This list will be shorter than my other lists on this site, mainly because I'm only including songs in the last third of the year as these were the songs that A: technically the first to chart in Australia as David Kent only began tracking the charts this year (Go set charts not withstanding) and B: were the songs that were popular upon the launch of Countdown which forever changed the music landscape in Australia. As such I won't be going any further back in my retrospectives as I personally find popular music prior to this time to be too dull to talk about and this site is meant to be fun more than anything.
This was one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it's the first of only two hits that Easybeats frontman Stevie Wright had several years after the demise of said band and a song that promised him a long and prosperous solo career that didn't end up happening once Countdown launched later in the year. At least the song's legacy remains as strong as ever due to a cover from 2005 made for charity.
These guys were a two-hit wonder everywhere in the world except for America where this failed to become a hit for them, this was due to a cover from Bo Donaldson and the Heywood's charting over there instead of this version likely due to the American band being a better fit for these lyrics about a foolish young soldier who loses his life in a war despite being warned against it.
This was the second and final hit that Paper lace managed to achieve in most parts of the world, it's a biographical song about Al Capone which is full of historical inaccuracies which obviously didn't prevent the song from becoming a huge success upon its initial release. They did achieve a third hit in certain parts of the world with "Black eyed boy," however that would be the last anyone would hear from them.
Billy Shake AKA William Shakespeare was one of the few Australian singers to score a hit here during the first half of the decade, I guess his brand of glam rock couldn't be ignored here even without a popular TV program to promote his music. I guess if you wanted to hear something akin to Gary Glitter but find the man to be too problematic, this guy is your best bet as he never had any such controversies to his name.
This was the first Billboard chart topper for Olivia Newton John, although she had massive success in Australia and her native UK throughout the first half of the decade as a country star when female country singers were dominating the mainstream. This was written by Peter Allen around the time he came out as gay, meaning it's possible this was about how he fell in love with a guy who was in a straight relationship that he gave to Livie to straightwash the scenario.
Sweet were on a roll when they released this cover of a rockabilly track from the early 60's, after all glam rock was at the height of its popularity this year no thanks to Countdown promoting the genre on TV over the likes of all the easy listening that these guys had to compete with during the first half of the decade.
This was the first solo hit from Daryl Braithwaite in his career, suffice to say it's quite different from the more mature tracks that he would become known for during the late 80's and early 90's. What's interesting is that this was his first number one hit both solo and with Sherbet, meaning that he didn't have any chart toppers prior to Countdown promoting his music.
This was a cover of a novelty song from the 60's from a duo by the name of Paul and Paula, I'm guessing this was done as a joke given how this cover is from TV host Ernie Sigley and comedian Denise "Ding dong" Drysdale only a decade after the original track. It proved to be an even bigger his than the original here in Australia likely due to the star power on display.
The kung fu craze of the 70's was inexplicably popular, as such we have this tribute from Carl Douglas which is surprisingly not racist in the slightest as this was back in the early days of political correctness preventing people from making caricatures of non-western culture such as the kung fu craze. The song has been covered and remixed several times of the years, which is why you still hear the original to this day.
In most parts of the world, this was the final hit that Ray Stevens had as "Misty" from the following year didn't do very well due to it being one of his rare country ballads that was devoid of any humour or irony that connected with audiences in the places where it did become a success. Here we have him writing a comedy track about a streaker harassing a married couple that I'm sure audiences found hilarious at the time.
Well, this is a song that's gone down in infamy, mainly for the lyrics which suggests that Paul Anka's girlfriend (played by Odia Coates in this song) is having his baby purely for his benefit and not for hers. I get that this song was supposed to be a celebration of starting a family, but I can absolutely see how it's gone down in infamy as being one of the worst songs of all time.
This was the only hit that the British glam rock band the Rubettes were able to achieve here in Australia, although like most glam rock bands from the UK, they did considerably better in their homeland and throughout Europe as glam rock continued to thrive during the second half of the decade in the northern hemisphere whilst it was pushed aside here in favour of local artists promoted by Countdown.
If this sounds like a KC and the Sunshine band song to you, you're not far off as it was written by Harry Casey who was the lead singer of the disco band. This was George McCrae's only hit worldwide likely due to it arriving a little too early to the disco bandwagon to be seen as anything more than a novelty at the time, if it had of come out even a year later then he probably would've had a ton more success.
Glen Campbell had an impressive run on the Australian charts during the first half of the decade, indeed this was his biggest hit here despite this not being a hit in his native America. His popularity would die out here the following year when he sold out to become as he puts it "a rhinestone cowboy" which ironically is where his popularity skyrocketed in his homeland.
There weren't a lot of RNB groups to make it big in Australia back in the day, one of the lucky few who did was the Stylistics who scored a massive hit with this RNB ballad due to how inescapable it was throughout the rest of the world. Like many RNB groups of the day, they had more success over in NZ even during the second half of the decade, giving you an idea of how much they loved RNB.
This was the first of only two hits that British singer Peter Shelley had throughout the world (no relation to the Buzzcock's Pete Shelley) his other hit was a sleeper hit this year in Australia and thus won't be making an appearance on here. This likely would've been even bigger if Countdown had not taken over the music scene here as it was a hit the previous year before the show's introduction.
One of the biggest names in country music to never achieve much commercial success is Tanya Tucker, around this time, she was the Leann Rimes of her generation as she was looking to break into the country market in her native America with ballads such as this one that became a success for Australian singer Judy Stone who had a career of covering songs from international artists for Australian audiences.
This was the second and final hit that Lieutenant pigeon scored in Australia, it was one more hit they had here compared to the rest of the world where they remain a one hit wonder with "Mouldy old dough" from two years prior. They were an instrumental band whose key member was a woman who was in her fifties due to her being the mother of the lead instrumentalist.
This was the only hit that Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot had here in Australia, although I'm a bit surprised this was the case considering how well folk music did throughout the decade down under even after Countdown launched this year. This is a fine upbeat number which perhaps explains its success in a year that's filled with midtempo ballads with some bounce to their instrumentation.
While this wasn't their debut single, this was the song that put Abba on the map thanks to the song winning Eurovision for this year with its upbeat instrumentation and lyrics about the historical surrender of Waterloo used to compare to the love the two couples shared for each other. It's a song that's endured throughout the decades thanks to its unique premise as well as how cheerful it is.
Even without the assistance of Countdown, Sherbet were already one of the biggest Australian bands of the 70's when they released their third album Slipstream. The title track was a huge hit earlier in the year for the band, however it was this second single from the album that made them a huge success due to it being one of the first songs to be performed on the show when it launched late this year.
This was the song that made Hot chocolate a household name outside their native UK as they had struggled to translate the success they had earlier in the decade internationally prior to its release, it's one of their low tempo ballads dedicated to an Emma in Errol Brown's life that naturally connected with audiences at a time where RNB struggled to find success here in Australia.
I guess if Countdown hadn't of taken over the Australian scene, then this country legend would've had more success here throughout the 70's, as is it was his only hit here likely due to it being a huge hit on the Billboard country charts at the time. He continued charting on the Billboard country charts well into the 80's, proving he was a household name in the Nashville music scene.
This was a moderate hit in Gary and Dave's native Canada from the previous year, indeed it took quite a while for it to crossover here in Australia as it was released at the start of the year to deafening silence only for it to gain popularity towards the end of the year. As it turns out, the two men were also aviators which would explain why they didn't have another hit in their career.
This guy isn't the bassist for Queen despite them sharing the same name, instead he was an Australia TV composer who scored his one and only hit for the TV show Rush which was a popular Australian crime show from the 70's that was remade in the late 00's. From what I can gather, it was the Magnum P.I of its time, making this another occasion that American media stole from Australian media throughout history.
Linda George is best known for her role as the acid queen in the theatrical adaptation of the Who's concept album Tommy, however she also had a hit this year as Miss Linda George (back when underage performers were referred to as Miss or Little) that became a hit for her this year. She mostly stuck to theatre after she became a one hit wonder, as did most female artists from the pre-Countdown era.
John Denver had been active in the music industry for the better part of a decade at this point, sure he had success in his native America, but it was when this lead single to his album Back home again became a surprise success in the UK that he finally saw massive international success. The song has become a bit of a meme over the years due to how overdramatic the ballad has remained since its initial release.
There was no shortage of underage performers who made it big in the 70's, our latest entry comes from the Moir sisters who were a family trio of young women who scored their one and only hit with a song they wrote. I guess the fact they wrote this did put them on a higher league than the likes of the Osmonds and the teen idols from the second half of the decade, although they sadly remain a one hit wonder regardless.
Well, I did mention that this was a huge hit for Sherbet earlier in the year when we looked at their other big hit they had this year, so let's look at this title track to Sherbet's third album which indeed confirmed them as a household name a year after "Cassandra" from their previous album put them on the map. They did have minor success during the first half of the decade; however, this was where they made it big.
This was the last solo hit that Neil Diamond had in Australia, although he continued to find massive success with his albums and even scored a hit with a duet with Barbra Streisand later in the decade. I guess Countdown prevented him from scoring any more hits here but allowed his popularity to flourish with his albums.
This was a short-lived covers band from Australia who scored two hits during the first half of the decade with cover songs, this one being of the Merry Clayton track that's best known nowadays for Cher's rendition for her film Mermaids. These guys likely would've had more success here had they stuck around once Countdown launched, alas they called it quits mere months after the show premiered.
This was the one and only hit for the Dutch band Golden earring, a song that was a massive success throughout Europe the previous year and only crossed over to Australia this year due to it being a surprise hit on Billboard. It remains a popular rock and roll track from the 70's to this day, so at least they have a strong legacy with this one hit of theirs.
This was the final hit for Brian Cadd here in Australia, interestingly Countdown didn't seem interested in promoting his music despite how much success he had both solo and with his two previous bands Axiom and the Twilights over the last decade. I guess if he had of joined the Little river band like his previous band mates then his solo career could've thrived in the second half of the 70's.
This was the final hit that the New seekers managed to achieve before they called it quits to allow the genuine article to score a comeback the following year with "Sparrow song," they were meant to be the British equivalent of the Australian band but fell short due to selling themselves as a pop band as opposed to a folk band like the genuine article was.
This was the last hit that the Brothers Gibb had before they had transitioned to disco, it's a good representation of their sound while they were a trio but before they were having us jam to their music on the dance floor.
These guys had been active since the mid 50's, which means they scored their final hit in Australia and most parts of the world two decades after their initial breakthrough. They had another hit earlier in the year with "Like sister and brother" meaning this RNB ballad didn't come out of nowhere for the band down under, indeed they were fairly successful worldwide as both of these songs were huge in the UK.
This was the only hit that Maria Muldaur managed to achieve in her career anywhere in the world, it's a folk ballad detailing a steamy date she went on which was guaranteed to be a success for her due to the level of details she provided connecting with audiences of the moment.
Eurovision this year was so popular that Olivia Newton John managed to score a massive hit worldwide with her entry for the UK despite it only coming in fourth place in the contest, it's a well performed ballad that no doubt caught the attention of her future American audience who gave her a Billboard chart topper with her earlier entry on this list.
This was the lead single to Suzi Quatro's second album, it was a bit of a false start for the album given how she would find more success with its second single that would dominate the early months of the following year for the American glam rocker.
I guess if Elvis Presley could have massive success by incorporating Hawaiian music into his sound, then why not Herb Ohta who was a Hawaiian native? This was his only hit worldwide due to it being a hybrid of Hawaiian music and Chanson which was a popular type of French music from the mid 50's.
You all thought that Kiki Dee was a one hit wonder with her duet with Elton John, didn't you? Well, what if I told you that not only did she have a second hit, but that second hit came out two years prior to her supposed big break with one of the biggest names in music of all time? This is that hit which is a pop ballad that took its sweet time in finding an audience here but was a modest success once it did.
This was the first hit that the Glitter band managed to achieve once they had established themselves as the hottest new name in their native UK due to of course being the backing band for Gary Glitter, it's a glam rock track much likes the rest of their and their troubled frontman's catalogue which of course was guaranteed success here in Australia this year as well.
Our final entry on this list comes from Roberta Flack, one of the more popular artists during the first half of the decade in Australia despite being and female RNB singer of colour which normally is a combination of words that doesn't give you much success here. Indeed, her voice was so distinct that even we Aussies fell in love with her three Billboard chart toppers as this was easily the weakest hit of the three here.
I'll also include albums that made the 1974 yearend list that charted when they AMR charts were launched, this is to give you a full list even if it's split up into two categories. Many of these already appeared on my 1975 list, however there will be several new entries that charted during the last stretch of the year that would've otherwise failed to appear on this site.
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.
Peak position #1x29
This was released the previous year to massive success, needless to say that success went well into this year which allowed it to qualify for this bonus list of mine. Suffice to say, this was the album which not only put Pink Floyd on the map, but also their magnum opus in their catalogue due to how instantly recognisable the songs are even if none of them charted here in Australia or NZ.
Peak position #2
This is Elton John's magnum opus in his catalogue, mainly because it contains some of his most iconic work, three of which managed to become massive hits back in the day for the English piano man. While this wasn't his first successful album in his catalogue, it was the album which confirmed him to be the piano man of choice back in the day given how Billy Joel released his breakthrough album around this time initially to deafening silence.
Peak position #1x3
Hit singles
Saturday night's alright for fighting #31
Goodbye yellow brick road #3
Candle in the wind #5
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
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 released as a self-titled album everywhere else in the world, however here in Australia, she named it after her debut single which became an instant hit here when it was first released. While Suzi wasn't the first woman in rock to find massive success (that honour goes to Janis Joplin albeit posthumously) she nonetheless became a pioneer for women in rock thanks to her tough as nails attitude and skills as a guitarist.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Can the can #1
48 crash #1
This is the debut album from Mike Oldfield, suffice to say, it's the theme to the Exorcist film stretched out to album length with additional parts that obviously didn't make it into the film. In fact, this was released prior to the film's release and was only included in the film due to the director's love of the album which Mike agreed to.
Peak position #1x4
Hit singles
Tubular bells #12
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
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
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 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.
Peak position #2
One of the most critically acclaimed films of the 70's was the Sting, a gangster film set in the 30's which harkens back to the era of filmmaking resulting in its critical and commercial success. Another factor into its success was the soundtrack which does an excellent job in recapturing the feel of the 30's thanks to the attention to detail that its composer Marvin Hamlisch put into crafting it.
Peak position #1x7
Hit singles
The entertainer #2
Neil Diamond was completely inescapable throughout the 70's worldwide, Australia was no exception as this soundtrack to the theatrical adaptation of Jonathan Livingston Seagull managed to be a massive success for him despite being yet another album from the first half of the decade that failed to spawn a hit single down under.
Peak position #1x4
Hit singles
Be #29
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
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.
Peak position #1x5
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
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
While this wasn't his first solo album, this was the first solo album from Eric Clapton to achieve massive success given how this was the first thing he released following the demise of his (then) most recent band Derek and the Dominoes. Here he incorporates reggae into his otherwise blues sound which resulted in his first solo hit in the form of its lead single much to the chagrin of Bob Marley fans.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
I shot the sheriff #11
It had been several years since the demise of the Easybeats, however when lead singer Stevie Wright finally decided to release a solo album, it was as if no time had passed since his heyday with the band from almost a decade prior given how it spawned one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia in the form of its lead single. He would release one more album which wasn't as popular but did spawn another huge hit for him before fading into obscurity.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Evie #1
This is another album that was a breakthrough and not a debut this decade given how Ross Ryan saw very limited success during the first half of the decade here before the lead single became a massive success for him this year. He's also another Australian singer/songwriter from this year that strangely didn't benefit from Countdown, I guess the series was detrimental to certain local artists here.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
I am Pegasus #2
This is the earliest entry from Deep Purple I'll be featuring on this site, it was a massive hit this year and likely would've been as such had Countdown premiered earlier in the year due to how well their final two albums (from their initial run that is) did during the shows launch.
Peak position #7
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
This was the debut album from Bad company, a band who had sound success with their subsequent follow ups, however likely would've done better here in Australia were it not for Countdown pushing aside their brand of hard rock in favour of our local music scene as well as our love for the likes of Abba and Bay city rollers.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Can't get enough #22
If there's one artist who saw a huge disadvantage here in Australia during the Countdown era, Cat Stevens would be that artist as this was his final successful album here despite scoring one more hit during the second half of the decade with "Days of the old school yard." He's another artist that dominated our charts during the first half of the decade with this being his least popular of his successful albums down under.
Peak position #5
Hit singles
Oh very young #19
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
Before he took the world by storm with Star Wars, George Lucas had a massive hit with this teen drama about high schoolers from the early 60's. It's sort of like a more serious version of Grease if you haven't seen it, although it wasn't a musical despite the soundtrack including several well-known songs from the 50's and early 60's which resulted in its success.
Peak position #12
This is the earliest album from David Bowie I'll be featuring on this site, although his previous album Pin ups was his biggest album here in Australia until Let's dance a decade after its release. Fans see this as a return to form given how Pin ups was a covers album and that Bowie is best known for his originality and distinct vision in music which they feel was lacking on that album.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Rebel rebel #28
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
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
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
Hush was another Australian band that were able to see success even without the assistance of Countdown back in the day, in fact this album was a genuine success here as opposed to their follow up which flopped in exchange for the singles being massive hits thanks to Countdown promoting them. Their legacy was sadly limited to these two albums due to glam rock losing its popularity as the decade went on.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Walking #22
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
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
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
This would be the final successful album that Joe Cocker had here in Australia for well over a decade given how it spawned one of his more popular ballads in his catalogue that did flop on our singles charts in exchange for how well the album did for him here. Indeed, his next successful album would be his 1986 effort which spawned two more of his more popular songs in his catalogue.
Peak position #11
Hit singles
You are so beautiful #32
I'm not sure how America got their hands on this album from Golden earring given how the Dutch band had been active for at least a decade when they released this album in their homeland the previous year, however the success of its lead single worldwide ensured that the album would also be a success thanks to it coming from a hard rock band during the height of the genre's popularity.
Peak position #13
Hit singles
Radar love #10
You'd be forgiven into thinking this was the soundtrack to the film of the same name given how Barbra Streisand is the star of said film, however this is merely a studio album that she named after said film given how her Oscar winning ballad from the film was included on here to promote it.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
The way we were #7
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
