The Boomtown Rats discography

The discography of Irish new wave group The Boomtown Rats consists of seven studio albums, seven compilation albums, 23 singles and three video albums. The Boomtown Rats' debut release was the 1977 single "Lookin' After No. 1" which was originally written by frontman 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
EPs	1
Live albums	4
Compilation albums	7
Singles	23
Video albums	3

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: September 1977 Label: Ensign	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	18	—	UK: Silver[11]
A Tonic for the Troops	Released: June 1978 Label: Ensign	95	—	—	—	—	25	—	—	8	112	UK: Platinum[11]
The Fine Art of Surfacing	Released: October 1979 Label: Ensign	11	—	6	35	33	10	7	10	7	73	CAN: Platinum[12] UK: Gold[11]
Mondo Bongo	Released: January 1981 Label: Mercury	24	19	22	16	—	50	17	5	6	116	UK: Gold[11]
V Deep	Released: March 1982 Label: Mercury	—	—	37	—	—	—	27	—	64	103
In the Long Grass	Released: May 1984 Label: Mercury	—	—	80	—	—	—	—	—	—	188
Citizens of Boomtown	Released: 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: 27 June 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	—	—	—
Dawn of the Rats: B-Sides, Demos and Live 1975-1979	Released: 12 April 2025 Label: Universal	—	—	—
"—" 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	—
1980	"Someone's Looking at You"	2	—	86	—	48	—	6	—	4	—
	"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"[25]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Citizens of Boomtown
	"There's No Tomorrow Like Today"[26]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Here's a Postcard (Hot Mix)"[27]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" 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[28][29]
"I Don't Like Mondays"	1979
"Diamond Smiles"
"Up All Night"[30]	1981	Un­known
"Never in a Million Years"	1982	David Mallet
"Drag Me Down"	1984	Nigel Dick[31]
"Dave"
"Tonight"		Mike Brady