This is a comprehensive listing of the discography of Celtic rock group Runrig. They released their debut album, Play Gaelic, in April 1978, followed by the albums The Highland Connection (1979), Recovery (1981) and Heartland (1985). The band achieved moderate breakthrough commercial success in 1987 upon the release of The Cutter and the Clan, which yielded the singles "Worker for the Wind" / "Alba" and "Protect and Survive", which peaked just outside the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart.[1] "News from Heaven" was released as the lead single from their sixth album Searchlight (1989), which peaked at number ninety on the UK Singles Chart. Searchlight reached a peak of number eleven on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified Silver in the United Kingdom and marked the beginning of a period of commercial success for the band across Europe.
| Runrig discography | |
|---|---|
 Runrig performing live in Stirling, 2018 | |
| Studio albums | 14 |
| EPs | 3 |
| Live albums | 8 |
| Compilation albums | 15 |
| Singles | 32 |
| Video albums | 10 |
| Box sets | 5 |
The early 1990s continued a period of success for the band, particularly in the British and German music markets. The Big Wheel (1991) and Amazing Things (1993) both reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, whilst Amazing Things gave the band their debut appearance on the German Albums Chart following a peak position of number forty-seven.[2] "Flower of the West" was released as the only single from The Big Wheel and peaked just outside the UK Top 40 Singles Chart, whilst "Wonderful" and "The Greatest Flame" which were the two singles to be released from Amazing Things gave the band their first appearance in the UK Top 40.
In 1996, Runrig released a cover version of "Rhythm of My Heart" by Rod Stewart which was included on their compilation album Long Distance. The single reached number twenty-four on the UK Singles Chart, and was followed by the release of a remixed version of "The Greatest Flame" which reached number thirty in the United Kingdom. Long Distance achieved considerable commercial success across Europe, reaching number thirteen in the United Kingdom, six in Denmark, sixty in Germany and number one in their native Scotland, whilst achieving both Gold certifications in the United Kingdom and Denmark.[3][4] Their tenth studio album, In Search of Angels (1999), marked their final appearance in the UK Top 40 Albums Chart, peaking at number twenty-nine, until their fourteenth and final studio album, The Story (2016) peaked at number twenty-six. In 2007, a remixed version of "Loch Lomond" featuring the Tartan Army, entitled "Loch Lomond (Hampden Remix)" gave the band their only appearance in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine and achieving a Silver certification in the United Kingdom.[5]
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] |
UK Indie [7][6] |
DEN [8] |
GER [9] |
SCO [6] |
SWI [10] | |||
| Play Gaelic | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| The Highland Connection |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Recovery |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Heartland |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Cutter and the Clan |
|
45 [A] |
7 | — | — | 12 [B] |
— | |
| Searchlight |
|
11 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| The Big Wheel |
|
4 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| Amazing Things |
|
2 | — | — | 47 | — | — |
|
| Mara |
|
24 | — | — | 81 | 3 | — |
|
| In Search of Angels | 29 | — | — | 26 | 6 | — | ||
| The Stamping Ground |
|
64 | — | 33 | 20 | 15 | — | |
| Proterra (with Paul Mounsey) |
|
84 | — | 16 | 10 | 12 | — | |
| Everything You See |
|
61 | — | 1 | 15 | 10 | — | |
| The Story |
|
26 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 51 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6][17] |
UK Indie [6] |
DEN [8] |
GER [9] |
SCO [6] |
SWI [10] | |||
| Once in a Lifetime |
|
61 | — | — | — | 59[C] | — |
|
| Transmitting Live |
|
41 | — | — | 67 | 4 | — | |
| Live at Celtic Connections 2000 |
|
168 | — | — | 48 | 43 | — | |
| Day of Days |
|
200 | 23 | 13 | 25 | 40 | — |
|
| Year of the Flood |
|
— | — | 4 | 28 | — | — |
|
| Party on the Moor |
|
51 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | |
| The Last Dance – Farewell Concert |
|
27 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | |
| One Legend – Two Concerts Live at Rockpalast 1996 & 2001 |
|
— | 12 | — | — | 11 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
Compilation albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] |
UK Indie [6] |
DEN [8] |
GER [9] |
SCO [6] | |||
| Alba. The Best of Runrig |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| The Best of Runrig – Long Distance |
|
13 | — | 6 | 60 | 1 | |
| Beat the Drum |
|
— | — | — | — | 93 | |
| The Gaelic Collection (1973–1998) |
|
71 | — | — | — | 26 | |
| The Runrig Collection |
|
— | — | — | — | 87 | |
| Scotland's Pride – Runrig's Best |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| BBC – The Archive Series |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Celtic Glory |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Scotland's Glory – Runrig's Ballads |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 30 Year Journey – The Best |
|
— | — | 1 | 38 | 67 |
|
| The Essential |
|
— | — | — | — | 47 | |
| The Collection |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| All the Best |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Best of Rarities |
|
— | — | — | — | 67 | |
| The Ones That Got Away |
|
— | 12 | — | — | 7 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||
Box sets
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Indie [6] |
DEN [8] |
GER [9] |
SCO [6] | |||
| 50 Great Songs |
|
38 | 2 | 43 | 22 |
|
| Stepping Down the Glory Road (The Chrysalis Years 1988–1996) |
|
— | — | — | 72 | |
| Original Album Series |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Rarities |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Original Album Classics |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
EPs
edit| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [6] | ||
| Capture the Heart |
|
49 |
| Hearthammer |
|
25 |
| Flower of the West |
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCO [19] |
UK [6] |
GER [9] | ||||
| "Loch Lomond" | 1982 | — | 86 | — | Non-album Single | |
| "Dance Called America" | 1984 | — | — | — | Heartland | |
| "Skye" | — | 108[20] | — | |||
| "The Work Song" | 1986 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Worker for the Wind" / "Alba" | 1987 | — | — | — | The Cutter and the Clan | |
| "Protect and Survive" | 1988 | — | 110[21] | — | ||
| "News from Heaven" | 1989 | — | 90 | — | Searchlight | |
| "Every River" | — | 129[22] | — | |||
| "Flower of the West" | 1991 | — | 43 | — | The Big Wheel | |
| "Wonderful" | 1993 | — | 29 | 87 | Amazing Things | |
| "The Greatest Flame" | — | 36 | — | |||
| "Song of the Earth" | — | — | — | |||
| "This Time of Year" | 1994 | 13 | 38 | — | Non-album singles | |
| "An Ubhal as Àirde (The Highest Apple)" | 1995 | 3 | 18 | — | ||
| "Things That Are" | 9 | 40 | — | Mara | ||
| "Rhythm of My Heart" | 1996 | 10 | 24 | — | The Best of Runrig – Long Distance | |
| "The Greatest Flame" (remix) | 5 | 30 | — | |||
| "The Message" | 1999 | — | — | — | In Search of Angels | |
| "Maymorning" | 47 | 90 | — | |||
| "Big Sky" | — | — | — | |||
| "This Is Not a Love Song" | — | — | — | |||
| "Book of Golden Stories" | 2001 | — | 191[17] | — | The Stamping Ground | |
| "Wall of China" | — | — | — | |||
| "Empty Glens" | 2003 | — | — | 93 | Proterra | |
| "Clash of the Ash" | 2007 | — | 110[17] | — | Everything You See | |
| "Loch Lomond" (Hampden remix; with the Tartan Army) | 1 | 9 | — |
|
Non-album single | |
| "Year of the Flood" | 2008 | — | — | — | Year of the Flood | |
| "Road Trip" | — | — | — | |||
| "And We'll Sing" | 2013 | — | — | — | Party on the Moor | |
| "The Story" | 2015 | — | — | — | The Story | |
| "The Years We Shared" | 2016 | — | — | — | ||
| "Somewhere" (featuring Julie Fowlis) | 2018 | — | — | — | The Ones That Got Away | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Videos
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6][23][24] |
SWI [25] | ||
| City of Lights |
|
7 | — |
| Wheel in Motion |
|
1 | — |
| Live at Stirling Castle – Donnie Munro's Farewell |
|
6 | — |
| Live in Bonn |
|
28 | — |
| Days of Days |
|
7 | — |
| Air an Oir |
|
— | — |
| Year of the Flood |
|
1 | — |
| Party on the Moor |
|
— | 5 |
| The Last Dance – Farewell Concert |
|
1 | 2 |
| There Must Be a Place |
|
2 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||
Fan club releases
editA series of Access All Areas releases of live and other archive material were available via the band's official fan club - these include both CD and DVD releases.
| Year | Title | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Access All Areas Volume 1 | CD | |
| 2002 | Access All Areas Volume 2 | CD | |
| 2002 | Access All Areas Volume 3 | CD | |
| 2003 | Access All Areas Volume 4 | CD | |
| 2004 | Access All Areas Volume 5 | CD | |
| 2004 | Access All Areas Volume 6 | DVD | Promo video collection and live tracks |
| 2005 | Access All Areas Volume 7 | CD | |
| 2006 | Access All Areas Volume 8 | DVD | "Mod for Rockers" - 1987 TV broadcast |
| 2006 | Access All Areas Volume 9 | CD | |
| 2008 | Access All Areas Volume 10 | CD | |
| 2011 | Access All Areas Volume 11 | CD | |
| 2012 | Access All Areas Volume 12 | DVD | Miscellaneous live tracks |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "UK Singles Charts 1988". ukmix.org. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Home | IFPI". www.ifpi.dk. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "BRIT Certified". BPI. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "BRIT Certified". BPI. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "RUNRIG". Official Charts. 8 January 1983. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "Indie Hits "R"". 5 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d * For all albums except The Best of Runrig: Long Distance: "Runrig discography". danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- For The Best of Runrig: Long Distance: "Listen - Danmarks Officielle Hitliste - Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark - Uge 4". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. 26 January 1997.
- ^ a b c d e "Discographie von Runrig". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Runrig - hitparade.ch". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "Another cut from Runrig". Ayrshire Post. 20 November 1987. p. 80.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "British certifications – Runrig". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 April 2022. Type Runrig in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Runrig Rocks - In Search of Angels". runrig.rocks. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "The Stamping Ground". runrig.rocks. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Proterra". runrig.rocks. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Guld og platin i juni og juli" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Official Zobbel Homepage". zobbel.de. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Runrig return". Ayrshire Post. 4 November 1988. p. 74.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart | Official Charts". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "UK Singles Charts: 1984 (including chart panel sales)". UKMIX. 15 December 1984. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "UK Singles Charts: 1988 (including chart panel sales)". UKMIX. 10 September 1988. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "UK Singles Charts: 1989 (including chart panel sales)". UKMIX. 25 November 1989. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Top 15 Music Video" (PDF). Music Week. 1 December 1990. p. vi. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Top 15 Music Video" (PDF). Music Week. 12 September 1992. p. 15. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.