Show of Hands (1987 album)
| Show of Hands | ||||
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| Studio album by Show of Hands | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Recorded | January 1987 | |||
| Studio | Catsley Home, Dorset | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Producer | Show of Hands | |||
| Show of Hands chronology | ||||
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Show of Hands is the debut album by English folk duo Show of Hands. The duo formed when Phil Beer took a break from folk rock band The Albion Band, requesting to Steve Knightley that they record a cassette together in Knightley's garage. Knightley, who had recently returned to the duo's native Devon after departing London, agreed, and the duo recorded the album together in January 1987 in Catsley Home, described by Knightley as an outbuilding in the remotest part of Dorset. The album contains twelve compositions, mostly songs by Knightley.
The duo self-released the album in early 1987 on cassette only. It was recorded and released to coincide with their first tour, and was only sold from the duo's concerts. The duo halted their time together as Beer returned The Albion Band, but returned in 1990 with Tall Ships, an album centered on its title track which is a twenty-two minute adaption of the much shorter song that opens Show of Hands. Both albums, along with Out for the Count (1991), were out of print by 1995, so the duo released the compilation Backlog 1987–1991 (1995) to compile highlights from the three albums. Six songs from Show of Hands feature on the compilation.
In the early 1980s, Devonian-based folk musicians Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, who had been friends since 1972, briefly joined Paul Downes' band Arizona Smoke Revue. The band was not the duo's first collaboration or with Downes. Beer and Downes had a career together as a duo in the 1970s, releasing albums such as Life Ain't Worth Living (in the Old-Fashioned Way) (1973) and Dance Without Music (1976), whilst Knightley contributed to the duo's live album Live in Concept (1980). Beer was also occasionally play live in Knightley's pub rock bands of the 1980s, Short Stories, The Cheats and Total Strangers, when members of those bands could not appear. However, Beer had joined The Albion Band in 1983, which became his musical priority. Meanwhile, Knightley, who had been living in London for some time, moved back to his native Devon in 1986.
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