A Show of Hands
| A Show of Hands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by Rush | ||||
| Released |
9 January 1989 3 June 1997 (Remastered CD) | |||
| Recorded | 1986, 1988 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 74:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Rush | |||
| Rush chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Kerrang! | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
A Show of Hands is a live album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name, originally on VHS and LaserDisc, the same year. A DVD version was released as part of a box set in 2006, and as an individual DVD in 2007.
Recording
The majority of the performances on this album were from the 1988 Hold Your Fire tour, recorded in the American cities of New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Diego, and the British city of Birmingham. "Mystic Rhythms" and "Witch Hunt" were recorded in East Rutherford, New Jersey, during the 1986 Power Windows tour.[4] The opening track "Intro" features The Three Stooges theme playing in the background; the band used this music to open many of their concerts during the 1980s.
Unlike All the World's a Stage and Exit...Stage Left, this album does not have any songs that had to be omitted for single CD release. The first two were released prior to the introduction of compact discs and were double album sets, whilst this album was initially released on CD so time restrictions were already taken into account. ("Mystic Rhythms" was chosen for inclusion on Chronicles randomly.)
Video release
The video was filmed at the first of two Birmingham (UK) shows which took place on 23–24 April 1988 at the city's NEC arena - one of the sources of the live album. The song order and selection of the video are different from the live album.
Track listing
All songs written by Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 0:53 |
| 2. | "The Big Money" | 5:59 |
| 3. | "Subdivisions" | 5:22 |
| 4. | "Marathon" | 6:39 |
| 5. | "Turn the Page" | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Manhattan Project" | 5:18 |
| 7. | "Mission" | 5:46 |
| 8. | "Distant Early Warning" | 5:15 |
| 9. | "Mystic Rhythms" | 5:32 |
| 10. | "Witch Hunt" (Pt. III of "Fear") | 4:00 |
| 11. | "The Rhythm Method" (Peart) | 4:37 |
| 12. | "Force Ten" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Pye Dubois) | 4:55 |
| 13. | "Time Stand Still" | 5:13 |
| 14. | "Red Sector A" | 5:18 |
| 15. | "Closer to the Heart" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Peter Talbot) | 4:54 |
Personnel
- Geddy Lee – bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers
- Neil Peart – drums, percussion
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)[5]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Billboard 200 | 21 |
Singles
- "Closer to the Heart / Witch Hunt" (7")
- "Mission" (12" promo)
- "Marathon" (12"/CD promo)
Sales certifications
| Country | Organization | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | RIAA | Gold (500,000)[6] |
| Canada | CRIA | Platinum (100,000)[7] |
Remaster details
A remaster was issued in 1997.
- The tray has a picture of three fingerprints: light blue, pink and lime green (left to right, mirroring the cover art of Retrospective II) with "The Rush Remasters" printed in all capital letters just to the left. All remasters from Moving Pictures to A Show of Hands are like this.
- Includes all of the artwork that came with the original album.
A Show Of Hands was remastered again in 2011 by Andy VanDette for the "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums. A Show Of Hands is included in the Sector 3 set.[8]
References
- ↑ Prato, Greg. "A Show of Hands - Rush". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ Hotten, Jon (14 Jan 1989). "Rush: 'A Show of Hands'". Kerrang!. 221. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 21.
- ↑ Azerrad, Michael (20 April 1989). "A Show of Hands". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19880900backstageclub.htm
- ↑ "A Show of Hands Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
- ↑ "RIAA Database Search for Rush". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
- ↑ "Gold Platinum Database - Title: A Show of Hands". Music Canada. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
- ↑ http://www.themasterdiskrecord.com/2011/11/andy-vandette-on-remastering-14-rush-albums
