bob Dylan over the years.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
My friend the wind #21
Popular in 1979
Bob Seger was one of those artists that seemed to find more success with each subsequent album he released, although many will tell you this is his best work thanks to several of the tracks remaining as staples on oldies stations to this day. He would find the success he deserved by the end of the decade when his greatest hits package matched the success of many of his contemporaries on this list.
Peak position #12
Hit singles
Still the same #23
We’ve got tonight #31
Popular in 1978
It took him a while, but Art Garfunkel finally decided to release his own solo album following the success that Paul Simon had with his two entries on the main list. I should also point out that this is considered a sleeper hit here in Australia, thus I’ll mark it as such by replacing POPULAR IN with PEAKED IN with these entries.
Peak position #14
Hit singles
All I know #36
Popular in 1974
While they were the victims of overexposure this decade much like other popular bands of the 70’s, Abba was still able to find massive success during the second half of the decade thanks to how catchy and memorable their songs were to audiences. Like I said, it was more due to overexposure than people genuinely finding their music to be terrible that these albums weren’t bigger than they were.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
The name of the game #7
Take a chance on me #12
Popular in 1978
This was the penultimate album that Led Zeppelin released in their career, I’m guessing because the band was already ready to call it quits by this stage but needed to release one more album which they did in 1979 with In through the outdoor. Their artist momentum was what helped them find success over the likes of many artists who made it on Countdown in Australia.
Peak position #4
Popular in 1976
There were two artists to perform at Budokan this year, the first was Cheap trick who scored a massive international hit with their performance at the Japanese stadium and the second was Bob Dylan who also scored massive worldwide success with his performance there. Naturally it was Bob’s live album that managed to become a massive success here in Australia proving how well loved he was this decade.
Peak position #4
Popular in 1979
Well, that’s a title that I’m sure no one’s going to find offensive, admittedly there has been debate whether or not these guys were pro or anti LGBT as their flamboyant nature suggests they are whilst some of their lyrics suggests they’re not. In any case, this was their third album which I guess was provocative enough to drive away some of their previous fans as it wasn’t as big as their previous two albums.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Million dollar riff #6
This is my city #32
Blue jeans #12
Popular in 1976
It had been seven years since these three released an album together, even then they were one man short as Neil Young was nowhere to be found on this collaboration which is perhaps why this didn’t reach the dizzying heights of Deja vu from the start of the decade. They would eventually make a second album with Neil young over a decade after this album, however many fans would wish they hadn’t.
Peak position #7
Popular in 1977
This is the other big hit that Roberta Flack had here in Australia, she rounded out her success with her 1975 entry Feel like making love before she fell into obscurity down under. This is until she came back in 1983 with Peabo Bryson with for their big hit “Tonight I celebrate my love.”
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Killing me softly #1
Jesse #36
Popular in 1973, 1974
This was the sequel to Queen’s previous album A night at the opera, true the novelty of having a rock opera had become the norm which is perhaps why this wasn’t as successful as that album, but it did draw in high sales making it a success for the band. That said, their popularity would dwindle during the second half of the decade and wouldn’t bounce back until the start of the 80’s.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Somebody to love #15
Tie your mother down #47
Popular in 1977
Well, this is an album that many have claimed to be a carbon copy of the band’s debut album, I’m guessing audiences felt this was too much of the same back in the day to pay as much mind to it as they did with their earlier entry on this list even though it was still a massive success back in the day due to how talented the band was.
Peak position #5
Popular in 1979
They may not have had much success here in Australia with their singles or even albums, however at least this greatest hits package from Earth wind and fire was able to become a success likely as a way of reconciling with our ignorance of their music throughout the decade. Indeed, they managed to score a major hit this year with the Emotions, proving that we were ready to make them a household name.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
September #12
Popular in 1979
Following the success, she had with her entry on my last list, Carole King managed to retain her momentum with this album even if it failed to spawn that massive worldwide hit that “It’s too late” was from her previous album. She would fade into obscurity until 1977 when she released her Hard rock café endorsement.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Sweet seasons #23
Popular in 1972
Bob Welch was the original lead singer of Fleetwood mac when the band decided to have a vocalist among their ranks, he left just before they exploded in popularity which I’m sure was a bit of a sinking feeling he experienced at the time. Fortunately, he was able to find success with a solo album thanks to the lead single being a huge hit for him here in Australia as well as scoring a second hit in his native America.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Ebony eyes #2
Popular in 1978
We looked at the sequel to this film on my 1975 list, suffice to say that the original film that depicts David Essex as a rising star in the 50’s and 60’s was more of a success back in the day as was the soundtrack which captured all of the films best musical moments.
Peak position #9
Popular in 1974
It’s hard to say how much success Eric Burdon had with his first band the Animals with his albums here in Australia as information for the 60’s album chart here is scarce at best. I do know that their greatest hits album was a massive success here, which would explain how well this album from his second band did here.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Spill the wine #2
Popular in 1970
This was the only successful album that Dan Hill was able to have outside of his native Canada, mainly for the lead single which became a huge worldwide success for him and likely promised him massive success with his subsequent albums he never achieved. That said he still kept at it and achieved moderate success in his homeland after this.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Sometimes when we touch #3
Popular in 1978
Even though they only had one successful album to their name, these guys were on such a roll during the first half of the decade with their singles that they released this greatest hits album to great success before they inexplicably called it quits.
Peak position #9
Popular in 1973
This was the first album Eric Clapton released as a solo artist, although this was right before he formed Derek and the Dominoes who are of course best known for their hit single “Layla” which curiously flopped here for some reason. He would disband them and return with his entry from my previous list.
Peak position #7
Popular in 1970
Well, I did mention that David Bowie would find moderate success here with the album that gave him his first Billboard chart topper, here it is proving that we would occasionally reward the genius of this man back in the day in Australia.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Young Americans #27
Popular in 1975
Even though he was more of a single’s artist here in Australia, JPY was able to achieve moderate amount of success with his first two albums here likely due to how big the singles from both of them were during the midpoint of the decade. He was struggling for success during the first half of the decade, so much so that he didn’t even release an album until he began racking up the hits thanks to his appearances on Countdown.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Yesterday’s hero #8
The love game #4
Popular in 1975
This seems completely out of step with the rest of this list, mainly because there’s no gimmicks to this album compared to other opera albums that have gotten popular over the years. That said, it makes sense it was a succuss given how a snippet of it was a surprise worldwide hit for the Argentinian crooner.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Mozart #2
Popular in 1971
This was one of two successful live albums that the Brothers Gibb had in their career over the years, although this was recorded in their prime, so it makes more sense that it was a success back in the day. This led to them contributing to the Grammy award winning Saturday night fever soundtrack which made them the kings of disco for the rest of the decade.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1977
This often gets confused with Joe Cocker’s second album given how they’re both self-titled releases, however it’s worth noting that it would’ve been odd if that album were the big hit he had instead of this one given how we’ve technically already featured that album with his earlier entry on this list.
Peak position #11
Popular in 1973
This is the only successful album Barry White had here in Australia, admittedly this is due to the fact it spawned his only hit here as the lead single became a surprise hit on our charts even though it was far from his biggest hit in his native America.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Never never gonna give you up #8
Popular in 1974
This had a bit of a cult following to it even prior to when it reached its peak in popularity here in Australia, namely because of the title track which was quickly becoming a huge dance craze across Australia and nowhere else in the world as the decade went on. Of course, the album skyrocketed in popularity here once we Aussies heard the news that Tina had left Ike showing out support for her decision to do so.
Peak position #13
Hit singles
Nutbush city limits #14
Popular in 1975, 1976
This is the only album from Anne Murray aside from her greatest hits package to find any sort of success outside of America and her native Canada, although I’m guessing this is due to the surprise success of its lead single worldwide which likely came from it compared favourably to an early Olivia Newton John track around the time her British/Australian equivalent went in a more pop direction.
Peak position #13
Hit singles
You needed me #2
Popular in 1979
One of the wackier bands to make it big through Countdown was Mi-sex, this is largely due to the antics of their lead singer as well as their unconventional song topics ranging from aliens to the rise in videogaming. While this was a sleeper hit for the band, it did set them up for a ton of success here and in their native NZ that they sadly never ended up having after their second album.
Peak position #16
Hit singles
But you don’t care #25
Computer games #1
Popular in 1979
We have another successful album to come from Bay city rollers this decade, it was the third album in a row where they saw massive success within a time span of six months, meaning that there was a bit of overexposure towards the band here in Australia and their native UK.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Give a little love #3
Popular in 1976
We had previously looked at the Band throughout this site, be it with their live album or their works with Bob Dylan. This is their only entry on this list that doesn’t fit into either category as it was their big breakthrough here in Australia and indeed throughout the rest of the world.
Peak position #3
Popular in 1970
This is the only album from Cat Stevens that didn’t make it onto my previous list from the early 70’s, I guess this is due to him dabbling in prog rock with this album given how one side of the L.P is a single track that builds upon itself. He would regain form with his next album Buddha and the chocolate box.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
The hurt #30
Popular in 1973
Even though this is credited to George Harrison, this is really a concert album which contains live tracks from him along with Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar, the latter of which is the father of jazz singer Norah Jones.
Peak position #3
Popular in 1972
We have a couple of posthumous albums to come from Jimi Hendrix on this list, the first is this album which was meant to be his final studio album but got delayed due to his untimely death similar to Janis Joplin’s entry on my previous list. He’s another artist that’s been milked for nostalgia alongside 2pac and Juice wrld.
Peak position #4
Popular in 1971
Bob Dylan was among the most popular artists of the 70’s in Australia when it came to his albums, sure his singles were something to be desired success wise (barring “Hurricane” of course) but that didn’t mean he wasn’t able to find success with this greatest hits package this year.
Peak position #2
Popular in 1978
This is our final entry from Chicago on this site, it’s their third album which picked up the slack from their second album. It seems like every second album from the band was destined to be a failure for them, although their tenth entry put an end to that curse.
Peak position #6
Popular in 1971
Graham Bonnet was a British musician that was briefly based here in Australia, this is why he scored two massive hits from two separate albums that didn’t chart anywhere else in the world before he joined the British group Rainbow after the success of his second album. Rainbow never found success here, proving that his popularity was more due to his presence in our music scene.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Warm ride #2
Popular in 1978
Rolling Stones also saw plenty of success during the first half of the decade here in Australia, this being a rather weak follow up commercially to what was at the time their most successful album Goat head’s soup. They would bounce back from this commercial misstep with their next album Black and blue which thrived here in Australia even with the presence of Countdown in our music scene.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
It’s only rock n roll #17
Popular in 1974
This was the first album the Doobie brothers released to have Michael McDonald on lead vocals following the departure of Tom Johnson from their previous album due to personal antics. As such the band went in a more adult contemporary direction compared to their southern rock roots from earlier in the decade, this in turn helped them find success along the likes of Eagles and Steve Miller band.
Peak position #7
Popular in 1976
We have one final album from Bay City rollers to feature on this list, it was a success due to it having more of their hits which goes to show you how well loved these guys were in such a short amount of time.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Money honey #3
Rock and roll love letter #9
Popular in 1976
Santana was on a winning streak when they released this album here in Australia even if it didn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of success their previous album on my other list did back in the day. There would be a quiet period for the band after their earlier entry as they struggled for mainstream success even in their native America.
Peak position #4
Popular in 1972
This was unfortunately the final successful album that AC/DC had with Bon Scott on lead vocals, for some reason their popularity just fell off a cliff after this album became a success for them which is odd because it’s not like they were overexposed this decade like many other artists whose popularity declined throughout the 70’s.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Jailbreak #10
Dirty deeds done dirt cheap #29
Popular in 1976
While this wasn’t his debut album, it was the album that made Bruce Springsteen a household name thanks to the title track becoming a staple on oldies stations despite it not being a success at the time. Indeed, Bruce would continue to find varying levels of success over the next two decades, some of it being massive like his magnum opus Born in the U.S.A and others being modest like his album Nebraska.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
Born to run #38
Popular in 1975
This serves as the soundtrack to Led Zeppelin’s concert film of the same name, naturally it was a big hit here in Australia given how we Aussies were hungry for more material from the band which we wouldn’t receive until the end of the decade.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1976
So, you remember me mentioning late night rock on my singles lists, well this band exemplifies that definition for the genre I’ve come up with as they really do feel like the perfect choice to listen to when having a late-night cocktail. This would be the only album affiliated with John Waite to have any success in Australia, although he would find further success with the band and as a solo artist.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Isn’t it time #1
Popular in 1978
This was the final successful album to come from Bad company given how the band were among the many victims of the Countdown curse, that is, they were pipped for good things before the show launched and gave their potential success to local artists as well as international artists who appeared on the show instead.
Peak position #9
Popular in 1976
This was the only notable success that the Sports were able to achieve here in Australia, they were among the more popular pub rock bands of their time even though they didn’t reach the same heights as Cold chisel or Dragon during the Countdown era. They would sadly not last for very long as their next album didn’t bring in the numbers of their earlier work which would cause them to break up.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Who listens to the radio #35
Don’t throw stones #26
Popular in 1979
This was the album which Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs came back with after a brief breakup from the end of the 60’s. I don’t think anyone was expecting the otherwise conventional rock band to go in a more prog direction with this album, but they did which resulted in it not being as big as their 60’s efforts but still big regardless.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1971
This was a highly successful decade for 10cc as they managed to score three successful albums that spawned three of their biggest hits each, here they have the first of the three albums which was a success thanks to how different the lead single was from everything else coming out at the time.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
I’m not in love #3
Life in a minestrone #48
Popular in 1975
It had been a while since the Who had troubled the charts; however, this was the year where there was a theatrical adaptation of one of their albums so perhaps it makes sense that this solo album from Roger Daltrey managed to be a success back in the day. He wouldn’t trouble the charts again until he re-joined the band later in the decade.
Peak position #10
Popular in 1975
It took me a while to find out information about these guys, however it turns out this was a side project for several of the members of the 60’s band the Rascals following that band’s demise shortly before they released this album. It somehow caught on here in Australia despite its failure in their native America.
Peak position #10
Hit singles
No #22
Popular in 1973
This was a bit of a comeback for Manfred Mann given how he struggled to find success following the demise of his band of the same name at the end of the previous decade, indeed this album’s success largely stems from its lead single which remains his biggest hit over in America as well as a favourite on oldies stations to this day.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Blinded by the light #11
Popular in 1976, 1977
We have a few more entries from Yes on this list, this one comes to us from the band just before lead singer Rick Wakeman released his first solo album which proved to be far more successful than anything he released with his band combined.
Peak position #10
Popular in 1973
Given how Elvis Presley was still able to achieve success with his singles this far into his career, it only makes sense that he would find success around this time with a greatest hits package even if this is the sequel to a previous album which didn’t see as much success here in Australia.
Peak position #8
Popular in 1975
These guys already had massive success at the start of the decade when their self-titled album became a huge crossover success for the NZ band, so the fact that they scored a massive hit with their final album was a bit of a surprise for a couple of reasons. The first was that they only released one album between these two albums and the second is that they gave up once this album became a massive success for them.
Peak position #10
Hit singles
Slipping away #2
Popular in 1976
Given how this was a moderate success in 1993 when it became available on CD for the first time, it only seems fitting that this would be a hit here in Australia for the Beatles upon its initial release twenty years prior. For what it’s worth, its sister album was a massive dud here.
Peak position #11
Popular in 1973
He may be a one hit wonder with the lead single from this album, but at least Warren Zevon managed to score a massive hit with the album that spawned his radio classic back in the day. The song is a good representation of the album which is perhaps why the album was a success for him, normally a one hit wonder is as such due to their one hit being nothing like the rest of their catalogue.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Werewolves of London #8
Popular in 1978
This was the only successful album that Van Morrison had here in Australia prior to the release of his 1990 greatest hits package, I bring this up because we Aussies really did seem to ignore the Irish singer/songwriter’s catalogue back in the day which makes you wonder what compelled us to correct that mistake throughout the 90’s.
Peak position #10
Popular in 1979
From what I can gather, this was a live album from a supergroup that was quite popular in the UK during the height of Woodstock, that would explain its success even though their studio material failed to find an audience here in Australia.
Peak position #10
Popular in 1970
Patti Smith didn’t see much success in her career over the years, the one exception being her second album with her self-titled band which became a success due to the lead single being written by Bruce Springsteen of all people. It remains a popular album from the 70’s pseudo punk scene (I guess you can say this is punk) as well as having her being a legend in the music industry.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Because the night #15
Popular in 1978
Although the band is best known for having a very young Peter Frampton as their guitarist, he had already left the band by the time Humble pie saw any success here in Australia. Even then, it was only with this album which was one of the firsts things they released following Frampton’s departure.
Peak position #11
Popular in 1973
This was the last successful album that Brian Cadd had here in Australia, mainly because the lead single was among his more popular songs in his solo catalogue given how we already looked at it earlier on this list. I guess what I said about him earlier still stands given how many of his former bandmates went on to have massive success as the decade went on with their new projects whilst he didn’t.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Let go #10
Popular in 1974
Much like his previous album, this was an album that has some traces of his glam rock roots in an album that’s otherwise very indicative of the times. This resulted in Alice being polarising to his fanbase and the mainstream which in turn resulted in this album being nowhere near as successful as his earlier work.
Peak position #12
Hit singles
How you gonna see me now #9
Popular in 1979
Given how inescapably popular Sherbet was throughout the decade, it only makes sense that this live album managed to be a success for them even though they weren’t particularly known for being among the best live bands of their time, hence why it wasn’t more of a success here.
Peak position #11
Popular in 1974
These guys had two massive hits here in Australia throughout the 60’s, so it makes sense that a greatest hits album would do decently well here at the start of the decade. In fairness, I don’t know how well their albums did, however there’s a good chance they were also huge down under.
Peak position #12
Popular in 1970
Here’s the live album I mentioned earlier on this list from Chain, this was their introduction to their fellow Aussies given how they only released two studio albums with both of them coming out after this. I guess they were considered better live which makes sense given the genre they’re in.
Peak position #15
Popular in 1971
