Looking @ Aussie Tamla Motown 45 releases, I came across this info on 45 cat ...

. . . .   EDWIN STARR -- WAR / HE WHO PICKS A ROSE  45   Tamla Motown #TMO-9174

Australian (Kent) Music Report (Top 100): Entry date 5 Oct 1970, Peak 37, Weeks 17.
Adelaide Charts: Did not chart.
Brisbane Charts: Did not chart.
Hobart Charts: Did not chart.
Melbourne Charts: Entry date 3 Oct 1970, Peak 9, Weeks 16.
Perth Charts: Did not chart.
Sydney Charts: Did not chart.

So Edwin's biggie made the national Aussie chart & the chart in Melbourne, but not the singles charts in 5 of the other biggest cities in the country.

Anyone know how the Aussie singles chart worked ?              . . . . Was it compiled purely from record sales ?

Seems strange this 45 failed to chart in 5 of the 6 big cities there but still made the national chart.

Edited August 11, 2024Aug 11 by Roburt

Done more digging & this came up on 45cat ... 

Local (Aussie) charts were supposedly based on local sales but in practice were published by the radio stations themselves and of course reflected their own playlists.

So it seems Edwin's "WAR" was not played on radio stations in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth & Sydney BUT it was played on the radio in Melbourne.

Australia sent lots of troops to fight in Viet Nam, so I guess the commercial radio stns there would think it unpatriotic to play an anti-Vietnam war song.

But his 45 did chart nationally, so copies of it were obviously selling ... even in cities where the radio stns wouldn't play it.