A Show of Hands

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.

For the Victor Wooten album, see A Show of Hands (Victor Wooten album).

A Show of Hands
Live album by Rush
Released	9 January 1989 (1989-01-09)
Recorded	1986, 1988
Genre	Progressive rock, hard rock
Length	74:22
Label	Anthem
Producer	Rush
Rush chronology
Hold Your Fire (1987) A Show of Hands (1989) Presto (1989)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Kerrang!	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

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.

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.

Singles

• "Closer to the Heart" / "Witch Hunt" (7")
• "Mission" (12" promo)
• "Marathon" (12"/CD promo)

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" (Birmingham, UK)	5:59
3.	"Subdivisions" (Birmingham, UK)	5:22
4.	"Marathon" (Birmingham, UK)	6:39
5.	"Turn the Page" (New Orleans, LA)	4:41
6.	"Manhattan Project" (Phoenix, AZ)	5:18
7.	"Mission" (San Diego, CA)	5:46
8.	"Distant Early Warning" (Birmingham, UK)	5:15
9.	"Mystic Rhythms" (Meadowlands, NJ)	5:32
10.	"Witch Hunt" (Part III of Fear) (Meadowlands, NJ)	4:00
11.	"The Rhythm Method" (Drum Solo) (Peart) (Birmingham, UK)	4:37
12.	"Force Ten" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Pye Dubois) (Phoenix, AZ)	4:55
13.	"Time Stand Still" (Birmingham, UK)	5:13
14.	"Red Sector A" (Birmingham, UK)	5:18
15.	"Closer to the Heart" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Peter Talbot) (Birmingham, UK)	4:54

Personnel

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals
• Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers
• Neil Peart – drums, percussion

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5]	38
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6]	35
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[7]	28
UK Albums (OCC)[8]	12
US Billboard 200[9]	21

Certifications

Country	Organization	Sales
Canada	CRIA	Platinum (100,000)[10]
United States	RIAA	Gold (500,000)[11]

Remaster details

A Show of Hands was remastered 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.[12]

References

1. Prato, Greg. "A Show of Hands - Rush". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
2. Hotten, Jon (14 January 1989). "Rush: 'A Show of Hands'". Kerrang!. 221. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 21.
3. Azerrad, Michael (20 April 1989). "A Show of Hands". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
4. http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19880900backstageclub.htm
5. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rush – A Show of Hands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Rush – A Show of Hands" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
7. "Swedishcharts.com – Rush – A Show of Hands". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
8. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
9. "Rush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
10. "Gold Platinum Database - Title: A Show of Hands". Music Canada. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
11. "RIAA Database Search for Rush". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)