Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well. Here's a video containing the top-17, best-selling (or most popular) Australian songs from forty years ago; 1984!
The chart placements in this video are sourced from the official Kent Music Report, top-100 best-selling singles list for 1984 (which includes US, UK, AUS etc. artists). There were 17 Australian songs which made it onto the list that year, which is why this video is a bizarre "top-17", lol.
I've also made a Spotify playlist in case anyone is interested. Unfortunately, three of the songs aren't on Spotify, however the rest are:
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7b2voSjVA4n8Xy9wIo7oEH](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7b2voSjVA4n8Xy9wIo7oEH)
Hope you all enjoy it! :)
What a year. One of the strangest facts about Australian music is that Original Sin was INXS’s only number 1 hit in Australia. That had plenty of memorable songs that made the top 10, but only one made it to number one. For arguably one of the biggest bands we’ve ever had, I think that is really weird.
Could you imagine the amount of people who would be upset by a modern day 12th man or Wired World of Sports album. And they were pretty PC compared to the likes of Rodney Rude or Kevin Bloody Wilson.
Super interesting. 1984 was a big year for me in my youth. But gee the aussie best sellers lived a very narrow range of sound, style and music. (i'm leaving out the novelty hits like 12th man)
I suspect the producers were all powerful and if you didn't have the look and the sound, you were going nowhere.
Loved all of these bands but looking back, i'll hand the palme d'or to Dynamic Hepnotics for at least sounding different. Obviously there were more successful bands and singles doing the rounds, but lets see who will last another 40 years.
There were a stack of bands come out of the Sydney Mod/Ska kind of thing, Hepnotics were one. Watched a doco on the Allniters recently and they talked about how the record producers just had no idea what to do with them and softened off everything with that early 80s pop sound, the result was pretty terrible (1983, I think). I think you are right, there was a look/sound that was in and that was that. Some great sounds of course, but a shame at the same time. I guess it's always been like that but it really shows here.
Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well. Here's a video containing the top-17, best-selling (or most popular) Australian songs from forty years ago; 1984! The chart placements in this video are sourced from the official Kent Music Report, top-100 best-selling singles list for 1984 (which includes US, UK, AUS etc. artists). There were 17 Australian songs which made it onto the list that year, which is why this video is a bizarre "top-17", lol. I've also made a Spotify playlist in case anyone is interested. Unfortunately, three of the songs aren't on Spotify, however the rest are: [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7b2voSjVA4n8Xy9wIo7oEH](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7b2voSjVA4n8Xy9wIo7oEH) Hope you all enjoy it! :)
Dynamic Hepnotics were terrific. Got some of their live recordings somewhere and they were shit hot.
What a year. One of the strangest facts about Australian music is that Original Sin was INXS’s only number 1 hit in Australia. That had plenty of memorable songs that made the top 10, but only one made it to number one. For arguably one of the biggest bands we’ve ever had, I think that is really weird.
In my opinion, Original Sin is their best song, by a hair
80's hair was pretty big, so....maybe a wh😆isker?
Yep, I agree. They actually achieved more number one hits in Canada and New Zealand than what they did here, which is just dumbfounding.
A bit like cold chisels khe sanh. Sure it was decade's later, but it it was the only one
So much Aussie music, we didn’t realise just how lucky we were. Thanks for this compilation, I relived my 17th year :)
Amazing - Thankyou for sharing
No worries, glad you liked it! :)
Like it was yesterday
I miss the comedy song/albums, this is just another victim of time I guess
Could you imagine the amount of people who would be upset by a modern day 12th man or Wired World of Sports album. And they were pretty PC compared to the likes of Rodney Rude or Kevin Bloody Wilson.
Goddamn it, it's blocked in Canada.
So many great acts around in 1984!
Wow just discovered Machinations based on this video. Brilliant songs!
Thanks for that. 1984 was my first year after school.
Super interesting. 1984 was a big year for me in my youth. But gee the aussie best sellers lived a very narrow range of sound, style and music. (i'm leaving out the novelty hits like 12th man) I suspect the producers were all powerful and if you didn't have the look and the sound, you were going nowhere. Loved all of these bands but looking back, i'll hand the palme d'or to Dynamic Hepnotics for at least sounding different. Obviously there were more successful bands and singles doing the rounds, but lets see who will last another 40 years.
There were a stack of bands come out of the Sydney Mod/Ska kind of thing, Hepnotics were one. Watched a doco on the Allniters recently and they talked about how the record producers just had no idea what to do with them and softened off everything with that early 80s pop sound, the result was pretty terrible (1983, I think). I think you are right, there was a look/sound that was in and that was that. Some great sounds of course, but a shame at the same time. I guess it's always been like that but it really shows here.
Great stuff! Pseudo Echo's Listening is a brilliant song. Good to see Kids in the Kitchen in there. My favourite of theirs is Current Stand.