This will be the earliest year I'll be covering on this site, mainly because A: I don't have much love for music made prior to this year and B: this is where the southern hemisphere began tracking the popular music of their respective countries.
Even though this live album was released in 1972 and thus would've otherwise failed to appear on this site as I'm not going that far back in my retrospectives, it was nonetheless popular enough during the midpoint of the decade to qualify for these lists due to its refusal to die on our charts for many years. In fact, this album frequently recharts due to how ubiquitous it's become in Neil Diamond's catalogue throughout the years.
This will be the earliest entry from Wings I'll be featuring on this site, although rest assured, they would've dominated the rest of these lists had I covered the first half of the decade given how each of their albums were highly successful here in Australia. This came at the expense of the singles doing well here as they weren't as popular on our singles chart as they were with their album sales.
Peak position #1x7
Hit singles
Mrs vanderbilt #41
Although the band already had massive success earlier in the decade with their victory at Eurovision, this was the album that finally made them international superstars thanks to how many hit singles it managed to spawn from the album (back when it was rare for an album to have more than one hit single from it.)
Peak position #1x11
Hit singles
I do I do I do #1
Mamma Mia #1
SOS #1
Rock me #4
I've been waiting for you #49
There was a bit of a rivalry going on between these guys and Sherbet throughout the decade, and although Sherbet won when it came to commercial success, these guys won where it truly mattered which was critical acclaim. This is mostly due to them being far more mature than Sherbet who were more interested in being the Australian 70's equivalent of the Beatles which resulted in higher album sales for these guys.
Peak position #1x16
Hit singles
Living in the 70's #28
Horror movie #1
This was the sophomore album from Leo Sayer following the sound success he achieved with his hit single "The show must go on," although it's worth noting that the sound couldn't be further away from what would make him become a 70's icon later in the decade. Still, it's worth noting that we Aussies were here for the English vocalist early on in his career.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
One man band #38
Long tall glasses #7
This was the most successful solo album that Yes front man Rick Wakeman was able to achieve in his career, it's a concept album about Jules Verne's Journey to the centre of the earth making this one of the first albums to be based around a work of literature in the music industry. Interestingly he had more success here in Australia with his solo albums from around this time than he ever did with his band.
There were no signs of Wings slowing down this decade, heck even Countdown couldn't do much to sweep away their popularity in Australia to promote the newer bands as they were able to comfortably chart with the likes of Sherbet and Skyhooks as the decade went on. It's easy to see why as while I'm not a fan of him by any means, Paul's music regardless of who he's playing with has remained timeless over the years.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Listen to what the man said #14
Letting go #34
This was the initial breakthrough that John Denver needed to conquer the mainstream market outside of his native America, although I guess this album's success came when "Annie's song" became a surprise hit for him over in the UK which helped him find an audience in the country scene along the likes of Glenn Campbell and Olivia Newton John.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Annie's song #5
Back home again #20
Sweet surrender #38
Thank god I'm a country boy #41
Perhaps this is the album which made John Denver such a household name during the midpoint of the decade, after all this is a live album that's meant to be intimate for the listener rather than it just being the highlights of a popular concert for audiences to relive. It's a shame that John's popularity would quickly dwindle as the decade went on, likely due to country music in general going out of vogue.
Peak position #4
Although these guys had been active in the industry for almost a decade by the time they released this album, they didn't achieve much success until they discovered that people had a nostalgia for the surf rock that was popular throughout the 50's and early 60's that they replicated on this album. The band achieved further success with their next album proving that this wasn't a fluke hit for them.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Down down #4
This seems to be more of a mainstream pivot for Alice Cooper given how there's less of an emphasis for appealing to the edge lords of the 70's and more of a contemporary audience which seemed to pay off for him as this remains his second most successful album in his career (behind School's out of course.) He would continue watering down his music for a more mainstream market as the decade went on.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Department of youth #7
Only women bleed #50
Following the success of his previous album Goodbye yellow brick road, Elton John released this follow up which was a massive commercial success for him at the cost of it spawning a huge hit like his previous efforts did here in Australia. People say that this is a massive disappointment compared to his previous efforts, although I and audiences back in the day disagree as this easily lived up to expectations.
Peak position #1x10
Hit singles
Don't let the sun go down on me #13
This was originally released in 1973 to deafening silence for John Denver, presumably because no one really cared about his music upon its initial release. Due the success of his breakthrough album Back home again, the album was given a second chance to shine in the spotlight as fans felt it was a convenient way to check out his back catalogue prior to him becoming famous.
Peak position #4
There were no signs of Rod Stewart slowing down in the mainstream this decade, even though the launch of Countdown would've swept his type of music away as it permeated the first half of the decade here in Australia, it didn't do any such thing as he continued to thrive along the likes of Queen and Alice Cooper down under.
Peak position #1x2
Hit singles
Sailing #2
This old heart of mine #45
I don't want to talk about it #19
You'd think that Suzi Quatro would've thrived during the Countdown era on the Australian charts, heck she was the very first international artist to not only appear on the program but also perform on it which is likely why her second album did so well during the midpoint of the decade here. Alas she was quickly sidelined in the mainstream in favour of a bunch of up-and-coming Australian artists the show was promoting.
Peak position #1x6
Hit singles
Too big #13
The wild one #2
Given that she was one of the biggest names in music (let alone the country scene) it only makes sense that this greatest hits package from Olivia Newton John would be among the more popular albums of the decade in Australia. What's curious is that this wasn't released in America, meaning that her future greatest hits packages are titled slightly differently over there to accommodate for this albums lack of existence.
Peak position #3
This was the album that made the Bay city rollers into a household name in Australia, mainly due to how inescapable its lead single was here as well as maybe being a more suitable band for us to compare Sherbet to over Skyhooks. They would flood the album charts with their material over the next eighteen months which predictably led to a massive burnout for their popularity here.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Bye bye baby #1
This was a massive success for Led zeppelin upon its initial release, so much so that it makes you wonder why they slowed down their album output after this as they only released two more albums after this before they went their separate ways in 1980. I guess because they did release quite a lot of albums during the first half of the decade.
This was released five years into Elton John's career and suffice to say that given how quickly he rose to popularity in this time, it serves as the perfect recap of his career up until this point. It also kind of set him up for failure during the second half of the decade as he wouldn't reach the dizzying heights of his popularity again until almost a decade later.
This was a huge hit for Sherbet even before the release of Countdown, meaning that they didn't necessarily need the show to promote their music in order to become the biggest local band of the decade here in Australia. Even so, having the show promote their music certainly didn't harm their popularity as they went on to score a string of hits from their subsequent albums.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
So glad you're mine #44
Slipstream #5
Silvery moon #5
This was the first album that was a massive success for the Eagles in Australia, although they did achieve success in their native America during the first half of the decade meaning these guys were unfairly ignored here until Countdown came along. While their albums were inescapable, the same can't be said for the songs themselves as they didn't chart very well during the height of Abba and Sherbet.
Peak position #5
Hit singles
One of these nights #33
Lying eyes #34
Take it to the limit #30
Yikes that is some seriously horrifying album art, it appears I'm not the only one who has this opinion as Pink Floyd were forced to issue another picture for the album art back in the day which while more generic, did the job in helping this album become a huge success for them. Nothing would top the success of their previous album Dark side of the moon, but they were really tempting fate with this picture, weren't they?
Years before Pink Floyd made a theatrical adaptation of their album the Wall, Hollywood managed to convince the Who to make a theatrical adaptation of their album Tommy several years after the London Symphony Orchestra made a symphonic version of their album. The film was a critical and commercial success, likely sparking people to check out the soundtrack which like the symphonic version, was more successful than the original album.
Peak position #6
This seemed to come out of nowhere for the Canadian band as while "Taking care of business" from their previous album has since become a staple on oldies stations, it wasn't a big deal back in the day outside of their native Canada. I'm guessing this was a success for them in Australia due to us Aussies connecting with them on their big hit from this album and wanting to root for them to make it big.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
You ain't seen nothing yet #4
You may have noticed a distinct absence from Diana Ross on these lists, this is likely due to her being overshadowed by Marcia Hines back in the day as the American born Australian diva of colour was indeed one of the biggest names in our music scene throughout the decade. This was her debut album and one which made her an instant success due to her run as Mary Magdalene in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Fire and rain #17
From the inside #10
Following the success of their debut album from earlier on this list, Skyhooks struck while the iron was hot with their sophomore album which further proved that they had more insightful things to say about the state of the world than their main rivals Sherbet. I should point out that while they weren't strictly a political band, all of their best-known songs did have something to say about the political climate of the decade.
Peak position #1x11
Hit singles
Ego is not a dirty word #2
All my friends are getting married #2
This was the penultimate album that Elton John released that had his partner in crime Bernie Taupin as his official songwriter, that is until the two patched things up in the early 80's which resulted in their second biggest album Too low for zero (behind Goodbye yellow brick road that is.) Personally, I blame "Island girl" for why their winning streak came to a sharp decline after the success of this album.
There didn't seem to be any signs of Neil's popularity slowing down in the mainstream given how he released this album around the time Countdown launched and swept away many of his earlier contemporaries from the decade. Such as the power of his popularity if he could thrive while the likes of Tony or Orlando and Harry Nilsson couldn't.
Peak position #1x7
Hit singles
Longfellow serenade #7
You know a band has been overexposed when their back catalogue becomes a massive success years after its initial release, here's the debut album of Bay city rollers to help fans discover their back catalogue they missed out on two years prior.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Saturday night #45
Well at least this live show from Tower Philadelphia was a massive success for David Bowie in Australia, I guess it allowed his next album to be a moderate success which isn't much comfort given that album had a Billboard chart topper for him that failed to become a success here in Australia.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Knock on wood #49
This was the final bestselling album that John Denver released in his career, although he kept soldiering on throughout the decade and even well into the 80's in an attempt to recreate the success he had this year. I guess he just happened to be in the right place at the right time as country music was all the rage worldwide during the midpoint of the 70's.
Peak position #1x2
Hit singles
I'm sorry #7
Calypso #7
Well, he may have had only one hit to his name by this point in time in Australia, however that didn't prevent this greatest hits package from becoming a huge success for the soul legend and right around Countdown was launching to boot. He did score a massive hit with his next album which proves that while he wasn't that popular on the singles chart here, he at least managed to connect with audience down under.
Peak position #6
Bad company were a hard rock band who already saw success the previous year with their self-titled album in Australia, this was the follow up to that album which was an inevitable success for them despite the lead single being a massive flop here. Their popularity would quickly fade as the decade went on as did many bands and artists that made it big prior to the launch of Countdown.
Peak position #8
This was the final successful album from Yes frontman Rick Wakeman, I'm guessing this became a success due to the recently released Monty Python flick the Holy grail which was a satire of King Arthur stories as well as the Hollywood musical in general (basically it was a parody of Camelot starring Richard Harris.) Rick would continue to release concept albums in his career; however, none were as successful as the three he made around this time.
These guys were on top of the world when they released this greatest hits album, although it's worth noting that while they had hit after hit on the Australian charts, their albums weren't quite as successful. I'm not sure why as other glam rock acts such as Slade and Suzi Quatro were able to ride the balance between their singles and albums in the mainstream.
Peak position #2
This was a comedic record that comedian Bob Hudson managed to score a massive hit with back in the day, mainly due to the title track becoming a surprise hit for him here and in NZ as well. I can't say this is a comedy routine as there is a melody to these jokes, however it does feel like it belongs in the realms of Kevin Wilson and the 12th man.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Newcastle song #1
This was the only successful album Gloria Gaynor was able to achieve here in Australia, I'm guessing this was due to her losing the disco crown to Donna Summer who so more success as the decade went on with her disco records. Even so, this wouldn't be the last time we hear from the fellow disco singer of colour as she would return by the end of the decade with her classic "I will survive."
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Never can say goodbye #3
Reach out I'll be there #35
This greatest hits package was commissioned following the success of their album Slipstream, meaning that these guys didn't need the assistance of Countdown to become one of the biggest names in music this decade, although the show certainly didn't harm their prospects of being a huge band from Australia.
This was the penultimate album that John Lennon released in his career before retiring throughout the second half of the decade, suffice to say it was a huge success for him as was anything released by him and his former bandmates this decade.
Peak position #4
Hit singles
Whatever gets you through the night #34
This was the final album to have the original singer for the Doobie brothers Tom Johnson on the lead, the band would be replaced with Michael McDonald after this album who would take the band in a more adult contemporary direction throughout the second half of the decade. This would lead to their biggest album Minute by minute which helped break them into a more mainstream audience.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Take me in your arms #34
This will be the earliest entry from Rod Stewart I'll be featuring on this site, suffice to say the crooner heavily benefitted from the Countdown era despite already having plenty of success during the first half of the decade with his earlier work here.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Farewell #47
While Bob Dylan did indeed have success during the first half of the decade here in Australia, I get the feeling that he was one of many artists to greatly benefit from the Countdown era despite (as far as I can tell at least) never appearing on the show to promote his music. Indeed, his next album would spawn his biggest hit here only a year after the shows launch.
Peak position #4
Deep Purple is another band who saw inescapable success here in Australia during the first half of the decade, as such they would've dominated these lists had I decided to go back further in the decade with each of their releases, making those lists rather repetitive given how little variety there was with what was successful.
Peak position #8
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
This was the debut album from a band who would go on to become one of the most successful Australian bands of all time, curiously the title track doesn't appear on this album as that would serve as the lead single to their second album they released later in the year.
Peak position #14
Hit singles
Baby please don't go #20
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
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
I'm not even sure what to make of this album, I guess these guys were among the first Australian bands to benefit from appearing on Countdown as this was a success for them even with that hilariously awful name, but they haven't had much of a legacy in the music industry.
Peak position #14
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 rejoined the band later in the decade.
Peak position #10
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
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
Well, this album might have left a bad taste in people's mouths back in the day, mainly for its lead single which while it was a massive hit, has been left forgotten in Elton's catalogue for being one of the more insensitive tracks in his catalogue. This would be the start of a very dark period for him as he ran into troubles with his partner in crime Bernie Taupin.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Island girl #12
This is the best proof I have that Suzi Quatro didn't benefit from Countdown in the slightest here in Australia, after all, you'd think this follow up would've been at least equally as successful as her earlier entry on this list given how that was one of the biggest hits of the decade here but alas this wasn't.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Your mamma won't like me #14
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, Bachman Turner Overdrive was able to achieve moderate success here in Australia with this follow up which helped them escape the one album wonder bin that many of their contemporaries were getting trapped in throughout the decade due to the shifting trends in the music scene. The band wouldn't last much longer in the mainstream after this album worldwide.
One of the most influential bands of all time when it comes to new wave has to be Kraftwerk, although they never saw much success in the mainstream, they inspired many artists who went on to have massive success throughout the 80's during the height of new wave. This was their only successful album here in Australia proving how well adapted we Aussies were with the "cool" music of the day.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Autobahn #30
This was the album that started it all for Supertramp as they would go on to have massive success later in the decade with their subsequent follow ups, it contains some of their best work which sadly only found an audience once their popularity peaked in the 70's and not upon its initial release.
Peak position #15
Hit singles
Dreamer #47
This was Patti Labelle's only successful album here in Australia, mainly through the strength of her raunchy sex jam that serves as the albums lead single which became a huge success for her and her group this year. Patti would return in the 80's with some solo material, however she would never again have a successful album to her name.
Peak position #15
Hit singles
Lady marmalade #13
From what I can gather, Reg Livermore was a contemporary of the likes of Peter Allen and other flamboyant performers from Australia that presented their queer identity as an act. He didn't quite see the level of success that his peers did, however he did achieve a massive success with this album thanks to his presence in our pop culture at the time.
Peak position #15
I guess the album that spawned one of the most easily recognisable ballads of the decade would find success here in Australia even if it was likely at the expense of said ballad reaching the dizzying heights of success here it had in America. This was the only successful album in Harry Chapin's career, although it's possible he would've had a comeback had he not tragically passed away in 1981.
Peak position #15
Hit singles
Cats in the cradle #6
From what I can gather, Sunshine was a docudrama from 1973 that was a massive success here in Australia, at least I think it was based on how well the soundtrack did two years after its release. It's about how a mother and a daughter died at a concert and the ramifications of that event, hence why there was a tie in soundtrack to such a serious matter.
Peak position #16
First off, can we appreciate just how lame this cover art is? It would've been fine were it not for the melting ice cream that Minnie was holding. That out of the way, this was her only successful album she had in her career as it managed to spawn her only hit single which many consider to be one of the worst of the decade. Sadly, she never had a chance to repeat this album's success as she wouldn't live to see the 80's.
Peak position #17
Hit singles
Loving you #5
This was the final album that Deep Purple released before they called it quits, although they would return in the mid 80's where they're still going strong to this day as a touring act. This could've been more successful here in Australia had it been released earlier in the decade or indeed if Countdown did not encourage us Aussies to ignore this in favour of all of the local artists on this list alone.
Stardust was the sequel to a film known as That'll be the day, both films are about a rock star played by David Essex looking to make it big during the 50's-70's which likely explains the success that Essex had here in Australia and his native UK throughout the decade.
You know how these sorts of albums dominated my 80's lists? Well, it turns out that this could've been the case for my 70's lists were it not for Countdown stepping in and dissuading us Aussies from purchasing these compilation albums for the remainder of the decade.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Yesterday’s hero #8
Bye bye baby #1
Gee baby #3
You’re no good #15
Baby please don’t go #20
To the door of the sun #13
Pepper box #25
January #1
Make me smile #17
Streets of London #20
Summer love #1
My eyes adored you #3
A little love and understanding #19
This is the most recent album from Black sabbath that will be appearing on my site given how the band lost its popularity around this time (likely due to the strange album art.) Naturally they were another victim of Countdown when it comes to rock bands from the first half of the decade struggling to translate their inescapable success to the second half of the decade.
Peak position #15
You'd think this album would've been inescapable here in Australia given how many singles came from it, that is until you remember that Livie's greatest hits package from earlier was dominating our charts throughout the year as well as the lead single coming from her previous album in order to cash in on its international success.
Peak position #13
Hit singles
I honestly love you #1
Have you ever been mellow #10
Please Mr please #34
It's a bit surprising that this greatest hits album wasn't a big success here in Australia for Suzi Quatro given how inescapable her first two albums were here, then again, it's perhaps due to this fact that it wasn't successful as it came across as a bit redundant when it came out.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
I may be too young #50
Although this didn't reach the same level of success here in Australia that it did in Janis's native America, the lead single was popular enough for it to be a sleeper hit (not big enough to qualify for my site) which allowed the album to be a moder success in its own right.
Peak position #16
Hit singles
At seventeen #18
I can assure you that prog rock was all the rage here in Australia during the first half of the decade, so much so that this only being a modest success for Aussie band Sebastian Hardie (what is with that name?) is more due to it being late to the party rather than us Aussies not being interested in what they had to offer.
Peak position #12
While this wasn't the last album that Yes found any success with here in Australia, it was the album which killed their winning streak as they saw plenty of success during the first half of the decade due to how popular prog rock was with us Aussies.
Peak position #15
This was the album Eric Clapton released following the success of his solo breakthrough 461 Ocean boulevard from the previous year, it was a crushing disappointment due to it failing to spawn a hit single for the blues legend even if it still did fairly well.
Peak position #15
While this will be Ringo Starr's only appearance on this site of mine, I should point out that the drummer for the Beatles was indeed quite popular during the first half of the decade here in Australia much like the other three members of the fab four.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
Only you #45
This was where it all began for Little river band, they certainly had humble beginnings even if they actually did far better than most early Countdown acts did all things considered. Still, it's hard to think with these stats that these guys would go on to not only dominate our local music scene but also be huge international stars by the end of the decade.
Peak position #17
Hit singles
Curiosity #15
Emma #20
This was initially a flop for Sweet here in Australia the previous year, I'm guessing because we Aussies felt that the lead single made such a poor impression on the album as it was passed up in favour of their cover of "Peppermint twist." It was given a second chance when the second single became a huge success here, although it's safe to say the song was a huge hit despite what else the album had to offer.
Peak position #13
Hit singles
The six teens #48
Fox on the run #1
Given how Bob Dylan went on tour with the Band (I can't even with that name) the previous year, the two acts decided to collaborate together to make an album which was a decent success worldwide but not enough for this to be an ongoing project for them. This did boost Dylan's popularity massively given how big his subsequent follow ups were after this.
Peak position #13
I'm a bit surprised this didn't do as well back in the day given how it has the radio classic "Sister golden hair" as its lead single, I guess you can blame Countdown for this album's mediocre success here in Australia as America was doing very well up until this point in their career with their previous material.
Peak position #17
Hit singles
Sister golden hair #28
This was the first album from the Seekers they released when they reformed, although it's noticeably different from their previous work due to the absence of Judith Durham who didn't rejoin the band util twenty years later. This was more a success due to the lead single becoming a massive surprise hit for the band here.
Peak position #17
Hit singles
Sparrow song #7
Bet you didn't know Cheech and Chong found success with one of their albums here in Australia around this time, did you? It turns out the lead single to this album was a minor hit here which encouraged us Aussies to check out what else the comedy duo had to offer on this album. It turns out we were only fans of them for this one album as none of their other material became a success here.
Peak position #18
Hit singles
Earache my eye #26
It appears these guys managed to have some minor success here in Australia with this album, proving that their popularity would've continued flawlessly were it not for Countdown sweeping away many of the biggest names in music during the first half of the decade.
Peak position #20
There weren't a lot of female musicians of colour to make it big here in Australia during the pre-Countdown era, one of the lucky few was Roberta Flack who came off a massive success with her album Killing me softly which spawned one of the biggest hits of the decade here. This was the follow up which likely would've done better were it not for Countdown pushing it aside.
Peak position #19
Hit singles
Feel like making love #13
Charley Pride was one of the most prolific musicians of colour in country music throughout the twentieth century, as such it makes sense that he would see minor success with a greatest hits package this year to honour his work here in Australia.
Peak position #17
Given how one of the tracks became a massive hit here in Australia this year (albeit as a live rendition) this album from two years prior was given a second chance where it was a minor success for Status quo given that it bombed upon its initial release. The band no longer had any issues in finding success throughout the remainder of the decade down under, although their winning streak ended once the decade did.
Peak position #19
Hit singles
Roll over lay down #3
Caroline #31
Judy Collins had a rather long career that began in the early 60's, however this will be her only album to appear on this site given how it's the only one that found any sort of success here in Australia. At least she has this one entry as opposed to her contemporaries who all failed to have a huge album despite said albums spawning huge hits from them.
Peak position #19
Hit singles
Send in the clowns #13
I guess there was a chance that Billy Swan would see more success with his debut album here in Australia had Countdown not pushed him aside throughout the year, after all he was a country singer who scored a huge chart topper worldwide with the title track which does seem to be enough for many other albums from the 70's to be a success.
Peak position #20
Hit singles
I can help #1
While this wasn't their debut album, it was the album that put Queen on the map due to the lead single becoming their first hit for them throughout the world. Curiously this bombed here in Australia, I guess Queen was an early victim of Countdown but was taken off the purge list with their subsequent material.
Peak position #19
Hit singles
Killer queen #24
Given how these guys went on hiatus this year, they released a greatest hits package to keep their fans interest in their back catalogue until they reformed later in the decade with their next album Octave.
Peak position #22
This is the only notable success that prog rock group Pavlov's dog was able to achieve here in Australia and indeed anywhere in the world, likely due to them being named after a psychological treatment which involves conditioning one (usually an animal) to behave the way one should which I'm sure caused quite the controversy back in the day outside of their fanbase.
Peak position #23
This is one of many greatest hits albums to come from the Beach boys that found some degree of success over the years here in Australia, I'm sure their earlier works were also huge; however, I don't have much access to the 60's charts down under, so I don't know for sure.
Peak position #23
This was the final successful album to come from the Carpenters, mainly because the likes of disco and rock opera hadn't quite taken over the music scene yet which meant these guys didn't feel too out of place when they released this album. I'm sure this would've been a huge success in Australia had Countdown not pushed these guys out of the mainstream in favour of our local music scene.
Peak position #21
Hit singles
Please Mr. postman #1
Only yesterday #16
It's a bit of a disappointment that Gladys Knight never saw that much success here in Australia, although she was known about here given how this album of hers managed to scrap onto my site due to how long it stuck around for back in the day.
Peak position #24
Hit singles
I feel a song #39
Before there was Wild cherry, we have Average white band (I can't even with that name) mixing funk with classic rock and roll which was a formula that worked wonders for the Scottish band in America as the lead single went straight to number one on Billboard this year. We Aussies passed this up in favour of many of the other entries on this list for the most part.
Peak position #22
Hit singles
Pick up the pieces #38
This is the most recent album I'll be featuring from Slade, mainly because they were among the many victims of the Countdown purge that occurred this year but were still popular enough from their back catalogue to get in one more success with us Aussies before we turned out back on them.
Peak position #25
Hit singles
The banging man #48
Far far side #17
I would've have included this debut album from Leo Sayer were it not for the fact that it barely charted long enough this year for it to be considered one of its biggest hits through sheer technicality, as such I'm including it more for prosperity as yes, this was originally a success upon its initial release prior to the start of the AMR charts.
Peak position #14
