Artist · chart history
Machinations
Band Sydney Australia Active 1979–1989
Machinations formed in 1979 in Sydney, Australia and was active until 1989. Machinations has 2 chart appearances on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations on RockLists, spanning 1983–1989. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Average Inadequacy”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #25. The station that charted Machinations most often is Triple J (Australia (national)), with 1 appearance. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1983.
Machinations were Sydney's answer to the synth-pop wave, a band that paired cool electronics with a funky, danceable pulse and a streak of wry self-awareness. Tim Doyle, Fred Loneragan and Tony Starr were among the crew, and Phantom Records was their label.
In 1983 the band had two records on the go: Paths of Pain to Jewels of Glory, featuring the sardonically titled "Average Inadequacy", and Esteem, home to "Pressure Sway", which became one of their top 30 hits on the Kent Music Report singles chart. "No Say in It", "My Heart's on Fire" and "Do to You" all got there too, and the 1985 album Big Music carried them into the top 20 on the albums chart.
By 1989 it was over, though not for good: they came back briefly in 1997 and reformed in 2012.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Machinations on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Average Inadequacy | 1 | #25 | – | – | |
| 2 | Pressure Sway | 1 | #101 | – | 1983 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 25 | Average Inadequacy | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989) |
| 1983 | 101 | Pressure Sway | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about Machinations.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.