After much deliberation with myself, I've decided to finally release a list that details all of the biggest hits of the first half of the 70's here in Australia. I'll do my best to provide commentary for each of the entries, but I'll be honest, I may struggle with saying anything particularly productive on some of the entries due to how disinterest I am with talking about them.
These guys were one of the first NZ bands to make it big in their homeland (if the Listener charts are anything to go by) so it was only a matter of time before they saw crossover success here in Australia even if it came several years past their prime. What's stranger is that this didn't even chart on the Listener charts, suggesting their fellow kiwis were done with the band by this point.
#66 for 1972
This was another huge hit that Slade had throughout the world during their heyday, it was coincidentally their second UK chart topper given how it was their second biggest hit here in Australia for the glam rock band.
#67 for 1972
Petula was one of the biggest names in music throughout the 60's, so it's not that surprising that she would have one hit final during the first half of the decade even if that hit was only as such here in Australia. It's worth noting that this likely appealed to us Aussies because of nostalgia of her work from the forties as a child star.
#66 for 1973
Glen Campbell was on a roll during the first half of the decade given how this was another easy hit he had throughout the world, although curiously it wasn't a huge hit in his native America which was also the case for his other entries on this list.
#66 for 1970
This is the second rendition of the Christian hymn to make this list, although at least this one is a more conventional cover of the hymn as opposed to it being an (in my opinion) bizarre instrumental rendition played on bagpipes. Judy already appeared on my site with her rendition of "Send in the clown," meaning she wasn't a one hit wonder with us Aussies throughout the decade.
#65 for 1971
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.
#65 for 1974
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.
#66 for 1974
Named after the famous American settler, Daniel Boone (real name Peter Green) scored a huge international success with this track that seems to replicate the relaxed vibes of "In the summertime" from earlier on this list. Although this was his only hit in most parts of the world (including his native UK) he was quite popular in NZ with several of his other tracks around this time.
#68 for 1972
There was a popular TV crime series known as Van der Valk (Dutch for "of the falcon") which aired from 1972-1977 back in the day. As with most popular TV series, its theme song was quite popular in the music scene here in Australia as well as in the show's native UK where it topped the British charts.
#67 for 1974
Mark Lindsay was the lead single of Paul Revere and the Raiders, an American band who curiously failed to score any hits here in Australia despite how popular they were in their homeland. He did win us Aussies over with this ballad about a girl named Arizona (not the state) which sadly did no favours for his band at the time.
#67 for 1970
This is the most recent entry from the king of rock and roll on this list, although he did continue to find success during the second half of the decade right up until his untimely death in 1977.
#67 for 1973
This was a huge hit for Blackfeather the year prior to their earlier entry on this list, it was natural that this would be a success for the band given how we've firmly established at this point that psychedelia lasted well into the 70's despite it being a quintessentially 60's genre.
#66 for 1971
It turns out these guys weren't a one hit wonder with "Paloma Blanca" from later in the decade as their debut single managed to be a huge success for them here in Australia as well as throughout Europe despite it bombing in the UK for the Dutch band. Who knows how much bigger "Paloma Blanca" would've been had Countdown not given higher emphasis on local artists when it was released.
#68 for 1970
We looked at his final hit "Strokin" from the late 80's on the NZ side of this site, time now to look at the only hit that Clarence Carter had here in Australia which is also his biggest hit worldwide due to how huge it was in the UK of all places. Clarence did find success in his native America throughout the 60's, although none of those songs managed to crossover internationally like this did.
#69 for 1970
This is the final hit that Axiom achieved during their short time together, it was the lead single to their second and final album which proves that although they weren't quite as popular with their first album, there was still love for the band regardless even mere months prior to them calling it quits.
#67 for 1971
Even though Kevin Johnson is an Australian country singer and that his one and only hit was far from the most successful here in Australia upon its initial release, this somehow managed to become a minor international hit for him likely due to being based in the UK when he released it as a single.
#68 for 1973
The Carpenters were on a roll when they released their second big hit around the world, in fact this nearly topped the Billboard charts much like their top entry on this list which confirmed the brother and sister duo as the real deal moving forward in the decade.
#68 for 1971
This was the final hit that Russell Morris had in his career, he did quite well for himself all things considered even if he definitely could've benefitted from the likes of Countdown promoting his music which the show failed to do in the second half of the decade.
#69 for 1973
We have another UK chart topper for Slade to come on this list, it's incidentally their third UK chart topper which goes to show how the process was for making their songs a success here in Australia. This will be the band's final appearance on my list despite having a few other minor hits back in the day.
#70 for 1973
We've featured the Joan Jett cover on this site on my list of Countdown performances, time now to look at the original version of the glam rock track from Gary Glitter which continued the icon's winning streak back in the day given how it was the lead single to his second album Touch me.
#71 for 1973
This was the first big hit that Leo Sayer had in his career, naturally it was a decent success here in Australia even if this would've likely benefitted from Countdown's promotion given how big the rest of his catalogue was from the second half of the decade here. My American readers will likely be more familiar with the Three dog night version that became a hit on Billboard in lieu of this version.
#68 for 1974
We have another song that's a protest for peace on this list, this time it's from Brotherhood of man who scored a massive hit from the second half of the decade with their Eurovision winning song "Save your kisses for me" which sounds very different from this track. This is mainly due to the lineup being completely different from both renditions of the band.
#70 for 1970
We looked at the big hit that Jeff St John had in 1977, now let's look at his debut single which was a decent success for the paraplegic Australian musician, proving that even back in the day, you didn't have to be abled bodied in order to find massive success in the music scene.
#69 for 1971
This was the first song that Cuff links released in the decade, suffice to say that their biggest hit "Tracy" was a huge hit here in Australia albeit in the 60's hence why it won't be appearing on this list. That said, this is more or less the same track as that only it appears to be dedicated to a Julie instead of a Tracy.
#71 for 1970
We have another two for one deal on this list, this time it's from Elton John who decided to bundle "Rocket man" from Honky chateau with "Tiny dancer" from Madman across the water in order to cross promote both albums even though the latter had been out for about a year when this was released. Naturally this became a success for him here in Australia months prior to his top entry on this list.
#69 for 1972
This was the first hit that Gary Glitter had that didn't appear on one of his albums (that I'm aware of) naturally this allowed it and his top entry on this list to top the UK charts which remain as his only two chart toppers over there along with "I'm yours" which won't be appearing on this list.
#72 for 1973
This was the first hit that Olivia Newton John had in her career, it's a cover of a Bob Dylan track which was fairly typical of country divas from around this time given how they usually covered folk tracks to find success. Naturally this was a mere stepping stone for the British singer given how her next single would be her top entry on this list.
#70 for 1971
You'd think that "Stairway to heaven" would be the big hit from Led Zeppelin's fourth self-titled album, alas it wasn't as that honour goes to this track instead which is more of a conventional rock track as opposed to the prog classic that continues to invade our airwaves even to this day.
(this is Led zeppelin "Black dog)
#70 for 1972
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.
#69 for 1974
This is the only notable hit that the British group Fortunes had here in Australia, although like many British bands back in the day, they were far more lucrative in their homeland than they were internationally as they scored a ton of hits in their homeland throughout the 60's.
#71 for 1971
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.
#70 for 1974
Here's the big hit that my UK readers will be familiar with from Tony Christie, although that wouldn't be the case until 2005 where it was turned into a duet with British comedian Peter Kay for comedy relief that year. As that version never dented a chart outside of the UK, I'll be focusing my attention on the original which is a story about travelling to the titular Amarillo in America to meet up with a girlfriend.
#71 for 1972
This was the biggest hit that the New seekers had in their native UK as well as in America, this is due to the song being sampled for a Coca-Cola add shortly after its release which boosted its popularity throughout the world. Naturally this add had no affect on the song's popularity here in Australia given how it was far from the most popular song of its day here.
#72 for 1972
This was another huge hit that T Rex had throughout the world, it's far more fondly remembered than their earlier entry on this list likely due to its protest lyrics about being a part of a revolution which likely helped it stand out from the many glam rock tracks of the day.
#73 for 1973
This was John Farnham's penultimate hit here in Australia until his comeback from 1980, it's a song released during our Christmas which makes its lyrics about how things go out of season appropriate given how we Aussies have Christmas in summer as opposed to most of the world which has it during winter.
#74 for 1973
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.
#71 for 1974
This was the only hit to come from American singer Bobby Bloom, mainly because he would tragically pass away four years after its release due to a self-inflicted gun wound (there's actually speculation on if it was a suicide or his gun misfiring on him.) The song would be covered by Australian band Allniters a decade after his death where it became a modest success for them (albeit a sleeper hit.)
#72 for 1970
One of the most prolific opera singers managed to score a huge hit here in Australia around this time, although it did take a while for it to find its audience with us Aussies given how unusual it was for opera singers to have a hit by this point in time.
#75 for 1973
This was the first song that John Farnham released in the decade; it was a guaranteed success for him given how this was coming off the heels of his top entry on this list which coincidentally was when the original version from BJ Thomas took home the academy award for best original song.
#73 for 1970
Although these guys had success in their native America prior to this hit, this was the first of several Billboard chart toppers that Three dog night had likely due to them taking an Eric Burdon track and running through the funk sound with their interpretation. The rest of the world liked what they did with the track which allowed it to crossover internationally.
#74 for 1970
Although Tin tin was a duo from Australia, it took a year for this song of theirs to become a success here likely due to them releasing it in the UK to deafening silence and not releasing it here around the same time for whatever reason. Honestly the story behind the song is more interesting than the song itself as it's your typical bubble-gum pop track that history has long forgotten about.
#72 for 1971
Even though this track from Alison Mccallum wasn't among the most popular here in Australia back in the day, it nonetheless sparked international interest for the rock singer which is why I was able to find cover art for it that wasn't just a Jpeg of its vinyl for this list. Naturally this interest didn't do her career any favours as she would retire from music by the end of the decade.
#73 for 1972
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.
#72 for 1974
I'm a bit surprised that David Cassidy didn't have a second inescapable hit here in Australia given how popular his top entry on this list was, at least he has another entry on this list as this two for one deal managed to be a success for the pop crooner and actor down under.
#73 for 1974
If you're wondering how Hollywood legend Lee Marvin managed to score a hit with what appears to be a spoken word track about wishing on a star, that's because this is from his film Paint your wagon which co-stars Clint Eastwood who also has spoken word songs which led to the films critical backlash upon its initial release for the two leads lack of singing talent.
#75 for 1970
Well, I didn't think I'd be featuring a song from the man who produced the earlier albums from the fab four on this site, however he evidently gave a music career as a frontman a shot which led to him scoring a massive worldwide hit with this pop rock track as his debut single. It was his only hit worldwide as he quickly reverted back to being behind the scenes despite its success.
#74 for 1972
We have another solo entry from Donny Osmond on this list, he was just racking up the hits here in Australia back in the day which is odd because the rest of his family didn't see this level of success (except Jimmy and maybe Marie with an entry we'll get to.)
#75 for 1972
This was a massive worldwide hit for the Canadian band Ocean, likely due to how unapologetically religious it is which connected with spiritual audiences back in the day. It appears there weren't many Aussies in that audience given how much less successful it was here compared to the rest of the world.
#73 for 1971
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.
#74 for 1974
This was the last major hit that the Masters apprentices had in their career, although their next single "Because I love you" would receive plenty of airplay due to a 1988 release of the track that flopped but was regardless what made them a favourite on oldies stations. Their success was more prevalent in the 60's due to their sound fitting in perfectly with the hippy revolution.
This was an Oscar winning ballad for the film Lovers and other strangers, although this version from the Carpenters was released well after the film won its prize meaning that it isn't an Oscar winning ballad like the other entries from the academy awards on this list. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a hit due to its affiliation with the film.
#74 for 1971
This is another entry from the Partridge family on this list, making it the fourth appearance from the TV band so far and proving just how popular they were with Australian audiences.
#75 for 1971
It's puzzling to think that this was the big hit from blues legend JJ Cale and not "Cocaine" here in Australia, although I guess the fact that he had a hit here in Australia is proof that we Aussies did at least love him for one single as opposed to his fellow Americans who completely ignored his catalogue.
#76 for 1972
We have one final appearance from Neil Diamond on this list, it's another big worldwide hit he had proving yet again that he was on top of the world during the first half of the decade regardless of where you're from.
#76 for 1971
Ever wanted to hear a comedy track about a dead skunk? Well, you're in luck as Loudon Wainwright wrote a song with that subject matter as a comedy track which helped him score his one and only hit here in Australia by us Aussies who found this tale rather amusing to listen to at the time.
#76 for 1973
We have another appearance from the king of rock and roll for this list, I wish I could say something more interesting about these tracks of his, but they're honestly in one ear and out the other for me, proving that he could release anything at this point in his career and it would be a hit with us Aussies.
#77 for 1970
This is the only hit to come from the Australian band the Strangers, it's a pop track about how someone named Melanie makes the narrator smile which was in keeping with the feel-good hippy nature of songs that made it big at the start of the decade.
#78 for 1970
These guys were on a roll during the first half of the decade as we have yet another appearance from the fictitious family on this list, it's a pity they would be seen as yesterday's news once the show came to an end later in the decade.
#77 for 1971
By far one of their most easily recognisable hits in their catalogue, we have this ballad from the Carpenters which became their biggest hit in the UK likely due to how tender it sounds despite it clearly being about nostalgia for the years that had gone by. It was also a huge hit in their native America, although not quite at the dizzying heights of their earlier entries.
#77 for 1973
This was the only hit for Australian actress/singer Abigail Rogan, I'm guessing this was the case due to the popularity of a TV she was on at the time of its release (it's surprisingly hard to find information about this woman) given how this saw a release in the UK where it predictably flopped.
#78 for 1973
Googling this guy will likely yield you results for the Rick and Morty character, however he was a session musician who scored his one and only hit worldwide with this ballad before forever fading into obscurity. If only fans of the show weren't so prevalent so I can dig up more information about this guy's other achievements.
#79 for 1970
This is the only hit to come from Brownsville station, a rare American glam rock band who quite surprisingly managed to make it big in their homeland give how rare it was for glam rock to become a success on Billboard (even from local artists such as Suzi Quatro.) Motley Crue fans will know this as one of that band's signature tracks due to their rendition being a minor success on Billboard in the 80's.
#75 for 1974
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.
#76 for 1974
This is the only notable success that Hank Marvin achieved anywhere in the world, at least when it comes to his solo material as the instrumentalist is best known for being the key member of the instrumental group the Shadows who in turn are best known for their affiliation with Cliff Richard throughout the 60's.
#80 for 1970
This is the only other hit that Badfinger achieved here in Australia, it was also their breakthrough hit even though "Come and get it" was a huge worldwide success for the Welsh band at the start of the decade. This feels like a bit of an outlier for the band given how much heavier it is compared to the rest of their catalogue.
#78 for 1971
This was a hit for Lobo two years prior to his other two entries on this list, likely because it's a love song that revolves around a couple and their puppy which I'm sure melted the hearts of listeners back in the day despite how lame it seems for modern audiences.
#79 for 1971
This is one of only two entries from Stevie Wonder, that's right, one of the biggest names of the decade only had two hits here in Australia even if his albums did do considerably well with us Aussies (which somewhat makes him an album artist as far as we're concerned.) At least this was a chart topper on Billboard even if it's one of his rare slow jams that got popular over the years.
#79 for 1973
There was no stopping these guys given how they saw massive success with their top entry on this list, although it's worth noting they weren't always in the glam rock genre as a lot of their earliest work was more in line with teen pop (at least what the early 70's would define as such.)
#77 for 1974
This was a bit of a minor success here in Australia, mainly because it was the lead single to a highly successful album which ate up its potential success early on but not enough for us Aussies to completely overlook this ballad from Rod Stewart.
#77 for 1972
This was the first solo single from John Fogerty which he confusingly credited as the album that it appeared on; it was likely due to this confusion that prevented it from matching the success of his earlier entries with CCR he had on this list. It could also be due to the rocky reception of their final album Mardis gras which caused them to breakup to begin with.
#80 for 1973
This was the only other chart topper that Gilbert O'Sullivan had in his native UK, it was his first chart topper there given how this came out before "Get back" and likely got there due to the success of "Alone again" over in America. This ballad is actually about the mother's love for her daughter Clair rather than a traditional love ballad, likely explaining its success over other contemporary love ballads.
#81 for 1973
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.
#78 for 1974
This was the only hit for Leon Russell, one of the less influential icons of the hippy culture despite doing quite well with his albums here in Australia during the first half of the decade. I'm not sure how we Aussies came across his work given how little success he had in his native America.
#80 for 1971
This was the follow up to Kenny Rogers controversial song "Ruby don't take your love to town" that he released at the beginning of the decade, naturally it was a big hit for him and his band the First edition due to the artist momentum they had from that track.
#81 for 1970
Bobby and Laurie were another big name from Australia during the 60's to find success at the start of the 70's, although this was their final hit they had before they called it quits much like their American counterpart Simon and Garfunkel.
#82 for 1970
In most parts of the world, this was Albert Hammond's only hit given how he never had much success in his native UK with his ballads. I'm willing to bet this only became a hit here in Australia due to its surprise success in America, although he had a ton of success over in NZ if the Listener charts are anything to go by.
#82 for 1973
This was John Farnham's final hit he had until his 1980 comeback with "Help," I guess he was seen as a relic of the 60's by this point in time which was a stigma that wouldn't hold once he released his magnum opus in 1986.
#83 for 1973
Given the success of the Mike Curb congregation from earlier on this list, these guys had to be referred to as the English congregation here in Australia as well as anywhere else in the world that "Burning bridges" had charted in order to avoid confusion with them. In any case, this was a decent hit here in Australia, although it was much bigger internationally likely due to the lack of confusion.
#78 for 1972
I'm shocked this was only a moderate success for Bob Dylan here in Australia, although that might be due to how Guns n roses revived this song's popularity in the 90's with their rendition which coincidentally came out the same year I was born (1992.) In any case, this was the second hit that the folk legend had here in Australia following "Like a rolling stone" from 1965.
#84 for 1973
Conway Twitty is widely considered to be one of the greatest country artists of all time, even so, it was a bit of a surprise that he scored a hit in Australia with this gem given how he was considered past his prime at this point due to not scoring a hit since his breakthrough in the late 50's.
#79 for 1974
This is the only entry from Marie Osmond to appear on this side of my site, mainly because her duets with Donny failed to become a success here in Australia (possibly due to their incestual nature which was unintentional on their part.)
#80 for 1974
This was the second hit that the Doors had from their final album L.A woman, it's another song that's been fondly remembered over the years due to how much oldies stations love to play it. I guess if the album weren't so successful, it would've been even bigger here due to our charts revolving around physical sales which the album ate up for this song.
#81 for 1971
There are two songs with this title that appear on this list, although this was by far the bigger of the two entries due to how well it did in America for Looking glass. I guess we Aussies weren't that keen on having a love ballad dedicated to a girl named Brandy be that successful given how low it appears on this list.
#79 for 1972
This is another one of those cheap covers of an international track from an Australian artist that got big throughout the decade, although at least we'll eventually get to the original version of this track further down the list as opposed to some of the other entries that missed out from appearing on this list.
#81 for 1974
Well, this is something different from Chicago, here we have a jazz rock track in the vein of early Santana or Blood sweat and tears which became a moderate success at the start of the decade worldwide for the band. I guess the genre became more niche as the decade went along, hence why they transitioned to a soft rock sound with their hit "If you leave me now."
#83 for 1970
This is the only other entry to come from Stevie Wonder, it's another slow jam of his that wasn't even among his biggest hits on Billboard. It was a carryover from the 60's, so perhaps it got lost in the shuffle in his homeland where that wasn't the case here in Australia.
#84 for 1970
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.
#82 for 1974
That's right, Ernie from Sesame Street managed to score a hit here in Australia with a song about how much he loves his rubber duckie, the theme song needed to be remixed in 1992 for that to touch the charts, yet one of the shows cast members had a hit with us Aussies no problem back in the day.
#85 for 1970
While these guys only had one inescapable hit here in Australia with "Hot love," their fortunes were much better in their homeland as this became yet another chart topper in the UK for the glam rock band as well as another staple on oldies stations to this day.
#80 for 1972
This was a modest success for Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds (what a weird band name) here in Australia, likely due to it being a huge hit in their native America where this type of ballad reigned supreme on the Billboard charts.
#82 for 1971
This is a song that could've only been popular from the 60's or the start of the 70's, it comes to us from Daddy Dewdrop who scored his one and only hit worldwide with this novelty track that still pops up here and there in pop culture.
#83 for 1971
This was a hit a year after its initial release, I guess it wasn't released as a single here in Australia initially due to it having to compete with "Imagine" from earlier on this list as that was the Christmas chart topper of 1971 down under. It had its full chance to shine the following Christmas where it was too little too late for it to make an impact on our charts.
#85 for 1973
This is the final hit from Russell Morris, he had a good run throughout the decade but alas, his popularity didn't continue on after this moderate hit he had.
#81 for 1972
This was the lead single to CCR's final album Mardis gras, or rather it was a throwaway track they released following the success of Pendulum that they included on the album due to the behind-the-scenes drama they went through during the album's conception.
#84 for 1971
This is the only entry from the Who that will be appearing on my site, it was a hit from their album Who's next which helped that album become a massive success throughout the world which likely inspired the London symphony orchestra to make a classical rendition of their previous album Tommy.
#85 for 1971
This is the original version to Barry Manilow's breakthrough hit "Mandy," I'm not sure why Barry felt the need to change the name of the girl who stole his affections in his rendition given how this was a proven hit for Scott English here in Australia. I guess it was for that lucrative American audience as this did bomb in Scott's native America.
#82 for 1972
Country radio was an Australian band who scored their one and only hit with this track, there's not much to say about it or the band in question as it was only a success due to it being released at the right time for it to become as such.
#83 for 1972
This was the final hit that Sonny and Cher had before their divorce, even so, it was only a success here in Australia likely due to the success of "Gypsys tramps and thieves" from much earlier on this list.
#84 for 1972
This is another soft rock track that was huge in America and only a modest hit at best here in Australia, it comes to us from the Canadian band the Bells at a time where there were plenty of other songs just like it on our charts.
#86 for 1971
This was George Harrison's final hit here in Australia for eight years as he wouldn't touch our charts again until 1981 with his tribute to John Lennon "All those years ago." It was a much bigger deal internationally where this topped the Billboard charts for the former Beatle likely due to its strong message about world peace.
