A bit too dry for my tastes.

As has been tradition, "A Show of Hands" is the live album after the third set of four studio records by Rush, and like the last batch, emphasizes the most recent material. Excluding the intro and the drum solo, four songs are from the last two albums ("Hold Your Fire" and "Power Windows"), two from "Grace Under Pressure", and one from "Signals". 'Oldies' this time around are "Witch Hunt" from "Moving Pictures" and "Closer to the Heart" from "A Farewell to Kings".



As an experience goes, this show is a bit too clinical for me to enjoy-- Rush had really mastered replicating their studio sound on the live records, combining that with the somewhat artificial nature of the material (due to its reliance on synthesizers), and the experience is a bit lifeless. In many ways, this is the same complaint I had with some of the material in their studio versions.



There are exceptions, of course, "Marathon" and "Turn the Page" vastly superior to the studio version in my assessment, and there are several songs here-- "The Big Money", "Mission", "Force Ten" and "Red Sector A" come immediately to mind-- that are extraordinary in their composition (and their performance). Overall, however, this album is fairly superfluous, if you're a fan, you probably already have it, if you're not, this may not be altogether necessary.

A good overview of their synth era

A Show Of Hands is Rush's third live disc and covers their Signals through Hold Your Fire albums which pushed Alex Lifeson's guitar into the background and concentrated more on synthesizers. While most bands who strive from their tried and true formula often fail, Rush continued to make strong music during this time even if their albums weren't as consistent as those from their most celebrated period from the albums 2112 through Moving Pictures.



The sound quality here when compared to later live albums Different Stages and Rock In Rio sounds compressed, often lacking a live feel. Having said that, most of the best songs from the synth era are here in "Subdivisions", "Red Sector A", "Distant Early Warning", "The Big Money", "Force Ten", and "Time Stand Still." Other great tracks here include the seldom played and underrated "Witch Hunt" and "Closer To The Heart" which has a cool little jam at the end. As with all of Rush's live work, the playing is spectacular. Geddy Lee's bass playing is top notch as usual, particularly on the driving "Marathon" and "Turn The Page." Although the songs here are synth heavy, Alex Lifeson still shines when given the opportunity, especially on "Distant Early Warning" and "Mission." Neil Peart's drumming continued to be impressive, relying more on the swing of jazz and quick fills rather than the more relenting speed and power of his earlier efforts. His drum solo "The Rhythm Method" is outstanding although it's worth noting that Peart's solo showcase gets better with each live release so consider this his third best recorded solo behind the version on Different Stages and "O Baterista" from Rush In Rio. While this is a solid live album, more tracks from the Signals and Grace Under Pressure albums such as "The Enemy Within", "Kid Gloves", "Digital Man", and their biggest hit "New World Man" along with the omission of "Mystic Rhythms" and a few selections from the Hold Your Fire album would have made this a stronger retrospective of this era. If you like the Rush circa 1982-1987, this is a good purchase even if isn't their best live material.

Dissapointing sound mix

I just picked up the remastered version of A Show of Hands. I previously had this album and misplaced it, so I wanted to add it to my library again.



I love Rush's so-called 'synth' period and was excited to again have a great live set that provides a good packaged reflection of their best work during this period. A Show of Hands is great in that respect.



However, the remastered version has a much flatter, fatter, muddier sound than my original copy. The mix is really strong on the mids and lows, but the highs are barely there. I try increasing the volume to the center channel hoping to hear more of the highs (cymbals, hi-hat, snare, and high-end synth sounds etc.) but all I get are more fat mids--it's almost overwhelming. This is especially hard for me being a huge Pert fan -- the drumming just doesn't sound as crisp as it used to.



Maybe I am crazy, but I remember the original version having a much better audio mix.