A Show of Hands (video)
Encyclopedia
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 compact disc
. The video comprises an entirely different recording, and features a different track list.
In 2006, a DVD version of the original production, with its audio re-mastered in 5.1-channel Dolby Surround
by Rush guitarist
and co-producer
Alex Lifeson
, was released as part of the DVD box set, titled Rush Replay X 3
. In 2007, the DVD version of A Show of Hands, as it was included in Replay X 3, was released as a single, stand-alone DVD.
, UK.
† The DVD does not list "YYZ" in the track listing and groups it together with the song "Territories".
Note: The DVD version of A Show of Hands contains the full program of the VHS version; "Lock And Key" appeared on the laserdisc version of A Show of Hands, but does not appear on the DVD or VHS versions.
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...
, and 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....
by the Canadian hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
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...
. It documents a live concert performance by the band on their 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. In 1989, the band released an audio album of the same name
A Show of Hands
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...
on vinyl LP, audiocassette, and compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. The video comprises an entirely different recording, and features a different track list.
Dates of release & formats
The videocassette and laserdisc versions were the original formats of release, both in 1989. They are both currently out-of-print.In 2006, a DVD version of the original production, with its audio re-mastered in 5.1-channel Dolby Surround
Dolby Pro Logic
Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. Dolby Stereo was originally developed by Dolby in 1976 for analog cinema sound systems...
by Rush guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and co-producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Alex Lifeson
Alex 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...
, was released as part of the DVD box set, titled Rush Replay X 3
Rush Replay X 3
Rush Replay X 3 is a DVD box set of three separate filmed concert presentations by the Canadian band Rush, released on June 13, 2006. The three shows presented are Exit... Stage Left, Grace under Pressure Tour, and A Show of Hands, which were originally released individually in 1982, 1985, and 1989...
. In 2007, the DVD version of A Show of Hands, as it was included in Replay X 3, was released as a single, stand-alone DVD.
Filming locations
The concert footage documented in A Show of Hands was filmed in BirminghamBirmingham
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.
Track listing
- Intro
- "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...
" - "Marathon"
- "Turn the Page"
- "Prime Mover"
- "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...
" - "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...
" - "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....
" - "Force Ten"
- "Lock and Key" (laserdisc only)
- "MissionMission (song)"Mission" is a song by the progressive rock band Rush from the 1987 album Hold Your Fire. The song features prominent keyboard parts played by Geddy Lee. "Mission" was most recently played live during the band's 2007/2008 tour for the album Snakes & Arrows...
" - "Territories"
- "YYZ" †
- "The Rhythm Method" (drum solo)
- "The Spirit of RadioThe Spirit of Radio"The Spirit of Radio" is a song released in 1980 by Canadian rock band Rush from their album Permanent Waves. The song's name was inspired by Toronto radio station CFNY's slogan. The song was significant in the growing popularity of the band. It is also the first song of the 1980s, since Permanent...
" - "Tom SawyerTom Sawyer (song)"Tom Sawyer" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, named after Mark Twain's literary character. The song was released on Mercury Records and PolyGram in 1981 on the Moving Pictures album and numerous compilations thereafter, such as 1990's Chronicles. It has also appeared on several live albums and...
" - "2112 Overture"/"The Temples of Syrinx"2112 (song)2112 is the sidelong title track of Canadian progressive rock band Rush's album of the same name, released in 1976. The overture and the first section, Temples of Syrinx, were released as a single and are still popular among Rush's setlists today. The "sci-fi" sounds in the beginning of the song...
/"La Villa Strangiato"/"In The MoodIn the Mood (Rush song)"In the Mood" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush from their debut album, Rush. It was at least two years old when recorded for the album. It is three minutes and 34 seconds long and in 4/4 time....
" - (Credits)
† The DVD does not list "YYZ" in the track listing and groups it together with the song "Territories".
Note: The DVD version of A Show of Hands contains the full program of the VHS version; "Lock And Key" appeared on the laserdisc version of A Show of Hands, but does not appear on the DVD or VHS versions.
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...
: guitars, synthesizers, backing vocals - 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...
: acoustic and electronic percussion