Wayne Elliott Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 This ridiculous List was Published in the Sunday HS: Somehow this Idiot Cameron Adams has confused Popularity with Greatness. It's based on Sales, Spotify and You Tube Views, and somehow this dill has labelled it Experts Top 30. For those into Music will have a real laugh. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/melbourne/who-is-the-best-australian-band-of-all-time/news-story/3d713883d09be3eb00204c1fdfb74b1e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Paywalled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emesbee Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Yep, all I get is a subscription page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Elliott Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 Who is the best Australian band of all time? We’ve crunched the numbers and ranked the Top 30 bands in Australian music history. You can have your say on the country’s best act here. Cameron Adams, National music writer, Sunday Herald Sun Subscriber only | January 19, 2020 8:00am Who’s topped our list of the biggest bands in Australian history? Pic: Scope Features MORE IN lifestyle How to make the ultimate fish and chips Best places to eat and drink in Yarraville 7 campsites to pitch a tent that won’t cost a cent AC/DC have topped our poll of the biggest band in Australian musical history. The rock band, formed in 1973, have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, with 1980s Back in Black one of the highest-selling albums of all time, with 50 million copies sold. They hold the record for the most tickets sold on an Australian tour by a local act (beaten by Ed Sheeran last year) and their music continues to be discovered by new audiences – their 10 biggest songs on Spotify have collectively had over 2.5 billion streams, while the Thunderstruck video has been watched almost 700 million times on YouTube. Our list of the 30 biggest bands has been compiled by measuring old fashioned album sales with modern day consumption of music – streaming and You Tube – as well as popularity on social media platforms, plus looking at chart performance (here and overseas) and awards. Some surprise inclusions may be Hillsong United, the corporate church’s musical spin-off who have sold over 18 million albums after tapping into the global market, and The Wiggles, who are one of Australian music industry’s true international success stories. MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS The youngest act on the list are Sydney band 5 Seconds of Summer. The foursome formed in 2011 and are the only Australian band to hit No. 1 on the US album chart with their first three releases. With their fanbase barely knowing what compact discs are, they have enormous followings on social media and have 24 million listeners on Spotify each month. This poll focused on bands and obviously does not include solo artists such as Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Sia, John Farnham, Tina Arena, Delta Goodrem and Keith Urban. Expert's Top 30Readers' Top 30 11 AC/DC Years active: 1973 - present Album sales: 200 million Australian No.1 albums: 5 American No.1 albums: 2 UK No.1 albums: 3 Biggest song on Spotify: Back in Black - 495 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Thunderstruck - 677 million views ARIA awards: 3 (plus Hall of Fame) Grammy awards: 1 ONE of the biggest rock bands of all time cut their teeth in Australia’s smallest pubs. Their most recent tour saw them earn just under $100 million, while the sole surviving original member, Angus Young, is worth a cool $200 million. Their longevity has been all the more impressive in a music world that thrives on change - the only thing that changes in AC/DC is the line-up. They’ve survived the death of arguably Australia’s most iconic rock and roller in Bon Scott. They look like they’ll survive the death of the band’s musical mastermind Malcolm Young. And AC/DC have been passed down from parents to kids, keeping their fanbase regenerating. OverratedUnderratedAgree 27 THE BEE GEES Years active: 1958 - 2012 Album sales: 120 million Australian No.1 albums: 4 American No.1 albums: 3 UK No.1 albums: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Stayin’ Alive - 354 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Stayin’ Alive - 503 million views ARIA awards: Hall of Fame Grammy awards: 8 Brit Awards: 1 LIKE AC/DC’s Young brothers, the Gibb brothers were not born in Australia, but are the first to say moving to Australia in their youth shaped them. They scored their first hit here with Spicks and Specks but like many of the era, had to move overseas to find global success. The Bee Gees’ career had multiple phases. Firstly a folk/rock period, then the disco/R&B rebirth captured first on Jive Talkin’ (a US No.1) before the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Even while they were able to weave through genres, from disco bangers to ballads, it was always about the songwriting and harmonies. Sadly Barry Gibb is the last man standing, meaning those wanting to watch them at their peak have to do so on film. OverratedUnderratedAgree 34 INXS Years active: 1977 - 2012 Album sales: 60 million Australian No.1 albums: 4 UK No.1 albums: 1 US No.1 singles: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Need You Tonight - 113 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Never Tear Us Apart - 26 million ARIA awards: 6 plus Hall of Fame 2001 Brit Awards: 2 FIRST they conquered their homeland, then INXS took the same approach overseas - relentless touring and quality music. By the time all the planets aligned with 1987’s Need You Tonight and album Kick, the band were already at the top of their game. Michael Hutchence was a unique frontman - the sex god who liked poetry, the incredible singer insecure about his vocals. And as the band realised when they finally stopped touring after a string of replacement singers (including a misguided dabble with reality TV), some people just cannot be replaced. OverratedUnderratedAgree 417 THE SEEKERS Years active: 1962 - present Album sales: 50 million Australian No.1 albums: 1 UK No.1 albums: 1 UK No.1 singles: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Georgy Girl 7.8 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Georgy Girl - 27 million ARIA awards: 6 plus Hall of Fame 2001 Brit Awards: 2 The Melbourne folk band were the first Australian pop act to achieve real international success in the 60s when I’ll Never Find Another You was No.1 in the UK and No.4 in the US in 1965. More hits followed: The Carnival is Over (another UK No.1), Georgy Girl (No.2 in the US, No.3 in the UK), Morningtown Ride (No.2 in the UK) and A World of Our Own. They set records in 1967 on their comeback tour of Australia playing to an estimated 200,000 people at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, landing it in the Guinness Book of Records. Durham has retired from touring now, but the band’s back-catalogue is being carefully reissued to showcase not only their legacy, but her pristine vocals - a true national treasure. OverratedUnderratedAgree 520 AIR SUPPLY Years active: 1975 - present Album sales: 40 million Australian No.1 albums: 1 American No.1 singles: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: All Out of Love - 141 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Making Love Out of Nothing At All - 335 million views ARIA awards: Hall of Fame 2013 LIKE the Seekers, they may not be ‘cool’ but there’s nothing uncool about sustaining a global career for nearly 50 years. Air Supply are the kings of the power ballad. Love songs are timeless and universal. Which means that Lost in Love, All Out of Love, Making Love Out of Nothing at All, Here I Am and Love and Other Bruises are make up and break up songs for millions of people all over the globe, to this day. OverratedUnderratedAgree 614 MEN AT WORK Years active: 1979 - 1986 Album sales: 30 million Australian No.1 albums: 2 American No.1 albums: 1 UK No.1 albums: 1 Australian No.1 singles: 1 UK No.1 singles: 1 US No.1 singles: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Down Under - 297 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Down Under - 231 million views ARIA awards: Hall of Fame 1994 Grammy awards: 1 A BAND from Australia take a song about Australia to No.1 in the US and UK and become the first Australian band to achieve the feat in both countries in the same week. Down Under was actually Men at Work’s second American chart topper, after their debut single Who Can It Be Now? Between 1981 and 1983 the Australian band dominated the world with their debut album Business as Usual, scoring the Best New Artist Grammy in 1983 and a US No.3 hit with arguably their best song, Overkill from second album Cargo. It was all over by 1986, while front man Colin Hay has toured as Men at Work (with no other original members) overseas of late. OverratedUnderratedAgree 716 THE WIGGLES Years active: 1991 - present Album sales: 30 million Biggest song on Spotify: Hot Potato - 14 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Wheels on the Bus - 84 million Facebook followers: 400,000 ARIA awards: 15, Hall of Fame induction 2011 WE know the history. 80s pop band The Cockroaches score a few hits and started a side project playing songs for children that, well, didn’t suck. Fast forward to now and The Wiggles are one of our biggest musical exports, with 60 albums and DVDs which have sold over 30 million copies internationally. They play to an average of one million people per year across the globe and at at their peak were generating over $45 million annually. The line-up has changed, just like many rock bands, but they continue to deal with the important duty of being the first introduction to live music for millions of kids, implanting the joy of songs at an early age. OverratedUnderratedAgree 812 LITTLE RIVER BAND Years active: 1975 - 1998 Album sales: 30 million Australian No.1 singles: 1 US Top 10 singles: 6 Biggest song on Spotify: Reminiscing - 28 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Cool Change - 18 million ARIA awards: Hall of Fame 2004 THERE is a version of Little River Band still on the road in America that’s essentially an official cover band, with many Americans none the wiser. The original members lost the legal right to keep the name (rock lesson No.1 - always get a good lawyer) but let’s not ignore that LRB were pioneers. After heavy touring in the UK and US, by 1977 they’d sold a million albums in the US and would have a string of hits - Happy Anniversary, Cool Change, Lady, Lonesome Loser, Help Is On Its Way and Reminiscing. The latter has been played five million times on US radio since its release - a record for an Australian song. Once Glenn Shorrock left, the band had more hits with a singer called John Farnham including Playing to Win, still a staple in Farnsey’s live set. OverratedUnderratedAgree 922 SAVAGE GARDEN Years active: 1994 - 2001 Album sales: 23 million Australian No.1 albums: 2 American No.1 singles: 2 Australian No.1 singles: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Truly Madly Deeply - 195 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Truly Madly Deeply - 272 million views ARIA awards: 14 SAVAGE Garden were a music industry fairytale - songs rejected by every major record label in Australia would, just a few years later, reach No.1 in America and are now seen as timeless classics. It’s incredible they achieved so much and only ever released two studio albums. I Knew I Loved You being the most played song on US radio in 2000 is just one of the many remarkable stats from their career. The distinct chemistry that made Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones work so well would ultimately also drive them apart, and the fact they were one of the last bands to make it really big when people still paid for music means they’ve never had to bow to constant pressure to reform. OverratedUnderratedAgree 1030 HILLSONG UNITED Years active: 1998 - present Album sales: 18 million Australian No.1 albums: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Oceans (Where My Feet May Fail) - 176 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Oceans (Where My Feet May Fail) 390 million views HILLSONG are seen as the rock stars of religion, and they’ve certainly lured the likes of Justin Bieber to their gatherings. Hillsong also know how to market themselves, and their musical spin-off band are prolific when it comes to releasing albums and touring. They’ve had eight No.1 albums on the American Christian chart and have crossed over onto the ARIA mainstream chart, cleverly launching their albums after conferences to boost sales. And it’s all tax-free. God is good. OverratedUnderratedAgree 1113 MIDNIGHT OIL Years active: 1975 - present Album sales: 12 million Australian No.1 albums: 5 Biggest song on Spotify: Beds are Burning - 94 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Beds are Burning - 149 million views ARIA awards: 11 (plus Hall of Fame 2006) Grammy awards: 1 OILS! Yet another classic Australian rock band who learnt their craft on the local pub circuit for years, then were ready for the world when the world was finally ready for them. Like Men at Work, they made it big overseas with songs that could only be written by Australians. But they showcased a very different side of Australia. Their biggest global hit, 1987’s Beds are Burning highlighted the treatment of Indigenous Australians in a song that went Top 10 in the US and UK. These days people hate musicians talking about politics, but Midnight Oil became one of the biggest bands in Australian history singing almost exclusively about social issues and using their platform to make political statements. They reformed in 2017 with plans to make new music - there's plenty to talk about. OverratedUnderratedAgree 123 CROWDED HOUSE Years active: 1985 - present Album sales: 10 million Australian No.1 albums: 5 UK No.1 albums: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Don’t Dream It’s Over - 176 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Don’t Dream It’s Over - 102 million views ARIA awards: 12 (plus Hall of Fame 2016) Grammy awards: 1 BRIT awards: 1 ANOTHER band we claim as our own, but there’s a bit more of a legitimate grip here. Crowded House may be fronted by Kiwi superhero Neil Finn, but they formed in Melbourne and the original line-up was two thirds Australian with Nick Seymour and the late Paul Hester. Finn had already savoured a taste of international success with Split Enz and used that as a blueprint from the get-go with Crowded House. Don’t Dream It’s Over would reach No.2 on the US chart and become a bonafide classic. By third album Woodface, brother Tim Finn was in the band and in the UK the album went platinum and spawned more classics - Four Seasons in One Day, It’s Only Natural, Fall At Your Feet and Weather With You. They're back together for a headline slot at Bluesfest this year (now with both of Finn’s sons in the line-up), because who wouldn’t want to keep singing those songs and delivering that joy to the masses? OverratedUnderratedAgree 1315 SILVERCHAIR Years active: 1992 - 2011 Album sales: 10 million Australian No.1 albums: 5 Australian No.1 singles: 3 Biggest song on Spotify: Tomorrow - 41 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Miss You Love - 23 million views ARIA awards: 21 Grammy awards: 1 SILVERCHAIR are such a part of the furniture of the (recent) history of Australian rock you almost forget that they were teenagers when it all kicked off. And it all started via winning an SBS TV show. What could have been a novelty - teenagers playing grunge in the era of Nirvana and Pearl Jam - was steered into credibility with strong songs and smart management. Their debut album Frogstomp and first hit Tomorrow cracked the US market, seeing the band (and their parents) living the dream by touring America when their mates were in high school. Daniel Johns rapidly took Silverchair to more interesting musical territory, turning them into a cult band in America. Critical darlings (they have won the most ARIA awards of any band) they went on ‘indefinite hiatus’ in 2011. OverratedUnderratedAgree 142 COLD CHISEL Years active: 1973 - present Album sales: 6.8 million Australian No.1 albums: 5 UK No.1 albums: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Khe Sanh - 25 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Khe Sanh - 10 million ARIA awards: 2 IF there was any justice, they would have followed AC/DC’s lead to global success. Instead they had to settle for being one of the most successful and most loved Australian bands in history. Each member was crucial to not only songwriting, but the band’s sound, energy and story. There was plenty of drama on and off stage. Time heals wounds, after solo careers the band reformed in 1997 and have been on and off ever since, tragically losing drummer Steve Prestwich, but carrying on to keep his legacy alive by keeping the music alive (he wrote When the War Is Over and Forever Now). They just scored their first No.1 album since 1998 with Blood Moon and are playing sold out shows all over summer on what they have threatened may be their last tour. Key word: may. OverratedUnderratedAgree 1521 JET Years active: 2001 - present Album sales: 6.5 million Australian No.1 albums: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Are You Gonna Be My Girl - 227 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Are You Gonna Be My Girl - 467 million views ARIA awards: 7 JET were raised on 70s and 80s rock records from their parents’ collection. That all merged for a modern retro sound that was directly opposed to the dance and pop dominating music in 2001. Yet they had the songs, one of which, Are You Gonna Be My Girl, would become a global smash - with a little help from being used on an iPod ad. Unlike many local bands before them, modern technology meant their records were exploding simultaneously around the world. Fiery and intense live, and with some inbuilt brotherly tension, they kept it going for three albums before splitting in 2012, but reformed in 2016 - away just long enough for them to miss it and for us to miss them. OverratedUnderratedAgree 1627 EMPIRE OF THE SUN Years active: 2007 - present Album sales: 5 million Biggest song on Spotify: Walking on a Dream - 286 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Walking on a Dream - 131 million views ARIA awards: 8 APRA Awards: 2 BASICALLY a mini supergroup. Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson (among other bands) and Nick Littlemore of Pnau combined their talents for Empire of the Sun, a musical and visual feast. With Walking on a Dream they had the song to back it all up, a tune that radiates joy. Indeed seven years after it was a hit in Australia and the US, the song’s use in an American car ad (it has been incredibly lucrative) saw it belatedly reach No.1 on the US dance chart.. Their success also helped open doors for other Australian electronic acts to make waves internationally - changing long held perceptions of Aussies as just being all about pub rock. OverratedUnderratedAgree 1729 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Years active: 2011 - present Album sales: 3.5 million Australian No.1 albums: 3 American No.1 albums: 3 UK No.1 albums: 1 Australian No.1 singles: 2 UK No.1 singles: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Youngblood - 846 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: She Looks So Perfect- 255 million ARIA awards: 2 THE youngest band on this list, but also the first Australian band to reach No.1 on the US charts with their first three albums. That’s some feat, even if you factor in that record sales are lower in the days of streaming. But you also have to factor in that holding onto fans for three albums is no easy feat in an era of tiny attention spans. 5SOS began as a punk/pop band who were aligned to One Direction and acquired some of their fanbase. They’ve since done a heck of a lot of touring all around the world and know how to play the game - you need to keep refining your sound and image to keep getting your songs on radio and streaming platforms. OverratedUnderratedAgree 188 ICEHOUSE Years active: 1977 - present Album sales: 3 million Australian No.1 albums: 1 Australian No.1 singles: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Great Southern Land- 14 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: No Promises - 15 million views ARIA awards: 1, plus Hall of Fame 2006 DRIVEN by Iva Davies, Icehouse’s early albums were synthesizer led. International touring for their first album (Can’t Help Myself and We Can Get Together were US college radio hits) led to Davies’ homesick anthem, Great Southern Land, their first British hit. They’d score a major European smash with Hey Little Girl but by the mid 80s a more rock-based sound saw Icehouse score a Top 20 US hit with Crazy, then Top 10 with Electric Blue (which became their only Australian No.1). Man of Colours sold over 700,000 copies in Australia alone. Davies put Icehouse on ice in the mid 90s, but by 2011 they’d become a regular touring act again, still playing major venues and drawing huge crowds. Their 40th anniversary tour in 2017 saw them sell more than 240,000 tickets - incredible figures for a local act in a single year. OverratedUnderratedAgree 1911 POWDERFINGER Years active: 1989 - 2011 Album sales: 2.2 million Australian No.1 albums: 5 Biggest song on Spotify: My Happiness - 24 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: These Days - 2.7 million views ARIA awards: 18 ANOTHER Australian band whose success cruelly never really extended beyond here and New Zealand, although they did tour internationally. One of those bands who could straddle being played on both Triple J and Triple M, they were signed back in the era when bands were able to have a few flop albums without being dropped. By the time it all came together, Powderfinger had their stuff ready. Like Chisel or the Oils, they were one of those bands where every member was crucial to the sound, not just the dude with personality out the front steering the ship. If you saw them live, you witnessed how their songs connected with people. Which made their decision to quit on top even more bold. The band continue to be surrounded by rumours of a reformation and have stuck to their guns, while all embarking on their own different careers. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2024 WOLFMOTHER Years active: 2004 - present Album sales: 1.8 million Australian Top 10 albums: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Joker and the Thief - 104 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Joker and the Thief - 22 million views ARIA awards: 3 Grammy awards: 1 AROUND the period where Jet and The Vines were exploding internationally with a classic rock sound, Wolfmother completed the trio. Wolfmother were arguably the most vintage-sounding of all, with their debut album being compared to everyone from Black Sabbath to Led Zeppelin. Dimension and Woman were mammoth live, Joker and the Thief even crossed over to the mainstream chart and the band played major festivals all over the world. Sadly things got ugly when the band fell apart, leaving frontman Andrew Stockdale with the band name for a second album, Cosmic Egg. It wasn’t quite the same. Stockdale rested the band, but then reactivated the name because it’s good business, but he’s struggled to make lightning strike again. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2119 NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS Years active: 1983 - present Album sales: 1.2 million Australian No.1 albums: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Into My Arms - 41 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Red Right Hand - 36 million views ARIA awards: 4 plus Hall of Fame (2007) Grammy Awards: 1 SOMETIMES it’s not all about record sales. Nick Cave is one of the most influential musicians to ever come out of Australia, even if it’s not reflected in his record sales (which don’t take into account his work with The Birthday Party, pre Bad Seeds). He’s a global cult, an obsession passed down to generations. So what he lacks in hit singles (bar that one time he killed Kylie Minogue in a song) he’s made up in his longevity and legacy. Cave can tour pretty much anywhere in the world and in any format - with full band, solo or, most recently, doing Q&A sessions. He’s going to be our Leonard Cohen - and his most recent material displays that inspiration has not deserted him - last year’s Ghosteen ending up on many best of 2019 lists. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2226 TAME IMPALA Years active: 2007 - present Album sales: 1 million Australian No.1 albums: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: The Less I Know the Better - 441 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - 108 million views ARIA awards: 8 Brit Awards: 1 KEVIN Parker has taken Tame Impala from posting trippy songs made in his Perth bedroom on MySpace in 2007 to headlining the US festival Coachella last year. Their debut album Innerspeaker was frothed over by all the right international tastemakers, and in the era of the Internet, exploded globally. That built up a following that saw their second album Lonerism go Top 20 in the UK and Top 40 in the US, then third album Currents reached No.1 in Australia, No.2 on the US mainstream chart and No.3 in the UK. Parker has achieved his success without compromise, being rewarded for the odd-sock quality of his music, like Pink Floyd and Radiohead before him. Now Tame Impala have conquered America, Parker can do anything he likes. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2323 HILLTOP HOODS Years active: 1994 - present Album sales: 1 million Australian No.1 albums: 6 Biggest song on Spotify: 1955 - 64 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: The Nosebleed Section - 19 million views ARIA awards: 9 IT'S now 20 years since the ‘Hoods released their first album. They’re pioneers of Australian hip hop and are one of the few current local bands who can sell out arenas as well as headline festivals. They’ve had six consecutive No.1 albums on the ARIA chart (the most chart toppers by any Australian band) and have managed to straddle still getting played on Triple J while also getting regular commercial airplay. They’ve now clocked up 640 million streams globally, crossing fans over from vinyl to CD to downloads to streaming platforms. And the ‘Hoods also give back - they promote new talent through a scholarship-style fund and crucially, they’ve managed to find new fans with each album. Supporting Eminem on his latest Australian tour showed they also know how to work a stadium. OverratedUnderratedAgree 249 DIVINYLS Years active: 1980 - 2009 Album sales: 800,000 Australian No.1 singles: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: I Touch Myself - 25 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: I Touch Myself - 27 million views ARIA awards: Hall of Fame induction 2006 FORMED in 1980, Chrissy Amphlett and Mark McEntee seized the Australian rock scene around the neck. Their first hit Boys in Town proved they had the songs to back up the hype, with a string of hits including Only Lonely, Science Fiction and Good Die Young before the pivotal Pleasure and Pain arrived in 1985. That was their international calling card, breaking them into the US market after they signed an American record deal. However it’d take until 1990’s bold I Touch Myself for the band to really go global - reaching No.4 in the US and No.10 in the UK as well as No.1 in Australia. The band split in 1996 after one final falling out between the pair. They reformed in 2007 for a successful tour. Sadly Amphlett would pass away in 2013. When McEntee tried to replace Amphlett with a new singer last year using the name Divinyls the tour was cancelled before it even started after the public voted with their credit cards. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2510 HOODOO GURUS Years active: 1981 - present Album sales: 700,000 Australian Top 10 albums: 5 Australian Top 10 singles: 6 Biggest song on Spotify: What’s My Scene? - 5.7 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: What’s My Scene? - 2.2 million views ARIA awards: 1, plus Hall of Fame 2006 ANOTHER Australian band who feel like they’ve always been around. Consistency has been the key. They were the antidote to shiny pop in 1983 when My Girl wound up on Countdown, and before long they tapped into the massive American college radio circuit and UK indie scene. The Gurus’ string of singles include Tojo, Bittersweet, What’s My Scene, Come Anytime, I Want You Back, Death Defying, Like Wow - Wipeout and Good Times, the latter featuring their pals The Bangles. They split up at the end of the 90s, but have since reformed and remain a major draw on the live circuit. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2618 THE LIVING END Years active: 1994 - present Album sales: 700,000 Australian No.1 albums: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Prisoner of Society - 6.6 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Prisoner of Society - 2.3 million views ARIA awards: 6 INSPIRED by The Clash, Stray Cats and Green Day, Melbourne’s The Living End mixed rockabilly and punk. After heavy touring (including opening for Green Day in 1995) an indie single Prisoner of Society/Second Solution in 1998 would change their fortunes. The single landed them a global record deal and their self-titled debut sold more than 300,000 copies in Australia alone. They soon took their following international and fired off a string of albums. By 2008, after burn out, White Noise gave the band a second wind and a whole new audience - as well as another signature anthem to sit alongside Prisoner of Society in their live show. OverratedUnderratedAgree 275 THE ANGELS Years active: 1974 - present Album sales: 650,000 Australian No.1 albums: 1 Biggest song on Spotify: Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again - 12 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again - 1.2 million views ARIA awards: Hall of Fame induction 1998 FORMED in Adelaide by the Brewster brothers and Doc Neeson, The Angels’ brand of classic pub rock was cited by everyone from Guns N’Roses to Pearl Jam as an influence. In 1976 AC/DC producers Vanda and Young produced their first single, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, which they’d perform on Countdown and which their fans would later give a lyrical call and response tweak to live. By 1978 they were the highest-paid live band in Australia and soon looked abroad. Christened Angel City for the international market, they cracked the US album chart with 1978’s Face to Face while their biggest American album was 1980s No Exit, home to No Secrets and Face the Day. Doc Neeson left the band at the end of 1999 after a car accident. They’d continue on, there’d be line-up changes and reunions but sadly Neeson succumbed to a brain tumour in 2014, the year after bassist Chris Bailey had died. The Angels now tour with Dave Gleeson (Screaming Jets) as singer. OverratedUnderratedAgree 286 SKYHOOKS Years active: 1973 - 1994 Album sales: 650,000 Australian No.1 albums: 2 Australian No.1 singles: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Living in the 70s - 4.3 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Horror Movie - 360,000 views ARIA awards: Hall of Fame 1992 AN Australian band singing with Australian references, Skyhooks exploded in 1974 when their debut album Living in the 70s went to No.1 for 16 weeks. Their rise coincided with Countdown and colour TV - they were tailor made for the format and managed to shock the nation with Horror Movie as well as having six songs on the album banned from radio due to lyrical content. Youth station Double J chose You Just Like Me ‘Cos I’m Good In Bed as the song to launch onto the airwaves with. The band followed up with another massive record, Ego is Not a Dirty Word, and signed a million-dollar US record deal and toured America. However success wasn’t to be, with Americans comparing them to Kiss. Line-ups would change, the band would split and make a comeback with Jukebox in Siberia (another No.1) but sadly once singer Shirley Strachan died in 2001 it was game over. OverratedUnderratedAgree 2928 THE VERONICAS Years active: 2004 - present Album sales: 520,000 Australian No.1 albums: 2 Australian No.1 singles: 3 Australian Top 10 singles: 10 Biggest song on Spotify: Untouched - 69 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: On Your Side - 62 million views ARIA awards: 4 TWINS Jessica and Lisa Origliasso began their career doing talent shows in Queensland and wound up signing directly to an American label and having their first single 4Ever written by pop king Max Martin. That album went four times platinum in Australia (peaking at No.2) and showcased their songwriting talents. Second album Hook Me Up saw the title track reach No.1 in Australia, while the follow up Untouched became their international breakthrough in 2008. It reached No.2 in Australia, No.1 in Ireland, No.17 in the US chart (where it has sold one million copies) and No.8 in the UK. Record company politics slightly derailed them, but You Ruin Me was a No.1 comeback in 2014 (it was also a UK Top 10) and they’ve clocked up ten Top 10 singles over 15 years in the notoriously fickle world of pop music. A new album will finally arrive this year. OverratedUnderratedAgree 3025 ANGUS AND JULIA STONE Years active: 2006 - present Album sales: 500,000 Australian No.1 albums: 2 Biggest song on Spotify: Stay With Me - 173 million streams Most watched video on You Tube: Big Jet Plane - 45 million views ARIA awards: 5 IN the future people will look back and see how siblings Angus and Julia Stone changed the musical landscape. Their folky sound and distinctive vocals have become a blueprint for many Australian artists over the last decade. They’ve grown up in the era where you naturally head overseas to find international record deals and management meaning they can sustain a global career and don’t have to get stuck touring Australia over and over. Second album Down the Way featured the surprise hit Big Jet Plane (a Hottest 100 No.1 for Triple J listeners in 2011) and 2017’s single Chateau has sold more than 210,000 copies in Australia alone. Their ability to keep doing side projects (like Angus’s Dope Lemon) means they shouldn’t burn out their work as a duo. OverratedUnderratedAgree Want the latest entertainment, music and celebrity news delivered to your inbox every week?Sign up to the Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun's free entertainment email below. Submit Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this by Email Comments Show comments To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout My News Daily Deals brought to you by A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out here. About Us About the Herald Sun News, Footy, Food. Pick A Newsletter Today's Paper My Tributes Advertise with us Code of conduct - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Contact Us FAQs Letter to the Editor For The Record Journalism Traineeships Job Opportunities Photo Sales More News Corp sites Buy Search Sell Find Your Local Foxsports Foxtel Hipages Punters odds.com.au - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seek Subscription Terms App Only Subscription Terms Group/Corporate Subscriptions Financial Hardship Policy Our apps Connect with Us Privacy PolicyRelevant Ads Opt-OutCookie PolicyTerms of UsePowered by WordPress.com VIPNews Pty Ltd Copyright © 2020 X No thanks, continue reading article 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Hahaha Jet better than Nick Cave. Almost spat out my rice bubbles. Hilarious. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needlerunner Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 The greatest Aussie band is not even on the list. My top six are: The Church Followed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Then INXS. Followed Midnight Oil and then ACDC. And finally Cold Chisel. Thought the Cruel Sea and King Gizzard and .... would have made the list? The Saints and Radio Birdman and the Easybeats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon N' Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) The Wiggles and Hillsong................. FFS! Edit: that's as far as I got, and it was a struggle to get that far Edited January 22, 2020 by Muon N' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Elliott Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) My Top 30: Based on Music. A lifetime of Musical Obsession. A Zillion records and thousands Of Live Gigs 1. Masters Apprentices. 2. Celibate Rifles. 3. Easybeats. 4. Radio Birdman. 5. Coloured Balls. 6. Died Pretty. 7. The Saints. 8. The Sunnyboys. 9. The Aztecs. 10.Buffalo. 11.The Screaming Tribesmen. 12.Harem Scarem. 13.The New Christs. 14.The Missing Links. 15.Wild Cherries. 16.La De Das. 17.The Loved Ones. 18.DM3. 19.Chain. 20.The Stems. 21.Lime Spiders. 22.The Aints. 23.Daddy Cool. 24.The Atlantics. 25.AC/DC. 26.Cosmic Psychos. 27.Beasts Of Bourbon. 28.The Dingoes. 29.Even. 30.The Fireballs. Edited January 22, 2020 by initforthemusic Typo. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Out of retirement a couple of weeks ago! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finch_(Australian_band) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundscape Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 ACDC = the ultimate fish and chips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini07 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I have to admit there's a few groups in there I've never heard of.... The order will vary according to personal opinion but I'm surprised the Perth group Eurogliders isn't in there somewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini07 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 The Divinyls - a greatly under-rated band. Chrissie Amphlett - what a sensational voice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter the Greek Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Gee there is some trash on that list. How do The Easybeats not make the list!? As an aside, little to no "new" talent on that list.....I posted a tread about this a year or two back and was torn to bits about how we had good new music in this country......I'm yet to find it.....there's the odd shining light, the The Rubens....but hardly a global smash Gee, even the bloke that was/is "supporting" Elton....is he the best we can find? he looked like he got out of bed 30 minutes before the show. Not bad for a bar on a Sunday night, but hardly concert material Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 No Grinspoon? Wow. Regurgitator? Spiderbait? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOMO Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 No Go Betweens.Need we say more? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh0571 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 No Triffids either is there? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deanB Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Seems to be a list based on international recognition factor, something Oz mainstream media is a bit obsessed with. But if that's the criteria then it's probably a pretty accurate summation. Not much on there that's my cuppa tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyse1 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 2 hours ago, Peter the Greek said: Gee there is some trash on that list. How do The Easybeats not make the list!? As an aside, little to no "new" talent on that list.....I posted a tread about this a year or two back and was torn to bits about how we had good new music in this country......I'm yet to find it.....there's the odd shining light, the The Rubens....but hardly a global smash Gee, even the bloke that was/is "supporting" Elton....is he the best we can find? he looked like he got out of bed 30 minutes before the show. Not bad for a bar on a Sunday night, but hardly concert material don’t know how old you are but new music is no place for old people like me to criticise Lot of great new music in Australia Said this before Courtney Barnett Jack Ladder Cash Savage and The Last Drinks Halfway Dick Diver although they no longer exist I don’t even look for it but know those ones Probably lots of others for people really into it Australias best bands like the Triffids Go Betweens are often ignored here The best country music like Corrina Steele can’t be found on Google after 2015 Dick Diver so unpopular they no longer exist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyse1 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 As to that list Its the Murdock gutter press There is nothing but commercial success in the Murdoch empire belief system It’s a sales based list with nothing to do with quality 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter the Greek Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 14 minutes ago, keyse1 said: don’t know how old you are 38 I've no idea if I listened to those others you've mentioned. I go through fits and phases of asking someone to point me in the right direction, I spend a few hours listening and it just doesn't engage me......I'll give these a try. Thanks I don't think sales are a poor benchmark, people don't buy crap (in the main), so if they've got good sales and are filling stadiums I think that's a good measure of popularity and success. The last group to make it big on that list is Savage Garden. I don't count The Wiggles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brumby Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 27 minutes ago, keyse1 said: As to that list Its the Murdock gutter press There is nothing but commercial success in the Murdoch empire belief system It’s a sales based list with nothing to do with quality "Quality"? According to whom? Musical quality is and always will be subjective. Assuming you want to "rank" bands at all (can't think why anyone would want to), at least album sales and Spotify/You Tube hits are objective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyse1 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 With few exceptions quality and commercial success parted company in the 70’s and by the 8o’s commercial success equals rubbish Crap is the largest commodity in most art forms music and cinema the 2 I have a more than passing interest In Lot of crap music in the 60’s but counterbalanced by all the great music Great music from the 70’s up to now simply disappeared from public access points so most of it is never heard by anyone outside of fanatics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimbo Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 No Church, Mentals or Tats. Tell em they're DREAMING!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Elliott Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 7 hours ago, LogicprObe said: Out of retirement a couple of weeks ago! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finch_(Australian_band) Went to a few Gigs were Finch were support back in the 70's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Elliott Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 Would have liked to put Bee Gees in my Top 30. New York mining Disaster, Christian Lion hearted Man, I Can't see Nobody, first Of May and a few other's brilliant but the Tripe they served up later on pushed them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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