Although these guys already had moderate success earlier in the decade, this was the album which finally made them into a household name thanks to them living up to their band name with the sound of this album. Indeed, Jeff Lynne and company hired an actual orchestra to create the sound they were going for on this album, which resulted in audiences who were into the rock opera of the day flocking to their album.
This is another album that took its sweet time in taking off upon its initial release, however once it managed to spawn a huge hit (or in Australia’s case a double A-side with two of its singles on it) it became a huge success for Boz Scaggs worldwide. This led to him releasing a follow-up during its chart run which also became a huge success for him.
One artist I will say I have very little patience for going through their albums is Rod Stewart, oh sure he has his audience which still persists to this day, however I’m not among his target demographic which means me being positive towards his music will be a challenge for me. This was his biggest album in his career, likely due to it spawning his biggest hit over in America in the form of its lead single.
This was the first album from Fleetwood mac to include American musicians Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in their line-up, coincidentally this was the album which took them from their early psychedelia roots that got them a hit with “Albatross” in 1969 to a more mainstream audience for the 70’s which led to their magnum opus the year later with Rumours.
Although he already achieved massive success earlier in the decade with his second album Just a boy, this fourth album from Leo Sayer made him the superstar we all know him for thanks to containing some of his more iconic work in his catalogue. He would become more known as a singles artist after this album as his subsequent follow-ups spawned huge hits for him without being too successful themselves.
I should give out a fair warning to fans of these guys that while their albums were indeed among the more successful of the decade in Australia, that clearly came at the expense of their songs not being hits like they were internationally. Admittedly their brand of soft rock has always endured on our oldie’s stations so it’s not like their music has been forgotten by any means but that still doesn’t make the lack of their singles success any easier to swallow.
This is one of the most successful live albums of all time, that’s impressive considering how Peter Frampton didn’t have much success prior to this album both solo and with his band Humble pie. It’s easy to see how this album won him such a dedicated fanbase given how iconic the live tracks remain to this day.
Following the success of their album One of these nights, the Eagles decided to remind audiences of their earlier work by releasing this greatest hits package which in turn became a huge success for them several months prior to when they released their magnum opus Hotel California. If nothing else, their absence on the Australian singles chart is excused by how inescapable their albums were.
Well, here’s a band that’s unfortunately been largely forgotten over the decades that was inescapable throughout the 70’s, here we have Ol’55 who made a huge splash with this album due to it being an affectionate throwback album to the rockabilly of the 50’s as well as the band being regulars on Countdown during its early years. Despite their overwhelming popularity, the band unfortunately called it quits once MTV came around.
Although these guys had sound success prior to this magnum opus of theirs, this was what made them a household name thanks in no small part to the success of its lead single and how it continues to be a cultural juggernaut even to this day. They did see plenty of success as the decade went on, although nothing would come close to achieving the dizzying success of this album.
There weren’t any signs of this band slowing down as this album continued the success they achieved throughout the first half of the decade, the only thing I can add to this entry is that its success led to them calling their tour Wings over America which in turn led to them naming that their live album from said tour.
If you’re wondering how this guy managed to thrive during the Countdown era in the Australian music scene, it might have something to do with this album being produced by Band lead singer Robbie Robertson, a true selling point of the album seeing as though this fact is plastered on the album cover.
This was a bit of a return to form following the slightly more mainstream appeal of his previous album, I guess Alice wanted to reassure fans that he wasn’t a complete sell-out before became as such with his next album. As such this didn’t have a huge hit on here like his previous album and subsequent albums did, which is perhaps why he sold out as he likely wanted to have that big hit single which he got.
This was the album which took Chicago, a band previously known for their complex albums and instrumentation to a band who made music that would appeal to the same demographic that was into Rod Stewart. I guess it paid for them commercially as it spawned easily their biggest hit with the lead single, but fans have been disappointed ever since its initial release.
It’s odd to see how successful Bryan Ferry was with his second and third album in Australia, mainly because his band Roxy music didn’t have much success here until their final album Avalon in the early 80’s. In any case we have his second album named after easily his biggest hit down under which managed to take the Australian charts by storm likely due to how inescapable said single was.
There looked like there was no signs of Marcia’s career slowing down as she released her sophomore album one year after her debut, the album was equally as successful as its predecessor thanks to Marcia’s vocals standing out from her obvious influence Diana Ross who was still MIA on the charts in Australia. Her third album wasn’t as successful overall, however it made up for that by spawning not one but two of her biggest hits.
Although this wasn’t Sherbet’s most successful album in Australia (that honour goes to Slipstream from two years prior) this was the album which briefly made them international superstars due to the success of the title track throughout the world. Like many Australian artists who made it big internationally, this success did them no favours for their subsequent follow ups which each saw diminishing returns here in Australia.
Well, he may have failed to score a hit single this decade aside from “You are the sunshine of my life,” but at least Stevie Wonder had a massive hit with this album during the height of the Countdown era. I guess if there was a negative affect the TV show had on our music scene, it was that many musicians of colour got side-lined in favour of our local talent, not entirely though due to the rise of disco.
This was a huge success for Abba, although it was a given seeing as though they were on top of the world during the midpoint of the decade. Unfortunately for them, audience quickly grew tired of them as while their subsequent releases were successful, none of them reached the dizzying heights of this and their previous album.
Even though this wasn’t their debut album, this was the album which made AC/DC (or Acadaca as we Aussies like to call them) into a household name due to it spawning some of their more memorable songs as hits upon its initial release. Even though this wasn’t the biggest album down under, it nonetheless sparked international interest in the band which resulted in them getting huge crossover appeal throughout the decade.
There were a lot of successful disco albums this decade, one of the more prominent ones comes from this trio of women (who weren’t actually a family) based on the success of their one and only hit they scored throughout the world. While they never saw the success of the likes of Donna Summer or Gloria Gaynor, they did leave their impact on the disco scene as their big hit continues to light up dance floors to this day.
While many people (me included) will tell you that Bob Dylan isn’t what you’d call an audibly pleasing vocalist, it’s clear that the success of his music comes from his compositions and song writing which are two aspects as to how he scored a huge hit with the lead single to this album. Naturally this made him a household name in Australia which allowed him to find massive success during the height of the Countdown era.
Following the success of their previous album Wings at the speed of sound, the band decided to embark on an American tour which they named after said album which proved to be a massive success for them. This live album captures the highlights of the tour which the rest of the world was able to appreciate as it became a huge success for them in their catalogue.
True to the name of the album, this is indeed more of a blues record from the Rolling stones which sadly costed them success with their singles as there didn’t seem to be an obvious hit from the album. That didn’t stop the album from being a huge success for them as evidence by its appearance on this list.
This was the first album that Dr Hook released by reinventing themselves as a country band given how their earlier material as a comedy rock band wasn’t finding much of an audience outside of their big hit “Sylvia’s mother” (and also “Cover of a rolling stone” depending on where in the world you’re from.) It was a big hit here in Australia that should be higher on this list but isn’t due to being a bit of a sleeper hit with its success.
Well I think this is as good as time as any to point out that in addition to having more greatest hits packages than any other act combined, some of these albums had themes to them such as this one which was built around their rock track from their catalogue. Anything with the name Beatles on it is going to be an instant success worldwide, so we shouldn’t be surprised that this was a success when it came out.
This was the follow up to Status quo’s biggest album On the level, and while it didn’t spawn a huge hit for them like that album did, it didn’t prevent the album from being any less successful here in Australia proving how well loved these guys were. Sadly, that love began to fade after this album as though they continued to have his, none of their other albums saw the level of success these two did in their catalogue.
This was the last album that had Elton John working exclusively with Bernie Taupin until their reunion in 1983, it was a massive success for the pair, suggesting they wanted to end their relationship on a high note but changed their minds when they both saw diminishing returns throughout the rest of the decade.
He may not have been among the most successful artists of the decade; however, David Bowie at least has the distinction of having one of the more popular greatest hits albums in the form of this entry. The album would eventually see a sequel in 1990 when it was released as ChangesBowie.
This was the second greatest hits album that Sherbet released in as many years, I know they released two albums since their previous effort, but this was still getting out of hand as fans likely would’ve bought these two albums given that they were huge successes for them back in the day.
While the band had moderate success with their debut album the previous year, this was the album which made them a household name as it convinced us Aussies they were among the likes of the Eagles and Doobie brothers in the realms of soft rock. Their popularity would continue to grow with their next album which would lead to them taking the world by storm by the end of the decade.
Following the success of their greatest hits package from earlier on this list, America was able to score one more successful album to their name in Australia with this album. I’m not sure why they didn’t find more success back in the day as they are known better for their novelty track “A horse with no name” even to this day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Following the success of a live album, Kiss was able to find success with one of their studio albums which made them one of the more popular glam rock bands of the decade despite perhaps arriving a little too late to the party to fully capitalise on the success of Suzi Quatro and Sweet. Their biggest success would come at the end of the decade where they shifted towards a more mainstream market.
While he was far from the most successful artist of the decade here in Australia, at least David Bowie was able to achieve minor success with this album which is largely considered to be one of his best albums due to how highly regarded it remains to this day.
It seems odd that Roxy music would find success with a live album this early in their career here in Australia given how their popularity wouldn’t peak until they reformed at the end of the decade, I guess it was this album which launched Bryan’s solo career with his earlier entry on this list.
This is another album that I’m sure would’ve been more of a mainstream success here had its big hit not taken so long to become as such on our charts, I’m kind of dumbstruck at how these guys were a one hit wonder given how their brand of funk rock fitted in perfectly with the rising disco trend of the day.
This was the breakthrough album that Jackson Browne had in Australia, although it was more of a sleeper hit as it didn’t quite reach the upper echelons of the charts as his next two albums did. Still, this was as good an introduction to his music as anything as it does contain some of his more iconic work in his catalogue.
This was the album which launched Donna Summer into the mainstream largely thanks to its title track which took up the entirety of side A on this album due to being stretched out for sixteen minutes. Thankfully side B has more to offer as this was made while Donna fancied herself as an RNB singer, this is perhaps why it’s been overshadowed by her later material which sees her firmly in disco.
This was initially a flop for George Benson here in Australia as it was everywhere in the world, I’m guessing because the world wasn’t ready for a jazz revival during the 70’s given that it was all about rock operas and disco at the time. We Aussies changed our minds about this album several months after its release, although it’s true success came when his next album was released where this rebounded on our charts due to its success.
JYP was on a roll this decade given how he managed to release his second album which contained his biggest hit, although the true peak of this album’s popularity came two years later when the third single became a surprise hit here due to it being chosen as one of his singles for an international market.
This is the second greatest hits package that Sweet found success with here in Australia, mainly because this time it comes packaged with a live album which showcases how great they were as a live band back in the day which no doubt helped it stand out from their other successful album from the previous year.
This was a live album from Elton John he released during the height of his popularity, it sort of made up for his blunder earlier in the year Rock of the westies given how audiences seemed to have forgotten all about “Island girl” even this soon after it became a massive success for him.
This is one of many greatest hits albums that the Rolling Stones released throughout their career, it was a decent success here in Australia due to how much they achieved since their last album that they released in this vein.
You know that the Silver convention were among the most talked about artists of the moment when one of the members managed to achieve massive success with her own album during the height of their popularity, in fact, Penny Mclean was able to find more success here in Australia as a solo artist than she did with her band largely due to how much we Aussies fell in love with the title track to this album.
Given how this managed to spawn two big hits in Australia this year, it makes sense that this album from the novelty band Sailor became a moderate success here even if its novelty prevented it from reaching the dizzying heights of success that its lead single achieved. The novelty also failed to provide any further success for them on their subsequent follow ups.
This is one of two entries to come from the Silver convention on this list, here we have the German trio with their second album which they named after their one and only other hit they had following their Billboard chart topper “Fly robin fly” this year.
I guess Elton John wasn’t the only artist to release greatest hits albums with the exact same name more than one in his catalogue as this was the first album that Rod Stewart released with this exact name which was done so fourteen years prior to his vastly more successful entry from the start of the 90’s.
I’m as shocked as you are that this wasn’t more of a success for Boston back in the day given how the lead single remains one of the most iconic of the decade to this day on oldies stations, I guess this was another example of a classic rock album being pushed aside (at least here in Australia) in favour of our local music scene which admittedly is fair if that was the case.
From what I can gather, Rock Follies was a British TV series that followed a fictitious rock band in their trials and tribulations of making it big, it’s kind of like Sweet and sour only made almost a decade prior. Nowadays, the show is best known for being the launching pad of Julie Covington who went on to have a massive hit the following year with her theme to the Evita show.
Given how big the title track was here in Australia for Dorothy Moore, it only makes sense that this breakthrough album she had in her homeland managed to be a modest success down under as well, proving that we Aussies did have some room for musicians of colour in our mainstream after all this decade.
This is sandwiched between two of 10cc’s biggest albums in their catalogue, although it’s worth noting that this was far more successful internationally for the British band than it was here in Australia for reasons I can’t seem to fathom.
Eric Carmen is another artist who had a rather bizarre career when it came to his popularity, this was his debut album after all which promised him massive success as the decade went on due to the success of its lead single worldwide. Alas we wouldn’t hear from him again until his appearance on the Dirty dancing soundtrack made over a decade after his debut.
Given how they had one of the biggest hits of the year here in Australia, it makes sense that this husband and wife duo managed to have a moderate success with the first of only two albums they release, unfortunately Joanna wouldn’t live to see the end of the decade (side note 1979 was a bad year for musicians of colour passing away) which is why we never heard from them again.
It appears that John Denver was quickly struggling to retain his popularity moving forward in the decade given how much of a commercial disappointment this album was compared to his earlier entry on this list. Even so, he was far from yesterday’s news with this album which is more than I can say for his later work.
Well, this is something else, apparently some mad man (or woman in this case) decided it was a good idea to make a documentary of WWII but have its soundtrack comprised of popular covers of the Beatles back catalogue. Apparently, we Aussies were intrigued with this documentary as this became a decent success here this year, that or we simply considered this an acceptable compilation of Beatles covers.
This is one of only two albums Supernaut released in their career, the second was with a rebrand where they were known as the Nauts which obviously had try hard written all over it. Indeed, this was only a success due to them being regulars on Countdown as well as how well its two lead singles did on our charts albeit as sleeper hits.
