I’ve decided to rank each album that appeared on the ARIA top 50 for this year based on how well they did on my albums of the 2010’s list from last year, although I should point out that I’ve included albums on this list that were a hit earlier in the decade to show just how reductive the year end lists and indeed the ARIA charts had become throughout the decade here in Australia.
One of the biggest mistakes I made on my old site was listing every time this second album from Ed Sheeran recharted here in Australia, suffice to say, I won't be making that mistake again and will only be including its success upon its initial release on this ranking.
Peak position #1x8
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Sing #1
Don't #4
Thinking out loud #1
Make it rain #26
Bloodstream #7
Photograph #9
This will forever be Taylor Swift's magnum opus, mainly because it's the point where she transitioned from a country pop star into a pop diva among the likes of Katy Perry and Rihanna in addition to retaining the critical acclaim that she achieved from her earlier work.
Peak position #1x9
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Shake it off #1
Out of the woods #19
Welcome to new York #23
Blank space #1
Style #8
Bad blood #1
Wildest dreams #3
New romantics #35
Even from the very beginning, Sam Smith was destined to be a household name with their music given how inescapably popular their debut album was even in America which was uncommon for British artists this decade.
Peak position #1x2
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
Stay with me #5
I'm not the only one #11
Like I can #20
Lay me down #3
This debut album from Ed Sheeran was another entry that charted on multiple occasions throughout the decade, again its ranking is based purely on its initial release as opposed to when it became a success when he released his earlier entries on this list as is the case with several of these albums from successful artists.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #3 physical)
Hit singles
The a team #2
Lego house #4
Drunk #9
Give me love #9
Small bump #14
Frozen is another film that divides audiences, much like the Greatest showman, it all comes down to whether you consider it "woke" or not (I don't for either of these films for the record as I don't judge media based on political messaging.)
Peak position #1x2
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Let it go #16 (film version)
Let it go #25
This was a predictable success for Katy Perry worldwide, heck even her critically panned album Witness will be appearing on this list, proving how devoted her fanbase was here in Australia.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Roar #1
Unconditionally #11
Birthday #25
This is how we do #18
This was a flop upon its initial release, mainly because it only came out due to the band finally calling it quits in 2011 after a long and tumultuous career. It became a massive hit here three years later when their biopic became a success on Australia TV.
Peak position #1x7
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Never tear us apart (reissue) #11
Both of Lorde's albums she released this decade will be appearing on this list, this was due to how well loved she was both in the mainstream and especially in the alternative scene (specifically on Triple J) thanks to her seeming wise beyond her years in her music.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Royals #2
Tennis court #20
Team #19
This remains the biggest success in Hilltop Hoods career, although the trio had uninterrupted success this decade as all of their albums they released since 2009 will be making an appearance on this list of mine.
Peak position #1x2
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Won't let you down #17
Cosby sweater #4
Pyramid building #42
Live and let go #42
Given how she had taken the mainstream by storm from the start of the decade with her multiple collaborations with big name artists, it makes sense that this album would be a massive hit for Sia even if diehard fans have complained that this was a sellout from her.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #3 physical)
Hit singles
Chandelier #2
Big girls cry #16
Eye of the needle #36
Elastic heart #5
I'm not sure why this fifth album managed to become a massive hit for the Arctic Monkeys this decade, mainly because rock music really took a back seat pop music this decade but also, they're debut album wasn't that big despite that having more buzz than this did for the band.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Do I wanna know #37
It was clear that Michael Buble's popularity was beginning to dwindle this decade, I think it's mainly due to his Christmas album always popping up during every holiday season which is a surefire way to get his audience to be sick of him.
Peak position #1x5
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
It's a beautiful day #33
This was a massive debut album for Avicii here in Australia, mainly because of how inescapable the singles were over here back in the day for the Swedish DJ which promised him a long and fruitful career that sadly wouldn't be the case for reasons I won't get into here.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #6 physical)
Hit singles
Wake me up #1
You make me #12
Hey brother #2
Addicted to you #5
Lay me down #34
Given how few rock artists managed to make it big throughout the decade, it may shock you to learn that statistically, these guys are the most successful rock band of the decade given how big their debut was thanks to the singles being used in every commercial in existence.
Peak position #4
(#2 digital)
Hit singles
It's time #27
Radioactive #6
On top of the world #10
Demons #11
This was a hit twice for Chet Faker, the first time was upon its initial release which was a positive sign that indie music was making a comeback here in Australia this decade whilst the second was when the lead single was chosen as the best song of 2014 according to listeners of Triple J which helped it become a hit almost a year after its initial release.
Peak position #1x2
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Talk is cheap #34 (#6 due to Triple J)
Gold #40
This is another album to heavily benefit here in Australia thanks to the assistance of Triple J, it was a mere modest success for London Grammar upon its initial release only to become a massive hit once the lead single was voted as one of the best songs of 2013 according to its listeners. The indie trio remain a one album wonder with this album down under despite having more success in their native UK.
Peak position #2
(#2 digital, #4 physical)
Hit singles
Strong #4
This is the sequel to Eminem's breakthrough album from the start of the century, it wasn't quite as successful as that album was, but it was a massive success regardless due to the rapper's winning streak this decade.
Peak position #1x2
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Berzerk #5
Rap god #15
Survival #18
The monster #1
Headlights #21
There was a ton of hype going into this debut album from Rudimental here in Australia, the hype was effortlessly met when it was released given how it was one of the first albums to be released after all of the singles came out, a trend that would become very common during the height of streaming.
Peak position #2
(#1 digital, #9 physical)
Hit singles
Feel the love #3
Not giving in #12
Waiting all night #6
Right here #29
Free #5
George Ezra was another artist who broke through in 2014 with their entry on this list that took forever in a day to release a follow up, he joins the ranks of James Bay and Hozier in this vein except he achieved moderate success with his second album thanks to one of the singles becoming a massive hit for him worldwide.
Peak position #4
(#3 digital, #7 physical)
Hit singles
Budapest #5
Blame it on me #10
This is the final Coldplay album to appear on this list, it was sandwiched between their two earlier entries on this list given how it wasn't seen as innovative as those two albums back in the day.
Peak position #1x3
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Magic #5
A sky full of stars #2
Midnight #25
This is another album that would qualify for my comeback list given how Human Nature somewhat fell into obscurity during the first half of the decade, this was a surprise success for them given how it had the same formula as their previous throwback albums of taking music of yesteryear and making it their own.
Peak position #2
(#2 physical)
This was a bigger hit here in Australia from the Marvel franchise; however, I'm only going by original chart runs for making this list which means that this album was less successful than the second edition as some of its success came when the second volume came out three years after this did.
Peak position #2
(#1 digital, #7 physical (eventually #6))
This is to date Pharrell's final solo album given how this was released around the time he was sued by the Marvin Gaye estate for "Blurred lines," it was a huge hit for him due to the lead single being the Oscar nominated theme song for Despicable me 2 that was a surprise mega hit for him.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
Happy #1
Marilyn Monroe #29
This album made history when it allowed Barbra Streisand to become the first artist to score a chart-topping album in every decade from the 60's to the 2010's in her native America, it's another duets album which I've noticed have been very popular over the years especially from older artists of the moment.
Peak position #1x1
(#5 digital, #1 physical)
This is the third appearance from the Like a version series on this list, there was simply no signs of this franchise slowing down during the midpoint of the decade.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
This is the other appearance from the Foo Fighters on this list, it wasn't as huge a success as their earlier entry, however it was clear that they were the one exception to the rule when it came to rock artists scoring massive success this decade that wasn't a legacy band or on a major label or promoted by Triple J.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
This is an album that didn't receive any promotion prior to its release, it was able to reveal how audiences don't care much for hype going into an album given how it was an immediate success for Beyonce worldwide.
Peak position #1x3
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
XO #16
Drunk in love #22
Pretty hurts #47
This was the debut album for what many consider to be Australian 1D who played their own instruments, the comparison is apt given how the Australian band were heavily supported by their British counterparts in the lead up to this album even if their popularity was more so here than it was internationally.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
She looks so perfect #1
Don't stop #3
Good girls #19
Kiss me kiss me #14
Everything I didn't say #11
Amnesia #7
This was a bit of a surprise success for Paloma Faith here in Australia, mainly because of one of its singles becoming the bumper music to the TV series Winners and losers which helped the song and by extension the album find a massive audience for the otherwise unknown British singer/songwriter.
Peak position #4
(#2 digital, #4 physical)
Hit singles
Only love can hurt like this #1
This is the final album to come from 1D to have all five members of the group intact given how Zayn would leave the group during the album cycle, it caused a bit of controversy in their fanbase which perhaps explains why their fifth and (to date) final album was far less successful than their other works (it's still to come on this list.)
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
Steal my girl #9
Night changes #33
This is the sequel to Robbie's album Swing when you're winning, it wasn't as successful as the first entry likely due to it coming out a bit too late in his career for it to mean too much outside his diehard fanbase. That said, it saw a massive rebound on its chart run when it became the perfect Mother's Day gift shortly after its release.
Peak position #2
(#3 digital, #3 physical)
If you're wondering what took these two so long to release a third album following the success of their two albums from the 00's, that's due to legal issues with their label as they were teasing this album as early as 2012 even though it only came out two years after the fact.
Peak position #2
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
You ruin me #1
If you love someone #5
I wasn't expecting John Butler Trio to have a hit with this album during the midpoint of the decade, indeed their previous album was the first album of the decade which will also be appearing on this list, proving they were able to survive the purge of rock artists that happened at the start of the decade.
Peak position #2
(#2 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
Only one #44
We have an appearance on this list of mine from AC/DC, this just goes to show that they've been able to retain an adorning fanbase despite failing to change up their sound over there years, proving that they've survived the test of time with their catalogue much to the chagrin of their naysayers.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
This is an album that will forever come back during every Christmas season due to it getting pulled from shelves (both digital and physical) at the start of every year, it's the album of choice that audiences tend to play during the holiday season.
Peak position #1x5 (original run)
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
(will forever continue to rechart during each Christmas season)
If you're wondering what took the brother and sister duo so long to follow up their album from earlier on this list, that's because they released a solo album each which both failed to live up to the standards of their earlier album. They got back together with this album where it achieved a ton of success even if it wasn't on the same level as they achieved before.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Heart beats show #37
This is a unique greatest hits album as instead of it being a collection of the biggest hits from the artist in question, Jimmy Barnes decided to rerecord a lot of his back catalogue as duets with some of the biggest names in Australian music both current and former.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
You know that Taylor Henderson was the more popular contestant on the 2013 season of X factor Australia than Dami Im when you consider that his second album was an instant success for him just over six months after he released his earlier entry on this list. Sadly, this was the last anyone had heard from the rising singer/songwriter.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 physical)
Hit singles
When you were mine #5
Already gone #42
Well, this album's entry is a doozy, it's easy to forget just how inescapable Iggy Azalea was throughout 2014 given how much of a novelty the rest of the world found her to be. Despite many attempts at recapturing the success of this album, she's become the laughingstock of the hip hop scene much like Vanilla ice was throughout the 90's.
Peak position #2
(#1 digital, #7 physical)
Hit singles
Change your life #44
Fancy #5
Black widow #15
Although Lorde had by this stage taken over the indie scene as far as female singer/songwriters were concerned, it appears that we Aussies had enough love for the woman who kickstarted the genre at the start of the decade to give her one more successful album in her career before she was considered yesterday's news.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
West coast #44
Shades of cool #50
Brooklyn baby #35
While it didn't have that inescapable hit like his previous album did, this third album from Matthew Colwell AKA 360 was nonetheless a decent success for him likely due to how Australian hip hop had taken off in our music scene throughout the decade.
Peak position #2
(#3 digital, #2 physical)
Hit singles
Impossible #25
Live it up #21
Price of fame #19
This was released twenty years after Pink Floyd's penultimate album the Division bell, it was a massive worldwide success for the band even if the A.V club infamously declared this to be one of the least essential albums of 2014.
Peak position #3
(#3 digital, #3 physical)
There have been several entries from Bruce Springsteen this decade that saw moderate success here in Australia throughout the decade, this was by far the biggest hit he had which even then was only barely a shoe in for this list.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 physical)
This barely managed to make the cut for this list, mainly because it was more of a sleeper hit for Ariana Grande as it bounced back up the charts whenever one of its multiple singles were released from it.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Problem #2
Break free #3
Bang bang #4
Best mistake #45
Love me harder #19
One last time #15
I really didn't want to include a Hillsong album on this list, however this did make the cut, and they did have plenty of entries that almost did due to how lucrative the church has been since its inception.
Peak position #2
(#2 physical)
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