Each week I write about the ARIA chart from 25 years ago and 30 years ago, and so I've reached April 1985 and April 1990.

Here are the links with printed charts:

1985 - http://chartbeat.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/30-years-ago-this-week-april-7-1985.html

1990 - http://chartbeat.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/25-years-ago-this-week-april-8-1990.html

But I'm starting to think ahead to next year when I'll be looking at 1986. I only have scans for 18 of that year's weekly charts (I didn't start collecting until mid-way through 1987).

So if anyone can help me out with scans of 1986 charts, please let me know. My email is gavinscott75@gmail.com

On my blog, you'll find scans for ARIA charts from July 1987 to April 1990. And for 1985 from the start of the year until April.

Thanks in advance!

Scans for 1986 could be a problem.

The ARIA charts which had started out as the Countdown charts in 1983 continued at that same size format until Jan 12 1986 - it's the last one that I have of that series anyhow and the only one I know of for 1986 as it covered the 3 weeks since the previous chart on December 18 1985.



ARIA then went to a poster size format for Jan 19 and I am not sure whether these were available through record stores or were only on display in record stores as their size is enormous at 78cm x 61cm. I have found those charts hard to find so am assuming that they were only for promotional use in stores.

I have large charts dated:
Jan 19
Jan 26
Feb 16
Feb 23
Mar 9
Mar 16
Mar 23
Apr 6
Apr 20
May 4
June 15
June 29
July 13
July 20

Below is a partial scan of a large poster version with a small late 1986 chart in front for size comparison. I would have no way of scanning that large format as you would require a swipe scanner for that size which I don't have.



Some time between July 20 and August 31 1986 they reverted to a new small format. It is likely that the Aug 31 chart was the first of the smaller version as they seem to turn up from that date onwards. I have the following smaller format charts for late 1986:
Aug 31
Sept 7
Sept 21
Sept 28
Oct 5
Oct 12
Oct 19
Oct 26
Nov 2
Nov 9 (purple version dated Nov 16)
Nov 16 (correct green version)
Nov 30
Dec 14
Dec 21
Dec 28

Thanks for such a detailed response. I had no idea they shifted to that large format chart for a few months!

I actually have scans of the small charts for August 17 and August 24 so it would be interesting to discover when those ones actually started.

And it looks like I have scans for some dates you don't and vice versa - I'll drop you an email!

Wow, I had no idea the printed top 50 charts went poster-size in 1986 either. Though I wasn't yet following/collecting charts until a couple of years later.

I naughtily saved (rather than buy) pics (photos, not scans) of a stack of ARIA charts listed on eBay by the same seller, approx. 18 months ago. The earliest one s/he had for sale was August 17, 1986, and in the smaller size.

I have just been contacted by a chart collector named Scott who informed me that he had an image of a large chart for August 10 amongst many others. This would then presumably be the last of the large charts as Nathan and Gavin have confirmed the first of the known small charts was dated August 17.

Therefore, unless some smaller versions of the large charts surface, the ARIA charts were issued as follows:

Landscape Countdown/ARIA chart issued between July 3 1983 - Jan 12 1986
Large ARIA chart issued between Jan 19 1986 - August 10 1986
Portrait ARIA chart issued from August 17 1986

I have not seen a July 3 1983 Countdown chart, the first that I have got is from the following week July 10 1983.

You're correct Nathan, July 10 was the first Countdown/ARIA chart (I just googled it). I also watched your clip on YouTube again and it is a July 10 chart that Molly showed.

I don't know the exact date that it changed it's name from Countdown to ARIA as I don't have the May 6 1984 chart. It was known as the Countdown chart July 10 1983 until April 29 1984 and from May 13 1984 it was the ARIA chart.

Scott has informed me that in NSW the chart was known as ARIA in May and June 1983 prior to the Countdown chart appearing. It must have changed from the Kent Report at about that time I guess. The following is a link to a pdf file.

http://messui.the-chronicles.org/top50/aria-1.pdf

Thanks for that info & link. Very interesting, and also to see that it only has a top 40.

A top 50 Excel document someone sent me a few years ago begins from 4th April 1983; I wonder if that was the first printed (pre-Countdown) ARIA top 50 chart?

From 1992 (though I think there were also one or two in December 1991), the printed top 50 chart - at least in Victoria - had the Vic/Tas state top 50 singles & albums chart on the reverse. I assume a similar thing happened in other states (with their own state chart on the reverse), though I've never seen a non Vic/Tas one.

Just checked my charts (surprising how many 90's ones I have got) and the Top 50 Singles and Albums were on the opposite sides until Dec 8 1991. From Dec 15 1991 they put the Australian Top 50's on one side and the state Top 50's on the other.

The also reverted from the portrait to landscape version on Dec 15 1991.

Dec 15 1991 Victorian/Tasmanian chart:

^ Yes, but curiously they reverted to the previous format (singles & albums charts on separate sides; no full state charts) for the Dec 22, 1991 chart, and the 1991 end of year chart.

I've just completed my post on the chart from this week in 1990 when Vogue debuted - and that week's chart also saw the return of the state top 10s down the side of the chart for the first time since early 1986. I wonder if that was in response to popular demand for them.

Here's the link to that week's chart:

http://chartbeat.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/25-years-ago-this-week-april-29-1990.html

Hi Gavin

I have scans of all of the small format charts for 1986 if you still need them - I emailed you, but not sure if that email worked.

Cheers,

Also, just to reply to some queries above:

- May 13 1984 was the first chart with the ARIA masthead replacing the old Countdown masthead (the last chart with the Countdown masthead was May 06 1984 with Nik Kershaw on the back).
-Just to confirm, the small chart format started again in 1986 with the August 17 issue.
-The large poster formats were not available for customers, they record stores were sent 1-2 copies to post on their wall/counter. If you were lucky, they would save them for you when they took it down at the end of the week. These ran from Jan 19 issue to August 10 issue.
- The first printed Countdown chart was 10 July 1983 issue.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out with scans of charts from 1986 so far. Here are the dates I don't have at all - if anyone has scans of these, please let me know on here or at gavinscott75@gmail.com

FEB 2
FEB 9
APR 27
MAY 18
MAY 25
JUN 8
JUL 6
AUG 3

Thanks so much!

One last call-out to anyone who might have any of the large-format ARIA charts from between Jan 19 and Aug 10 1986. Please get in touch if you have any physical copies or hi res scans.

Thanks!

Gavin (gavinscott75@gmail.com)

Gavin, I've put word out in the music section of Whirlpool, basically doing a copy and paste of your "requested dates" request. hopefully somebody can still assist, but I know the mods at Whirlpool easily get their nickers in a knot and will delete threads for the most trivial reasons, so fingers crossed, hope this helps.

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2491172