A few Notes: I’ve provided the greatest level of detail for the studio albums, then less for live albums (most notable, no song timings). Note that this is a U.S. discography, with U.S. chart placements, U.S. certifications and, when we get to singles, official U.S. singles only.
Side 1 and Side 2 designations are provided for everything here, Presto being the last Rush album before the pronounced shift from LP to CD around 1990. Where possible, I’ve endeavored to reduce repetition (i.e., for live albums that were issued both in audio and video format). Catalogue numbers are the originals, as are the issues or editions.
Summing up, the idea was to limit this to the core, relevant discography (and, yes, videography). Also, I’ve skipped chart placement for videos. I figure the only chart measure that carries enough significance to mention is the actual Billboard 200, for albums. One other thing — and I’m sure there are a few more of these gremlins — originally and then occasionally, it’s “Freewill” and other times it’s “Free Will.”
(Mercury SRM-1-4001, January 1, 1980)
Peak U.S. chart position: #4
U.S. RIAA certification: Platinum
Produced by: Rush and Terry Brown
Side 1: 1. The Spirit of Radio 4:54; 2. Freewill 5:23; 3. Jacob’s Ladder 7:50
Side 2: 1. Entre Nous 4:37; 2. Different Strings 3:50; 3. Natural Science — I. Tide Pools; II. Hyperspace; III. Permanent Waves 9:27
(Mercury SRM-1-4013, February 12, 1981)
Peak U.S. chart position: #3
U.S. RIAA certification: 4 x Platinum
Produced by: Rush and Terry Brown
Side 1: 1. Tom Sawyer 4:33; 2. Red Barchetta 6:07; 3. YYZ 4:23
Side 2: 1. Limelight 4:18; 2. The Camera Eye 10:55; 3. Witch Hunt – Part III of ‘Fear’ 4:43; 4. Vital Signs 4:45
Notes: First Rush album issued on CD.
(Mercury SRM-1-4063, September 9, 1982)
Peak U.S. chart position: #10
U.S. RIAA certification: Platinum
Produced by: Rush and Terry Brown
Side 1: 1. Subdivisions 5:33; 2. The Analog Kid 4:46; 3. Chemistry 4:56; 4. Digital Man 6:20
Side 2: 1. The Weapon 6:22; 2. New World Man 3:41; 3. Losing It 4:51; 4. Countdown 5:49
Notes: Last Rush album issued on eight-track tape. Second Rush album issued on CD.
(Mercury 818 476-1, April 12, 1984)
Peak U.S. chart position: #10
U.S. RIAA certification: Platinum
Produced by: Rush and Peter Henderson
Side 1: 1. Distant Early Warning 4:59; 2. Afterimage 5:04; 3. Red Sector A 5:10; 4. The Enemy Within (Part one of Fear) 4:34
Side 2: 1. The Body Electric 5:00; 2. Kid Gloves 4:18; 3. Red Lenses 4:42; 4. Between the Wheels 5:44
(Mercury 826 098-1, October 29, 1985)
Peak U.S. chart position: #10
U.S. RIAA certification: Platinum
Produced by: Peter Collins and Rush
Side 1: 1. The Big Money 5:36; 2. Grand Designs 5:05; 3. Manhattan Project 5:05; 4. Marathon 6:09
Side 2: 1. Territories 6:19; 2. Middletown Dreams 5:17; 3. Emotion Detector 5:10; 4. Mystic Rhythms 6:08
Notes: First Rush album to be issued on CD as a new release.
(Mercury 832 464-1, September 8, 1987)
Peak U.S. chart position: #13
U.S. RIAA certification: Gold
Produced by: Peter Collins and Rush
Side 1: 1. Force Ten 4:28; 2. Time Stand Still 5:07; 3. Open Secrets 5:37; 4. Second Nature 4:35; 5. Prime Mover 5:19
Side 2: 1. Lock and Key 5:08; 2. Mission 5:15; 3. Turn the Page 4:53; 4. Tai Shan 4:14; 5. High Water 5:32
(Atlantic 82040-1, November 21, 1989)
Peak U.S. chart position: #16
U.S. RIAA certification: Gold
Produced by: Rupert Hine and Rush
Side 1: 1. Show Don’t Tell 5:01; 2. Chain Lightning 4:33; 3. The Pass 4:51; 4. War Paint 5:24; 5. Scars 4:07; 6. Presto 5:45
Side 2: 1. Superconductor 4:47; 2. Anagram (for Mongo) 4:00; 3. Red Tide 4:29; 4. Hand Over Fist 4:11; 5. Available Light 5:03
Notes: First album under Rush’s new U.S. deal with Atlantic, all previous albums being with Mercury. Also last album of the vinyl era. Only Rush album issued on vinyl in Uruguay. Original CD issue was in longbox format.
(Mercury SRM-2-7001, October 29, 1981)
Peak U.S. chart position: #10
U.S. RIAA certification: Platinum
Side 1: 1. The Spirit of Radio 2. Red Barchetta 3. YYZ
Side 2: 1. A Passage to Bangkok 2. Closer to the Heart 3. Beneath, Between & Behind 4. Jacob’s Ladder
Side 3: 1. Broon’s Bane 2. The Trees 3. Xanadu
Side 4: 1. Free Will 2. Tom Sawyer 3. La Villa Strangiato
Notes: “A Passage to Bangkok” was omitted from the original CD issue, but re-added when CD capacity was raised to eighty minutes.
(Mercury 836 346-1, January 10, 1989)
Peak U.S. chart position: #21
U.S. RIAA certification: Gold
Side 1: 1. The Big Money 2. Subdivisions 3. Marathon
Side 2: 1. Turn the Page 2. Manhattan Project 3. Mission
Side 3: 1. Distant Early Warning 2. Mystic Rhythms 3. Witch Hunt – Part III of ‘Fear’
Side 4: 1. Force Ten 2. Time Stand Still 3. Red Sector A 4. Closer to the Heart
Notes: Only Rush album issued on vinyl in Yugoslavia.
Singles is perhaps the department where it most bears reminding that this is a U.S. discography. The singles story for Rush is pretty dull, given the complete lack of non-LP (studio) tracks from the lads. A further note: I’ve included all commercial U.S. releases but only select promos, as some of the promos are slight variations of each other, or slight variations on the official release (beginning with same catalogue number). PS denotes picture sleeve.
The Spirit of Radio / The Spirit of Radio (76044) promo
The Spirit of Radio / Circumstances (76044)
Entre Nous / Entre Nous (76060) promo
Entre Nous / Different Strings (76060)
Limelight / Limelight (76095 DJ) promo
Limelight / YYZ (76095)
Tom Sawyer / Tom Sawyer (76109) promo
Tom Sawyer / Witch Hunt (76109) PS
Closer to the Heart (live) / Closer to the Heart (76124 DJ) promo
Closer to the Heart (live) / Freewill (76124)
New World Man / New World Man (76179 DJ) promo; brown vinyl, PS
New World Man / New World Man (76179 DJ) promo; PS
New World Man / Vital Signs (live) (76179) PS
Subdivisions / Subdivisions (76196) promo
Subdivisions / Countdown (76196)
Red Sector A / Red Sector A (PRO 319 7) promo; red vinyl
The Body Electric / The Body Electric (880 050 7 DJ) promo
The Body Electric / Between the Wheels (880 050 7)
The Big Money / The Big Money (PRO 383 7 DJ) promo
The Big Money / Red Sector A (live) (884 191 7) PS
Mystic Rhythms / Emotion Detector (884 520 7)
Time Stand Still / Time Stand Still (888 891 7 DJ) promo
Time Stand Still / High Water (888 891 7) PS
The Spirit of Radio / The Trees / Working Man (MK-125)
Entre Nous (edit) (MK-137) PS
Rush N’ Roulette (MK-185) PS
A Passage to Bangkok / Freewill (MK-188) PS
New World Man / Vital Signs (live) (MK-216); clear vinyl
Distant Early Warning / Between the Wheels (PRO 276-1)
The Body Electric (PRO 290-1)
Red Sector A (edit) / The Enemy Within (PRO 320-1); red vinyl
The Big Money (PRO 382-1)
Mystic Rhythms (PRO 400-1)
Force Ten (PRO 532-1)
Marathon (live) (PRO 689-1)
The Pass / Presto (4-87986)
Time Stand Still / Time Stand Still (edit) (CDP 05)
Show Don’t Tell (PR 3082 2)
Show Don’t Tell (edit) / Show Don’t Tell (PR 3125 2)
The Pass (edit) / The Pass (PR 316 2)
The Pass (PR 3175 2)
Profiled! (PRCD 3200-2); fifty-five-minute interview
Superconductor (PRCD 3331)
(Polygram PMV 60285, 1981)
U.S. RIAA certification: Gold
1. Limelight 2. Tom Sawyer 3. The Trees 4. Xanadu 5. Red Barchetta 6. Freewill 7. Closer to the Heart 8. YYZ 9. Medley: By-Tor & the Snow Dog, In the End, In the Mood, 2112
Notes: Originally issued on Beta, VHS and LaserDisc by RCA/Columbia Home Videos. In 2006, the set was issued in DVD form as part of Replay X 3, followed by a stand-alone release in 2007. Recorded March 27, 1981, in Montreal. Almost entirely different performances from the Exit . . . Stage Left live album.
(Polygram PMV 60466, 1985)
U.S. RIAA certification: n/a
1. Distant Early Warning 2. Vital Signs 3. The Body Electric 4. Afterimage 5. Subdivisions 6. Tom Sawyer (live) 7. The Enemy Within 8. Countdown
Notes: This forty-four-minute video collection was originally issued on VHS and LaserDisc (PMV PA-85-112) by RCA/Columbia Home Videos. In 2006, the set was issued in DVD form as part of Replay X 3, followed by a stand-alone release in 2007.
(Polygram PMV 60607, 1986)
U.S. RIAA certification: n/a
1. The Spirit of Radio 2. The Enemy Within 3. The Weapon 4. Witch Hunt 5. New World Man 6. Distant Early Warning 7. Red Sector A 8. Closer to the Heart 9. YYZ 10. The Temples of Syrinx 11. Tom Sawyer 12. Vital Signs 13. Finding My Way 14. In the Mood 15. Bonus: The Big Money (production video)
Notes: This sixty-nine-minute video is culled from a concert at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, September 21, 1984. It was originally issued on VHS and LaserDisc (CDV 080 103-1) by RCA/Columbia Home Videos. In 2006, the set was issued in DVD form as part of Replay X 3, followed by a stand-alone release in 2007. An audio version was also included in the Replay X 3 package and then issued as a stand-alone CD in 2009.
(Polygram PMV 041 760-3, 1989)
U.S. RIAA certification: Platinum
1. The Big Money 2. Marathon 3. Turn the Page 4. Prime Mover 5. Manhattan Project 6. Closer to the Heart 7. Red Sector A 8. Force Ten 9. Mission 10. Territories 11. The Rhythm Method 12. The Spirit of Radio 13. Tom Sawyer 14. 2112 / La Villa Strangiato / In the Mood
Notes: This ninety-minute video is culled from a concert at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, U.K. It was originally issued on VHS and LaserDisc (PMV 082 575-1) by Polygram. In 2006, the set was issued in DVD form as part of Replay X 3, followed by a stand-alone release in 2007.