The Boomtown Rats discography

The discography of Irish new wave group The Boomtown Rats consists of six studio albums, five compilation albums, 20 singles and three video albums. The Boomtown Rats' debut release was the 1977 single "Lookin' After No. 1" which was originally written by singer and leader Bob Geldof in 1975 while waiting for his local unemployment office to open in his native Dun Laoghaire then a major port an hour south of central Dublin. The group's next single "Mary of the 4th Form" was released in the same year, along with their self-titled debut album.

The Boomtown Rats discography
Studio albums	7
Live albums	4
Compilation albums	7
Video albums	3
EPs	1
Singles	21

Albums

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions										Certifications
		AUS [1]	AUT [2]	CAN [3]	GER [4]	NED [5]	NZ [6]	NOR [7]	SWE [8]	UK [9]	US [10]
The Boomtown Rats	Released: 17 September 1977 Label: Ensign	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	18	—	UK: Silver[11]
A Tonic for the Troops	Released: 8 July 1978 Label: Ensign	95	—	—	—	—	25	—	—	8	112	UK: Platinum[11]
The Fine Art of Surfacing	Released: 3 November 1979 Label: Ensign	11	—	6	35	33	10	7	10	7	73	CAN: Platinum[12] UK: Gold[11]
Mondo Bongo	Released: 24 January 1981 Label: Mercury	24	19	22	16	—	50	17	5	6	116	UK: Gold[11]
V Deep	Released: 3 April 1982 Label: Mercury	—	—	37	—	—	—	27	—	64	103
In the Long Grass	Released: May 1984 Label: Mercury	—	—	80	—	—	—	—	—	—	188
Citizens of Boomtown	Released: 13 March 2020 Label: BMG	—	73	—	41	—	—	—	—	48	—
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Live albums

Title	Album details
Live in the UK 2013, Dublin	Released: 2013 Label: Concert Live
Live in the UK 2013, London	Released: 2013 Label: Concert Live
Rewind Festival - Aug 17 2014	Released: 2014 Label: Concert Live
Live Germany 78	Released: 2016 Label: Let Them Eat Vinyl

Compilation albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions			Certifications
		IRE [13]	SCO [14]	UK [9]
Ratrospective	Released: 1983 Label: Columbia	—	—	—
The Boomtown Rats' Greatest Hits	Released: 1987 Label: Columbia	—	—	—
Loudmouth	Released: 1994 Label: Vertigo	—	33	10
The Best of The Boomtown Rats	Released: 2003 Label: Universal	75	41	43	UK: Silver[11]
20th Century Masters: The Best of The Boomtown Rats - Millennium Collection	Released: 2005 Label: Mercury	—	—	—
Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits	Released: 9 September 2013 Label: Virgin EMI	35	—	—
So Modern – The Boomtown Rats Collection	Released: 2014 Label: Spectrum Audio	—	—	—
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

EPs

Title	Album details
Ratlife 1. "The Boomtown Rats" (5:14) 2. "Back to Boomtown (The Remix)" (4:05) 3. "Ratlife" (4:49) 4. "Ratified" (4:12)	Released: 21 October 2013 [15] Label: Mercury

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		IRE [16]	AUS [17]	CAN [18]	GER [19]	NED [20]	NZ [21]	NOR [22]	SWE [23]	UK [9]	US [24]
1977	"Lookin' After No. 1"	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	11	—		The Boomtown Rats
	"Mary of the 4th Form"	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	15	—
1978	"She's So Modern"	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	12	—		A Tonic for the Troops
	"Like Clockwork"	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	6	—	UK: Silver[11]
	"Rat Trap"	2	94	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	UK: Gold[11]
1979	"I Don't Like Mondays"	1	1	4	6	2	3	3	2	1	73	CAN: Gold[12] UK: Gold[11]	The Fine Art of Surfacing
	"Diamond Smiles"	3	42	—	—	42	—	—	—	13	—
	"Someone's Looking at You"	2	—	86	—	48	—	6	—	4	—
1980	"Banana Republic"	3	18	47	3	35	—	3	7	3	—	UK: Silver[11]	Mondo Bongo
1981	"The Elephants Graveyard (Guilty)"	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	26	—
	"Up All Night"	—	—	—	38	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Go Man Go"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Never in a Million Years"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	62	—		V Deep
1982	"House on Fire"	19	—	—	67	—	—	—	—	24	—
	"Charmed Lives"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1984	"Tonight"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	73	—		In the Long Grass
	"Drag Me Down"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	50	—
	"Dave"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	81	—
1985	"A Hold of Me"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	78	—
1994	"I Don't Like Mondays" (re-issue)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	38	—		Loudmouth
2020	"Trash Glam Baby"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Citizens of Boomtown
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Videography

Video albums

Title	Album details
The Boomtown Rats on Film 1976–1986: Someone's Looking At You	Released: 7 February 2005 Label: Mercury Formats: DVD
Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1978	Released: 8 March 2005 Label: Eagle Vision Format: DVD
On a Night Like This	Released: 15 September 2008 Label: Cherry Red Formats: DVD
Live in Germany '78 (DVD/CD)	Released: 8 June 2015 Label: Gonzo Formats: DVD/CD

Music videos

Title	Year	Director(s)
"Rat Trap"	1978	David Mallet[25][26]
"I Don't Like Mondays"	1979
"Diamond Smiles"

References

1. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 42. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
2. "Austrian Albums". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
3. Canadian Albums:
   • "The Fine Art of Surfacing" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
   • "Mondo Bongo" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
   • "V Deep" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
   • "In the Long Grass" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
4. "Discographie von The Boomtown Rats". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
5. "Dutch Albums". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
6. "New Zealand Albums". charts.nz. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
7. "Norwegian Albums". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
8. "Swedish Albums". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
9. "UK chart peaks". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
10. "US Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
11. "BPI Certification". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
12. "Canadian Certification". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
13. "Irish Albums". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
14. Scottish Albums:
    • "Loudmouth". OCC. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    • "The Best of The Boomtown Rats". OCC. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
15. "Ratlife - EP by The Boomtown Rats on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
16. "Irish Singles". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
17. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
18. Canadian singles:
    • "I Don't Like Mondays" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    • "Someone's Looking at You" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    • "Banana Republic" (PDF). RPM. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
19. German singles:
    • "I Don't Like Mondays" (in German). Gfk. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    • "Banana Republic" (in German). Gfk. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    • "Up All Night" (in German). Gfk. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
    • "House on Fire" (in German). Gfk. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
20. "Dutch Singles". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
21. "New Zealand Singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
22. "Norwegian Singles". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
23. "Swedish Singles". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
24. "US Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
25. "Video Killed the Radio Star". Throng Ltd. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
26. "Boomtown Rats: Diamond Smile (1979)". Davidmallet.com. Retrieved 9 August 2013.

External links

• The Boomtown Rats at AllMusic
• The Boomtown Rats discography at Discogs