A Show of Hands
Encyclopedia
A Show of Hands is a live album
by Canadian
rock
band Rush
, released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name
, originally on VHS
and laserdisc
in 1989. A DVD
version was released as part of a box set in 2006, and as an individual DVD in 2007.
The album was recorded in Birmingham
(UK), New Orleans
, Phoenix
, and San Diego
during the 1988 Hold Your Fire
tour as well as in the Meadowlands
(East Rutherford, NJ) during the 1986 Power Windows
tour. The opening track "Intro" features the Three Stooges
theme song "Three Blind Mice
" playing in the background; the band used this jingle to open many of their concerts during the 1980s.
, Geddy Lee
and Neil Peart
, except where noted.
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name
A Show of Hands (video)
A Show of Hands is a concert film released on videocassette, laserdisc, and DVD by the Canadian hard rock band Rush. It documents a live concert performance by the band on their 1988 Hold Your Fire Tour. In 1989, the band released an audio album of the same name on vinyl LP, audiocassette, and...
, originally on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
in 1989. A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
version was released as part of a box set in 2006, and as an individual DVD in 2007.
The album was recorded in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(UK), New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, and San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
during the 1988 Hold Your Fire
Hold Your Fire
Hold Your Fire is the 12th studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in the fall of 1987 . The album was recorded at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, Air Studios in Montserrat and at McClear Place in Toronto.Rush continued to explore new songwriting...
tour as well as in the Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
(East Rutherford, NJ) during the 1986 Power Windows
Power Windows (album)
Power Windows is the 11th studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1985. Power Windows was the first Rush album to be produced by Peter Collins and the album was recorded at The Manor in England, Air Studios in Montserrat and at Sarm East Studios in London.Power Windows introduced more...
tour. The opening track "Intro" features the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
theme song "Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753.-Lyrics:The modern words are:-Variations and uses:Amateur music composer Thomas Oliphant noted in 1843 that:...
" playing in the background; the band used this jingle to open many of their concerts during the 1980s.
Track listing
All songs written by Alex LifesonAlex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
, Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
and Neil Peart
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
, except where noted.
- "Intro" – 0:53
- "The Big MoneyThe Big Money"The Big Money" is a song by progressive rock group Rush from their album Power Windows. It charted at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on album-oriented rock charts, and has been featured on many "Best-Of" compilations, such as Retrospective II and The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits...
" – 5:59 - "SubdivisionsSubdivisions (song)"Subdivisions" is a Rush song released on the 1982 album Signals.The song has been a staple of the band's live performances, is played regularly on classic-rock radio and appears on several greatest-hits compilations. It was released as a single in 1982, and despite limited success in the UK...
" – 5:22 - "Marathon" – 6:39
- "Turn the Page" – 4:41
- "Manhattan ProjectManhattan Project (song)"Manhattan Project" is a 1985 song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush named for the WWII project that created the first atomic bomb. Lyricist Neil Peart read ten books about the Manhattan Project before writing the lyrics so that he had a proper understanding of what the project was really...
" – 5:18 - "Mission" – 5:46
- "Distant Early WarningDistant Early Warning (song)"Distant Early Warning" is a song by progressive rock band Rush from their 1984 album Grace Under Pressure. It is one of Rush's most well-known songs due to being featured on multiple compilation albums as well as many of their live albums....
" – 5:15 - "Mystic Rhythms" – 5:32
- "Witch Hunt (Pt. III of Fear)" – 4:00
- "The Rhythm Method" (Peart) – 4:37
- "Force Ten" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Pye DuboisPye DuboisPye Dubois is a Canadian lyricist and poet. He has worked with a number of bands, including Rush and Max Webster, with whom he was considered an unofficial fifth non-performing member. Dubois would accompany the band in the studio and wrote lyrics for each of their albums. Dubois was given lyric...
) – 4:55 - "Time Stand Still" – 5:13
- "Red Sector ARed Sector A"Red Sector A" is a song by Rush that provides a first-person account of a nameless protagonist living in an unspecified prison camp setting. "Red Sector A" first appeared on the band's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure....
" – 5:18 - "Closer to the HeartCloser to the Heart"Closer to the Heart" is a single by Rush, released in 1977, from the album A Farewell to Kings. It was the first Rush song to have an external co-writer, namely Peter Talbot, a friend of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Peter TalbotPeter TalbotPeter Talbot may refer to:*Peter Talbot , Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland*Peter Talbot , former Canadian Senator...
) – 4:54
Personnel
- Geddy LeeGeddy LeeGary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
– bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals - Alex LifesonAlex LifesonAleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
– electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers - Neil PeartNeil PeartNeil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
– drums, percussion
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)| 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) |
| Canada | CRIA Music Canada Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:... |
Platinum (80,000) |
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 IIRetrospective IIRetrospective II: 1981 to 1987 is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1997 . The album is essentially a collection of their best songs from the second decade of the band....
) 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.