Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster
ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, which provided peer/industry voting for all awards except for "most popular" awards voted by the public
Countdown provided coupons in the related
Countdown Magazine for viewers to vote for some awards including 'Most Popular Male Performer', 'Most Popular Female Performer', 'Most Popular Group' and 'Most Popular International Act'. From 1987 ARIA instituted its own entirely peer-voted
ARIA Music Awards. Performers were:
Men at Work, Sharon O'Neill, Renée Geyer,
Mental As Anything,
Billy Field,
Mondo Rock and the
Divinyls. • Best Australian Album •
Chemistry –
Mondo Rock • Peter McIan • Mark Moffatt • Most Popular Female • '''Sharon O'Neill''' • Renee Geyer • Marcia Hines • Most Popular Group •
Australian Crawl The program opened with Goanna performing "
Solid Rock". Nomination required product to be released. As Co-producer of the event, Carolyn James programmed
The Reels to perform "
Quasimodo's Dream" to much objection from Ian Meldrum. Tim Finn as presenter of Best Songwriter award introduced their performance: "Countdown has done some questionable things over the years, but this redeems all..Ladies and Gentlemen Dave Mason and the Reels 'Quasimodo's Dream" Award winners and nominees: • "
Great Southern Land" – Icehouse • "One Thing" – INXS • "
This Guy's in Love with You" – The Reels • "
Six Months in a Leaky Boat" – Split Enz • Best Song Writer (presented by Tim Finn) •
Tim Finn • Iva Davis (Icehouse) • Colin Hay (Men at Work) • Best New Talent (Johnny O'Keefe Memorial Award) •
Goanna • Most Outstanding Achievement •
Men at Work • Most Popular Female •
Chrissy Amphlett (Divinyls) • Renée Geyer • Sharon O'Neil •
Wendy Stapleton • Most Popular Group •
Split Enz • Australian Crawl • Icehouse • INXS • Men at Work • Moving Pictures • Most Popular International Act •
Duran Duran •
ABC •
Madness •
Simple Minds • Most Popular Male Performer •
Iva Davies (
Icehouse) Live performers:
Kids in the Kitchen "
Bitter Desire",
Models "
I Hear Motion", Ross Wilson and Pat Wilson "Strong Love",
Pseudo Echo "A Beat for You", Billy Idol "Rebel Yell",
Tim Finn "In a Minor Key". • Best Australian Album •
Escapade –
Tim Finn •
Desperate – Divinyls •
Cargo – Men at Work •
Creatures of Leisure – Mental as Anything •
The Pleasure of Your Company – Models • Best Single • "
Power and the Passion" –
Midnight Oil • "
Rain" – Dragon • "Fraction too Much Friction" – Tim Finn • "
Original Sin" – INXS • "
I Hear Motion" – Models • "
Come Said the Boy" –
Mondo Rock • Best Debut Album •
Heartland –
Real Life •
The Expression –
The Expression •
Live at the Wireless –
JJJ • Best Debut Single • "
Bop Girl" –
Pat Wilson • "
Australiana" –
Austen Tayshus • "
Change in Mood" –
Kids in the Kitchen • "Listening" –
Pseudo Echo • "Send Me an Angel" – Real Life • Best Promotional Video • Tim Finn's "
Fraction too Much Friction" –
Richard Lowenstein • The Expression's "With Closed Eyes" • Mental as Anything's "Spirit Got Lost" • Midnight Oil's "Power and the Passion" • Pat Wilson's "Bop Girl" • Best Record Producer of the Year •
Mark Moffatt and
Ricky Fataar for work with Tim Finn, Renée Geyer, Pat Wilson • Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop for work with Machinations, Reels, and Mental as Anything • Charles Fisher for work with Moving Pictures, Hoodoo Gurus, The Expression • Mark Opitz for work with Australian Crawl, INXS, Divinyls • Most Outstanding Achievement •
Men at Work • Most Promising New Talent (Johnny O'Keefe Award) •
Real Life • Kids in the Kitchen • Pseudo Echo • Songwriter of the Year •
Tim Finn •
Colin Hay • Eric McCusker • Special Achievement •
Michael Jackson for services to entertainment •
Austen Tayshus for "Australiana" • Most Popular Female • '''
Sharon O'Neill''' •
Christina Amphlett •
Pat Wilson • Most Popular Group •
Australian Crawl • INXS • Men at Work • Split Enz • Most Popular International Act •
Duran Duran •
David Bowie •
Culture Club •
Michael Jackson • Most Popular Male Performer •
Tim Finn (solo) •
James Reyne 1984 Ceremony details: Held on 19 May 1985 at
Sydney Entertainment Centre, and broadcast on 25 May, it was hosted by
Greedy Smith, presenters included: Brian Mannix,
Meat Loaf, Vicki O'Keefe,
Sharon O'Neill,
Ian "Molly" Meldrum,
Nik Kershaw,
Grace Knight and Bernie Lynch (
Eurogliders),
Julian Lennon,
Jenny Morris, Sean Kelly and James Freud (
Models), Alan Johnson and Danny Simcic (
Real Life), Suzanne Dowling (
Rock Arena TV show host).
INXS won seven awards and closed with a live performance of "
Burn for You", dressed in
Akubras (hats) and
Drizabones (outdoor coats/oilskin jackets). Performers were:
Pseudo Echo "Living in a Dream", Eurogliders "Absolutely",
Do-Ré-Mi "Theme from Jungle Jim",
Kids in the Kitchen "
Current Stand",
Mr. Mister "
Kyrie",
Models "Let's Build it Up",
I'm Talking "Do You Wanna Be?". It was hosted by Ian "Molly" Meldrum who revealed his bald head in imitation of
Peter Garrett of
Midnight Oil.
Mental As Anything "He's Just No Good", Boom Crash Opera "City Flat",
John Farnham "
You're the Voice" and English pop group,
Swing Out Sister "
Breakout". By the time of the last
Countdown award ceremony, the
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) had already instituted its own entirely peer-voted
ARIA Music Awards,
Elton John was the host but the ARIAs were not televised with presenters including
Basia Bonkowski,
Slim Dusty and
Donnie Sutherland. • "
Mean to Me" – Crowded House • "Hungry Town" – Big Pig • "Stimulation" – Wa Wa Nee • Best Debut Act •
Crowded House •
Wa Wa Nee •
Boom Crash Opera •
Big Pig • Best Female Performance in a Video • '''"You're Gonna Get Hurt"''' –
Jenny Morris • "Do You Wanna Be" – Kate Ceberano • "Guns & Butter" –
Deborah Conway • Best Group Performance in a Video •
"Kiss the Dirt" by INXS • "Mean to Me" – Crowded House • "Let's Go to Paradise" – Mental As Anything • "
Funkytown" – Pseudo Echo • "
Don't Dream It's Over" – Crowded House • "
Good Times" – INXS & Jimmy Barnes • Best Male Performance in a Video • "'''
You're the Voice" – John Farnham''' •
Duran Duran •
Madonna • Most Popular Male Performer •
Brian Canham • Michael Hutchence • Johnny O'Keefe Award For Most Promising New Talent •
Big Pig •
Ups & Downs •
Cattletruck •
Kings of the Sun • Mannequins ==Notes==