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Blackstar (Album)

2016-01-24T01:45:47Z

2015-01-17T17:34:00Z

TangoTizerWolfstone: /* Critical reception */

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Refimprove|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox album
| Name = Play
| Type = Studio
| Artist = [[Moby]]
| Cover = moby play.JPG
| Released = May 17, 1999
| Recorded = 1998–1999
| Genre = [[Electronica]], [[techno]], [[breakbeat]]<ref name="Allmusic"/>
| Length = 63:12
| Label = Little Idiot, [[V2 Records|V2]], [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]], [[Mute Records|Mute]]
| Producer = [[Moby]]
| Last album = ''[[I Like to Score]]'' (1997)
| This album = '''''Play''''' (1999)
| Next album = ''[[Songs 1993–1998]]'' (2000)
{{Singles
| Name = Play
| Type = Studio
| single 1 = [[Honey (Moby song)|Honey]]
| single 1 date = August 31, 1998
| single 2 = [[God's Gonna Cut You Down#Moby version|Run On]]
| single 2 date = May 18, 1999
| single 3 = [[Bodyrock (song)|Bodyrock]]
| single 3 date = July 26, 1999
| single 4 = [[Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?]]
| single 4 date = November 17, 1999
| single 5 = [[Natural Blues]]
| single 5 date = March 28, 2000
| single 6 = [[Porcelain (song)|Porcelain]]
| single 6 date = June 12, 2000
| single 7 = [[Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?|Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? / Honey (remix)]]
| single 7 date = October 16, 2000
| single 8 = [[South Side (song)|South Side]]
| single 8 date = November 7, 2000
| single 9 = [[Find My Baby]]
| single 9 date = February 2001
}}
}}

'''''Play''''' is the fifth [[studio album]] by American [[electronica]] musician [[Moby]], released on May 17, 1999 on [[V2 Records]]. While some of Moby's earlier work garnered critical and commercial success within the [[electronic dance music]] scene, ''Play'' was both a critical success and a commercial phenomenon. The album introduced Moby to a worldwide mainstream audience, not only through a large number of hit singles (that helped the album to dominate worldwide charts for two years), but also through unprecedented licensing of his music in films, television, and commercial advertisements. It eventually became the biggest-selling album of its genre, with over 12 million copies sold worldwide.<ref>[http://www.mmaglobal.com/articles/dwango-wireless-and-ingrooves-provide-moby-fans-new-exclusive-ringtones-images Mobile Marketing Association] Dwango wireless and ingrooves to provide Moby fans with new, exclusive ringtones, images.</ref> According to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', "''Play'' wasn't the first album to make a rock star out of an insular [[Techno music|techno]] nerdnik, but it was the first to make one a pop sensation. [...] ''Play'' made post-modernism cuddly, slowly but surely striking a chord with critics and record-buyers alike."<ref name="Christopher Weingarten">{{cite news|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/play-10-years-later-mobys-track-by-track-guide-to-1999s-global-smash-20090702 |title="Play" 10 Years Later: Moby's Track by Track Guide to 1999's Global Smash |newspaper=Rolling Stone |author=Christopher Weingarten |date=July 2, 2009 |accessdate=February 1, 2012 }}</ref>

One of the notable aspects of ''Play'', as opposed to other [[Electronic music|electronic]] albums of the time, was the way in which it combined old [[gospel music|gospel]] and [[folk music]] rhythms with modern [[house music|house]] sensibilities. Moby [[sample (music)|sampled]] heavily from the collected [[field recordings]] of [[Alan Lomax]] in songs such as "[[Honey (Moby song)|Honey]]", "Find My Baby", and "[[Natural Blues]]", while the track "[[God's Gonna Cut You Down|Run On]]" was inspired by the traditional "God's Gonna Cut You Down". The album also has more purely electronic tracks, as well as the rock-influenced single "[[South Side (song)|South Side]]" and the more [[ambient music|ambient]] "[[Porcelain (song)|Porcelain]]". In 2003, the album was ranked number 341 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of [[The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|the 500 greatest albums of all time]].<ref name=500greatest/>

It was nominated for both a [[Grammy Award]] and [[Brit Awards|Brit Award]], was the [[United Kingdom|UK]]'s biggest selling [[independent record label|independent]] album of 2000, and certified [[Music recording sales certification|platinum]] status in more than 20 countries.<ref>{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 372}}</ref>

==Background==
The second half of the 1990s saw Moby in career turmoil after years of being a successful techno wunderkind. The release in 1996 of ''[[Animal Rights (album)|Animal Rights]]'', a dark, eclectic, guitar-fueled record built around the punk and metal records that he loved as a teenager, proved a critical and commercial disaster that left him considering quitting music altogether and going back to school to study architecture. He explained: "I was opening for [[Soundgarden]] and getting shit thrown at me every night onstage. I did my own tour and was playing to roughly fifty people a night." However, he claimed, "I got one piece of fan mail from [[Terence Trent D'Arby]] and I got a phone call from [[Axl Rose]] saying he was listening to ''Animal Rights'' on repeat. [[Bono]] told me he loved ''Animal Rights''. So if you're gonna have three pieces of fan mail, that's the fan mail to get."
<ref name="Christopher Weingarten"/>

When he finally recorded its follow-up, ''Play'', there was no sign that the album would perform any differently than ''Animal Rights''. According to Moby, he shopped the record to every major label (from [[Warner Bros.]] to [[Sony]] to [[RCA]]) and was rejected every time. After [[V2 Records|V2]] finally picked it up, his publicist sent the record to journalists, and many of them made a huge production of saying they weren't even going to listen to it. According to manager Eric Härle in an interview with [[HitQuarters]], their original goal was to sell 250,000 copies, which was what ''[[Everything Is Wrong]]'', Moby's biggest selling album at the time, had sold.<ref name="hitquarters.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_EricHaerleInt.html |title=Interview with Eric Härle|work=[[HitQuarters]]|date=Mar 25, 2003 |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref>

==Unexpected success==

Released on May 17, 1999, ''Play'' received some good reviews, but initially underperformed commercially. Moby stated, "First show that I did on the tour for ''Play'' was in the basement of the [[Virgin Megastore]] in [[Union Square (New York City)|Union Square]]. Literally playing music while people were waiting in line buying CDs. Maybe forty people came."

First sales of ''Play'' were poor. In the UK, it debuted at number 33 on the [[UK Albums Chart]] on May 29, 1999, but during the rest of the year only spent five further weeks inside the charts. It was on January 15, 2000 that the album re-entered the UK charts, slowly climbing positions and finally reaching number 1 three months later. According to Moby, "almost a year after it came out in 2000 I was opening up for [[Bush (band)|Bush]] on an [[MTV]] Campus Invasion Tour. It was degrading for the most part. Their audience had less than no interest in me. February in 2000, I was in [[Minnesota]], I was depressed and my manager called me to tell me that ''Play'' was #1 in the UK, and had beat out [[Santana (band)|Santana]]'s ''[[Supernatural (Santana album)|Supernatural]]''. I was like, 'But the record came out 10 months ago.' That's when I knew, all of a sudden, that things were different. Then it was #1 in [[France]], in [[Australia]], in [[Germany]]—it just kept piling on. [...] The week ''Play'' was released, it sold, worldwide around 6,000 copies. Eleven months after ''Play'' was released, it was selling 150,000 copies a week. I was on tour constantly, drunk pretty much the entire time and it was just a blur. And then all of a sudden movie stars started coming to my concerts and I started getting invited to fancy parties and suddenly the journalists who wouldn't return my publicist's calls were talking about doing cover stories. It was a really odd phenomenon."<ref name="Christopher Weingarten"/>

''Play'' has sold over 12 million copies worldwide. Despite only reaching number 38 in the [[United States]] [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], over two million were sold there, with the album enjoying steady sales for months and constant popularity. In the UK, ''Play'' reached number 1 on April 15, 2000 (spending five weeks at the top) in the wake of the success of the "Natural Blues" single. It remained high in the charts during the rest of the year, particularly supported by the huge success of its successors, "Porcelain" and "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?". Spending almost the entire year 2000 in the charts, and achieving a total of 81 weeks overall the lists, it became the fifth best-selling album of 2000 in the UK.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

''Play'' found its major strengths on the support of its impressive string of nine hit singles, an unprecedented feat for an electronica album. Seven of those singles were UK Top 40 hits – "Honey", the first single, was already in the market in August 1998, nearly ten months before the release of the actual album. The final single choice was "Find My Baby", which appeared on some national charts three and a half years after. One of the most notable aspects of the singles releases is that some of the strongest titles were released late ("Porcelain", for example, was the sixth single from the album, released over a year after ''Play''), on the way of securing a steady presence of the album in the charts.

The apparent result of the marketing strategy was that the album, after an unremarkable debut, stayed on the charts for several years and broke sales projections for Moby and for the dance music scene, which was not seen to be a dominant commercial genre in the US in the 1990s (as compared with in Europe, where Moby had initially found fame). In many ways this album helped to establish Moby as a mainstream musician. His later albums have been more [[downtempo]]-oriented, frequently featuring his own distinctive singing, often with female vocalists and samples similar to those on ''Play'', as opposed to his earlier more club- or alternative-oriented records where he rarely sang.

== Critical reception ==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r417226|pure_url=yes}} |title=Play – Moby |author=John Bush |work=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Alternative Press]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Alternative Press]] |issue=August 1999}}</ref>
| rev3 = [[Robert Christgau]]
| rev3Score = A+<ref name="Christgau"/>
| rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev4Score = A−<ref name="Browne">{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273713,00.html |title=Play Review |author=David Browne |publisher=''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' |date=June 11, 1999 |accessdate=September 15, 2012}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev5Score = 8/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/moby/989 |title=NME Album Reviews – Play |publisher=''[[NME]]'' |date=April 12, 1999 |accessdate=April 17, 2012}}</ref>
| rev6 = [[Pitchfork Media]]
| rev6score = 5/10<ref name="DiCrescenzo">{{cite web |url=http://www.pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5344-play/ |title=Moby: Play |author=Brent DiCrescenzo |date=June 1, 1999 |work=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=June 1999}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="RollingStone">{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/play-19990624 |title=Play |author=Barry Walters |publisher=''[[Rolling Stone]]'' |date=June 24, 1999 |accessdate=September 15, 2012}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev9score = 9/10<ref name="Aaron">{{cite journal|last=Aaron|first=Charles|date=July 1999|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=I5x8l8IaNUMC&pg=PA125#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=July 2, 2013|title=The Agony and the Ecstasy|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|location=New York|pages=125–6}}</ref>
| rev10 = [[Sputnikmusic]]
| rev10Score = 5/5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/1423/Moby-Play/|title=Emeritus review|publisher=[[Sputnikmusic]]|accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref>
}}

''Play'' received universal acclaim from [[music journalism|music critics]]. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 20 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/play/moby |title=Play – Moby |work=[[Metacritic]] |accessdate=October 27, 2011}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]], writing in ''[[The Village Voice]]'', said that the album's sampled recordings would not "shout anywhere near as loud and clear" without Moby's "ministrations—his grooves, his pacing, his textures, his harmonies, sometimes his tunes, and mostly his grooves, which honor not just dance music but the entire rock tradition it's part of."<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=July 27, 1999|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv799-99.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> In his review for ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]'', he added that, although it is "no more focused" than Moby's previous "brilliant messes", ''Play'' is "one of those records whose drive to beauty should move anybody who just likes, well, music itself."<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/play/1999-06.php|accessdate=July 2, 2013|title=Moby, Chemical Brothers, Salif Keita|journal=[[Playboy]]|date=June 1999|last=Christgau|first=Robert}}</ref>

[[AllMusic]]'s John Bush felt that ''Play'' showed Moby "balancing his sublime early sound with the breakbeat techno evolution of the '90s".<ref name="Allmusic"/> Barry Walters of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said that "the ebb and flow of eighteen concise, contrasting cuts writes a story about Moby's beautifully conflicted interior world while giving the outside planet beats and tunes on which to groove."<ref name="RollingStone"/> [[David Browne]], writing in ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', said that despite some needed editing, Moby's graceful soundscapes filter out the original recordings' antiquated sound and "make the singers' heartache and hope seem fresh again."<ref name="Browne"/> In a mixed review, [[Pitchfork Media]]'s Brent DiCrescenzo said that the "raw magnetism" of the sampled recordings is lost to "innate digital recording techniques" and results in music that is "fun and functional, yet disposable."<ref name="DiCrescenzo"/> Scott Plagenhoef, also of Pitchfork Media, would later say the album "isn't anywhere as bad as you think".<ref>http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7850-the-top-200-tracks-of-the-1990s-150-101/2/</ref>

''Play'' was voted as the best album of the year in ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s [[Pazz & Jop]] critics poll.<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=February 22, 2000|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pj99.php|title=Flak on Both Sides|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> In 2003, the album was ranked number 341 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of [[The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|the 500 greatest albums of all time]].<ref name=500greatest>{{cite web|title=341: Play – Moby |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/play-moby-19691231|accessdate=February 1, 2012|publisher=Rolling Stone |work=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|year=2003}}</ref>

==Licensing of songs==
''Play'' was the first album ever to have all of its tracks licensed for use in [[film]]s, [[television show]]s, or [[television commercial|commercials]] and this proved a major contributor to the album's success.<ref name="Organization Moby">{{cite web|url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.05/moby.html|title=Organization Moby|accessdate=September 21, 2011|work=Wired|date=May 2002|author=Ethan Smith}}</ref> This is a feat that has been accomplished by only three other artists; [[Celldweller]], [[Meiko (American singer)|Meiko]], and [[The Crystal Method]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} At the time the album came out, Moby explained that he licensed the songs because it was the only way he could get the music heard.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} Moby's previous album, ''[[Animal Rights (album)|Animal Rights]]'', a foray into the [[alternative rock]] scene, had not drawn many listeners, while Moby's earlier music was known primarily to fans of [[electronic dance music|dance]] and [[ambient music]] and had not achieved mainstream recognition in his home country of the United States.

According to his manager Eric Härle, although many people believed the songs were pitched for advertisements as part of the marketing campaign for an album that didn't fit with mainstream radio, the licensing actually came as a result of agencies asking for permission to use the music as soundbeds.<ref name="hitquarters.com"/> Härle told [[HitQuarters]] that the music was so popular because it is evocative and emotional. Despite the heavy licensing, the advertisements selected were nevertheless carefully chosen and more requests were turned down than accepted.<ref name="hitquarters.com"/>

One of the more notable commercials featured [[golf]]er [[Tiger Woods]] playing a round of golf around [[New York City]] to the tune of "Find My Baby", but countless other uses of the album's songs are documented. According to ''Wired'' magazine, the songs on ''Play'' "have been sold hundreds of times ... a licensing venture so staggeringly lucrative that the album was a financial success months before it reached its multi-platinum sales total."

Among the films which have used music tracks from the album are [[Danny Boyle]]'s ''[[The Beach (film)|The Beach]]'', ''[[Gone in 60 Seconds (soundtrack)|Gone in 60 Seconds]]'' and ''[[Swing Vote (2008 film)|Swing Vote]]'', which featured the [[B-side]] "Flower", which sampled "Green Sally Up", a children's playground song sung by vocalists Mattie Garder, Mary Gardner and Jesse Lee Pratcher, from the 1961 album ''Sounds of the South'' (re-released in 1993). The television show ''[[The X-Files]]'' featured the track "My Weakness" in the opening and closing scenes of the seventh season episode "[[Closure (The X-Files)|Closure]]", and the track "The Sky is Broken" in the seventh season episode "[[all things]]".

In addition, [[Stanton Welch]] choreographed a ballet piece using several tracks from the album including "Porcelain", "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad", "Rushing", "Run On", "Guitar Flute and String", "My Weakness", "Honey", and "Natural Blues". Initially, it was created for BalletMet Columbus in 2004 and then premiered for the [[Houston Ballet]] in 2006. Play was a great success recognized by both ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Columbus Dispatch]]''.<ref>{{cite web url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzjcdW1FOf4}}</ref>

==Music videos==
The album ''Play'' was also notable for producing a large number of music videos. In an impressively extensive period of three and a half years (between August 1998 and February 2002), twelve music videos were commissioned for a total of eight different singles ("Bodyrock" received three music videos, and "Natural Blues" and "Porcelain" received two). They were produced by a large number of directors, which included [[Jonas Åkerlund]] ("Porcelain"), [[Roman Coppola]] ("Honey"), [[Joseph Kahn]] ("South Side"), and [[David LaChapelle]] ("Natural Blues").

==Use of samples and additional vocals==
The album was particularly notable for its extensive use of samples from the [[field recordings]] as they were collected by [[Alan Lomax]] on the 1993 ''Sounds of the South: A Musical Journey from the Georgia Sea Islands to the Mississippi Delta''. Most of the samples were short and constantly repeated throughout the songs. For example, "Honey" used a sample from [[Bessie Jones]] that consisted of a conjunction of four verses that was repeated over twenty times. In the liner notes for the album, Moby gave "special thanks to the Lomaxes and all of the archivists and music historians whose field recordings made this record possible."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cylist.com/List/406019003/ |title=Moby: Play CD Track Listing |work=cylist.com |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref>

;Samples
* "Honey" features samples from the [[Bessie Jones]] recording "Sometimes" (1960), produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Special Products. It also samples [[Joe Cocker]]'s "[[Woman to Woman (Joe Cocker song)|Woman to Woman]]" (1972)
* "Find My Baby" features samples from the Boy Blue recording "Joe Lee's Rock", produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp by arrangement with Warner Special Products.
* "Bodyrock" contains a sample of "Love Rap" (1980) as performed by [[Spoonie Gee]] & [[The Treacherous Three]]. Used under license from Enjoy Records, Inc. Additional Vocals by [[Nikki D]].
* "Natural Blues" features samples from the [[Vera Hall]] recording "Trouble So Hard" (1937), produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Special Products.
* "Run On" features samples from "Run On for a Long Time" (1949) by Bill Landford & The Landfordairs, used courtesy of Sony Music.
* "If Things Were Perfect" contains a sample of "Hospital Prelude of Love Theme" by [[Willie Hutch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/22000/Moby-If%20Things%20Were%20Perfect_Willie%20Hutch-Hospital%20Prelude%20of%20Love%20Theme/ |title=Sample Details |work=whosampled.com |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref> This is uncredited in the album liner notes.
* "Machete" contains a sample of "[[Apache (instrumental)|Apache]]" by the [[Incredible Bongo Band]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/9807/Moby-Machete_Incredible%20Bongo%20Band-Apache/ |title=Sample Details |work=whosampled.com |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref> This is uncredited in the album liner notes.
* "Porcelain" contains a reversed sample from "Fight for Survival" by [[Ernest Gold (composer)|Ernest Gold]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/25539/Moby-Porcelain_Ernest%20Gold-Fight%20for%20Survival/ |title=Sample Details |work=whosampled.com |accessdate=September 21, 2011}}</ref> This is uncredited in the album liner notes.
* "The Sky Is Broken" contains a sampled drum loop from "Long as I Can See the Light" by [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/51049/Moby-The%20Sky%20Is%20Broken_Creedence%20Clearwater%20Revival-Long%20as%20I%20Can%20See%20the%20Light/ |title=Sample Details |work=whosampled.com |accessdate=April 30, 2013}}</ref>

;Vocals
* Moby – vocals on "Porcelain", "South Side", "Machete", "If Things Were Perfect", and "The Sky Is Broken"
* Pilar Basso – additional vocals on "Porcelain".
* Shining Light Gospel Choir – vocals on "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" (also sampled)
* Reggie Matthews – additional vocals on "If Things Were Perfect"

==Track listings==
The album packaging continues Moby's penchant for including a number of short, self-penned essays exploring ongoing concerns—his support for [[vegan]]ism and [[humanitarian]]ism, and opposition to [[fundamentalism]].

{{Track listing
| total_length = 62:39
| title1 = [[Honey (Moby song)|Honey]]
| length1 = 3:27
| title2 = [[Find My Baby]]
| length2 = 3:58
| title3 = [[Porcelain (song)|Porcelain]]
| length3 = 4:01
| title4 = [[Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?]]
| length4 = 4:23
| title5 = [[South Side (song)|South Side]]
| length5 = 3:48
| title6 = Rushing
| length6 = 2:58
| title7 = [[Bodyrock (song)|Bodyrock]]
| length7 = 3:34
| title8 = [[Natural Blues]]
| length8 = 4:12
| title9 = Machete
| length9 = 3:36
| title10 = 7
| length10 = 1:00
| title11 = [[God's Gonna Cut You Down#Moby version|Run On]]
| length11 = 3:44
| title12 = Down Slow
| length12 = 1:32
| title13 = If Things Were Perfect
| length13 = 4:16
| title14 = Everloving
| length14 = 3:24
| title15 = Inside
| length15 = 4:46
| title16 = Guitar Flute & String
| length16 = 2:07
| title17 = The Sky Is Broken
| length17 = 4:16
| title18 = My Weakness
| length18 = 3:37
}}

===''B-Sides 1998–2001''===
{{ Track listing
| total_length = 93:47
| title1 = Ain't Never Learned
| length1 = 3:46
| note1 = from "[[South Side (song)|South Side]]"
| title2 = Arp
| length2 = 6:31
| note2 = from "[[Bodyrock (song)|Bodyrock]]"
| title3 = Down Slow (Full Length Version)
| length3 = 5:58
| note3 = from "Run On (Extended)"
| title4 = Flower
| length4 = 3:25
| note4 = from "[[Find My Baby]]" and "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?/Honey"
| title5 = Flying Foxes
| length5 = 6:16
| note5 = from "[[Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?]]" and "[[Porcelain (song)|Porcelain]]" (Spain CD-Maxi, Everlasting Records, EVERY 6CD)
| title6 = Flying Over the Dateline
| length6 = 4:48
| note6 = from "[[Porcelain (song)|Porcelain]]"
| title7 = Memory Gospel
| length7 = 6:41
| note7 = from "[[Honey (Moby song)|Honey]]" and "Honey/Run On"
| title8 = Micronesia
| length8 = 4:17
| note8 = from "[[Honey (Moby song)|Honey]]"
| title9 = Princess
| length9 = 8:16
| note9 = from "[[Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?]]"
| title10 = Running
| length10 = 7:07
| note10 = from "[[Run On (Moby song)|Run On]]" – A demo version titled "Running Black Woman (6:47) is different from the "''[[Play: The B Sides]]''" version.
| title11 = Sick in the System
| length11 = 4:17
| note11 = from "[[Natural Blues]]"
| title12 = Spirit
| length12 = 4:12
| note12 = from "[[Run On (Moby song)|Run On]]"
| title13 = Sunday
| length13 = 5:00
| note13 = from "Run On (Extended)", "[[Run On (Moby song)|Run On]]" (Australian CD-Maxi, Mushroom Records, MUSH1867.2) and "[[Bodyrock (song)|Bodyrock]]"
| title14 = Sunspot
| length14 = 6:50
| note14 = from "[[Bodyrock (song)|Bodyrock]]"
| title15 = Summer
| length15 = 5:56
| note15 = from "[[Porcelain (song)|Porcelain]]"
| title16 = The Sun Never Stops Setting
| length16 = 4:19
| note16 = from "[[South Side (song)|South Side]]"
| title17 = Whispering Wind
| length17 = 6:08
| note17 = from "[[Natural Blues]]" as "The Whispering Wind"
}}

===Subsequent releases===
In late 2000, ''Play'' was re-released as a special edition (entitled ''[[Play: The B Sides]]''), including an extra disc of [[B-side]] tracks (that disc would be also released separately in 2004). In addition, a mix of the song "South Side" which featured a duet with [[No Doubt]] frontwoman [[Gwen Stefani]] was released as a single (becoming his only song to ever appear on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], peaking at number 14).{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} Thanks to its music video and heavy airplay, the song helped to push the success of the album even further. Later on, ''Play'' was re-released with the single version of "South Side" featuring Gwen Stefani replacing the original. (Other copies had an additional CD with the newer version of the song shrink-wrapped in the same package.) The original version was re-released on the U.S. edition of Moby's ''[[Go: The Very Best of Moby]]'' compilation.

B-sides not featured on the album ''[[Play: The B Sides]]'':

* "Ain't Never Learned"
* "Arp"
* "Down Slow (Full Length Version)"
* "Micronesia"
* "Princess"
* "Sick in the System"

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (2000)
! scope="col" | Peak position
|-
{{albumchart|Australia|1|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Austria|7|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Flanders|3|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Wallonia|4|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|BillboardCanada|11|artist=Moby|album=18}}
|-
{{albumchart|Netherlands|5|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Finland|18|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|France|1|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Germany|21|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Italy|4|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Mexico|5|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|New Zealand|1|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Norway|2|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Switzerland|12|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|Sweden|14|artist=Moby|album=Play}}
|-
{{albumchart|UK|1|artist=Moby}}
|-
{{albumchart|Billboard200|38|artist=Moby|artistid=311606}}
|-
| US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Top Heatseekers]]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|}

==''Play: The DVD''==
A [[DVD]] titled ''Play: The DVD'' was released as a companion to the album, featuring most of the music videos of ''Play'' (except for "South Side"), a Megamix, a performance on ''[[Later... with Jools Holland]]'', a Moby's tour diary entitled ''Give an Idiot a Camcorder'', and a DVD-Rom component where users are able to remix two of Moby's songs (the DVD also included a separate CD featuring the Megamix on a single track). ''Moby: PlaytheDVD'' was released in July 2001. Produced by Moby and Jeff Rogers (Swell), the DVD was nominated for a 2002 Grammy Award. The DVD included various sections: "Live on TV", most of the music videos from the album (excluding "South Side" with [[Gwen Stefani]]), "Give An Idiot a Camcorder" (Moby was given a [[camcorder]] and the tape was later edited by Tara Bethune-Leamen), and an 88-minute "Mega Mix" of all the remixes created for the album. The "Mega Mix" was accompanied by visuals created in [[Toronto]] at Crush, led by director Kathi Prosser.

'''Section I''': ''Play the Videos''
# "Bodyrock (UK Auditions)"
# "Honey"
# "Find My Baby"
# "Porcelain (UK Version)"
# "Natural Blues"
# "Bodyrock (UK Version)"
# "Run On"
# "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?"
# "Natural Blues (Animated Version)"
# "Porcelain"

'''Section II''': ''Live on Later... With Jools Holland''
# "Natural Blues"
# "Porcelain"
# "Go"
# "New Dawn Fades (If We Can)"
# "Machete"
# "Hymn"
# "Everloving"
# "Porcelain (Acoustic Version)"

'''Section III''': ''Moby's Megamix''
# "Porcelain (Futureshock Remix)"
# "Natural Blues (Katcha Mix)"
# "Honey (Sharam Jey's Sweet Honey Mix)"
# "Bodyrock ([[Olav Basoski]]'s Da Hot Funk Da Freak Funk Remix)"
# "Natural Blues ([[Peace Division]] Dub)"
# "Run On (Dani König Remix)"
# "South Side ([[Pete Heller]] Park Lane Vocal)"
# "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? (Katcha Remix)"
# "Natural Blues ([[Planet Perfecto|Perfecto]] Remix)"
# "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? ([[Ferry Corsten]] Remix)"
# "Porcelain ([[Torsten Stenzel]]'s Vocal Dub Mix)"
# "South Side ([[Hybrid (Welsh band)|Hybrid Dishing Pump]] Instrumental)"
# "Natural Blues ([[Mike D]] Remix)"
# "Run On (Moby's Young & Funky Mix)"
# "Honey (Moby's 118 Remix)"
# "Bodyrock ([[Rae & Christian]] Remix)"
# "Run On ([[Dave Clarke (techno DJ)|Dave Clarke]] Remix)"
# "Porcelain (Clubbed to Death Version by [[Rob Dougan]])"

'''Section IV''': ''Give an Idiot a Camcorder'' (a 20-minute movie "by Moby starring Moby")

'''Section V''': ''Play the Computer'' (this section allows to use the Beatnik Player to remix two of Moby's songs.)

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{MusicBrainz album|id=679841df-599d-402f-9f89-0d0bb6e94368|name=Play}}

{{s-start}}

{{succession box
| before = ''[[Supernatural (Santana album)|Supernatural]]'' by [[Santana (band)|Santana]]
| title = [[List of number-one albums (UK)|UK number one album]]
| years = April 15, 2000 – May 19, 2000
| after = ''[[Reload (Tom Jones album)|Reload]]'' by [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = ''[[On How Life Is]]'' by [[Macy Gray]]
| title = Australian [[ARIA Charts|ARIA Albums Chart]] [[List of number-one albums of 2000 (Australia)|number-one album]]
| years = February 28 – March 5, 2000 July 31 – August 13, 2000
| after = ''[[Supernatural (Santana album)|Supernatural]]'' by [[Santana (band)|Santana]]
}}

{{end}}

{{Moby}}

[[Category:1999 albums]]
[[Category:Moby albums]]
[[Category:Mute Records albums]]
[[Category:V2 Records albums]]
[[Category:2002 video albums]]
[[Category:2002 live albums]]
[[Category:2002 compilation albums]]
[[Category:Live video albums]]
[[Category:Music video compilation albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Moby]]
[[Category:Albums certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America]]
[[Category:Albums certified quintuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry]]
[[Category:Albums certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association]]

2011-08-13T21:10:19Z

TangoTizerWolfstone: /* Other */

{{For|the film|Show of Hands (film)}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = Show of Hands
| image = Show of Hands.jpg
| caption = Show of Hands; Harberton Village Hall, Devon 20 May 2009 Photo: Brian Marks
| landscape = Yes
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = [[England]]
| instrument = [[Singing|Vocals]], [[Mandocello]], [[Mandolin]], [[Cuatro (instrument)|Cuatro]], [[Fiddle]], [[Guitar]]
| genre = [[Traditional music|Roots]], [[Folk music|folk]], [[Acoustic music|acoustic]]
| years_active = 1991–present
| label = Hands On Music, distributed by [[Proper Music Distribution]]
| associated_acts =
| website = [http://www.showofhands.co.uk/ www.showofhands.co.uk]
| current_members = [[Steve Knightley]][[Phil Beer]]
| past_members =
| notable_instruments =
}}

'''Show of Hands''' is an English acoustic [[Traditional music|roots]] and [[Folk music|folk]] duo comprising [[singer-songwriter]] [[Steve Knightley]] and [[multi-instrumentalist]] [[Phil Beer]]. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz [[double-bass]]ist Miranda Sykes.

==History==
===Origins===

Steve Knightley and Phil Beer met as teenagers while playing in different bands in [[Exeter]], [[Devon]], where they grew up. They eventually got together and for a short period played in pubs and clubs, even undertaking a disastrous summer tour of [[Sweden]] when they were both 16. As school finished, their lives went separate ways. Knightley went to university in [[Coventry]], collected a degree and teaching qualifications, and ended up in [[London]] playing music in a rock band in his spare time. For Phil Beer the leap to professional musician was immediate. Throughout the years he played with many different people, including the [[Arizona Smoke Revue]] and then from 1984 with the [[Albion Band]]. In the mid 1980s Knightley returned to live in the [[West Country]], and so he and Phil Beer got together casually to play a few shows. This continued until 1991 when it became obvious that the partnership had the potential to become a full time career. Beer left the Albion Band and Show of Hands was born.

The first Show of Hands recordings were three cassettes, recorded on home studios. A selection of the best tracks from those cassettes was later released on the ''Backlog'' compilation album in 1995.

===1990s===
Their first album was, unusually, a live album. Recorded at the Bull Hotel in [[Bridport]], [[Dorset]], and titled ''[[Show of Hands Live|Live '92]]'', the excellent reviews it garnered helped them break into the festival circuit of 1993, and later that same year they toured with [[Ralph McTell]] on his autumn tour.

During 1992 Knightley and Beer were invited to join an inter-cultural music project which involved working with three exiled [[Chile]]an musicians. Out of this the band [[Alianza (band)|Alianza]] was formed and an album made. Alianza toured throughout 1992 and 1993 and influenced the duo greatly. They were introduced to a new range of rhythms and instruments and Steve was inspired to write songs that are now favourites with Show of Hands fans including "Santiago", "Armadas" and "Columbus Didn't Find America". Some of these found their way onto the first Show of Hands studio album ''[[Beat about the Bush]]'', which was released in 1994.

In 1995 Show of Hands released their second studio album ''[[Lie of the Land]]''. The album proved a turning point as it gathered in reviews from major publications hailing it as a masterpiece and a classic. Mojo said the album created "a powerful, fresh sounding music with both integrity and widespread appeal", while [[Q magazine]] called it a "startlingly good" album and went one further in voting it their folk album of the year in 1996.

With thousands of fans on their [[mailing list]], Show of Hands had long wanted to play a concert big enough to gather all those fans together. Different ideas were brought up but none seemed right until London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] was suggested; the perfect venue, prestigious and big enough! The undertaking required a huge gamble by the duo and their management, but the show sold out in advance and took place on the evening of March 24, 1996.

In 1997, they released their third studio album, [[Dark Fields]], which contained fan favourite "Cousin Jack". They released [[Folk Music (album)|Folk Music]] in 1998, which contains traditional songs. It was only availabile through post and at the band's concerts at the time.

===2000s===
[[File:Miranda Sykes.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Miranda Sykes at Harberton Village Hall 20th May 2009, Photo: Brian Marks]]

As is implied by the album name, ''[[Covers (Show of Hands album)|Covers]]'', the studio album released in 2000, contained only [[cover versions]] of songs by other artists. The songs were selected from ones that the duo had performed at concerts or sound checks over the years, and included music from artists such as [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], [[Peter Gabriel]], [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Ralph McTell]].

In 2001 Show of Hands celebrated their tenth anniversary with another sell out show at the [[Royal Albert Hall]]. The concert was recorded by [[Carlton Television|Carlton TV]] for network transmission and was shown as two dedicated half-hour programmes.
[[File:Show of Hands trio.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Show of Hands as a Trio]]
Their next studio album ''[[Cold Frontier]]'' was released in 2001 and was the first album to be recorded by Mick Dolan, who took responsibility for the Show of Hands sound after producer/manager Gerard O'Farrell returned to his native [[Australia]]. ''[[The Path (album)|The Path]]'', the first instrumental album by Show of Hands, was released in 2003 and is a celebration of the sights and sounds of the West Country coast. Each track is named after a different location, and creates an atmospheric musical portrait of the sea, and the seaside. In October 2003, the album ''[[Country Life (Show of Hands album)|Country Life]]'' was released. This studio recording of Knightley's most recent songs also featured a special bonus CD with alternative mixes of selected tracks.

Show of Hands won the ''Best Live Act'' award at the 2004 [[BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards]]. The winning of that particular award was especially pleasing to the duo as for that year it was voted on by the public and not by the usual panel of judges. At the 2005 awards they were nominated for ''Best Duo'' and were part of the [[Oysterband]] Big Session group that won the 'Best Group' award.

For their extensive tour in autumn 2004 the duo temporarily became a trio when they were joined by [[Miranda Sykes]] on [[double bass]] and vocals. Although initially reluctant, audience enthusiasm convinced them that the time was right for another Show of Hands live album. "We realised that we had the raw material to create a double album that would hopefully capture a song, a set or a moment in all of our musical lives." - Steve Knightley. ''[[As You Were (album)|As You Were]]'', a live [[double-album]], was released in 2005 and comprised 22 tracks recorded at various venues during the autumn tour. Miranda has since toured extensively with Show of Hands, and there were few shows in 2005 and 2006 where she was absent from the lineup.

In May 2006, Show of Hands released their ninth studio album ''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness]]''. The album was produced by [[Simon Emmerson]] and Simon ‘Mass’ Massey from the [[Afro Celt Sound System|Afro Celts]].

In November 2006, they were voted the "Greatest Devonians" in Devon County Council's competition, with more than a third of the votes. Other contenders included [[Sir Francis Drake]], [[Charles Babbage]], [[Agatha Christie]] and [[Muse (band)|Muse]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2006/07/25/greatest_devonian_feature.shtml Greatest Devonians at bbc.co.uk]</ref> Their support of local good causes has ranged from continued fundraising for a children's hospice in the county to playing a special [[St George's Day]] concert in Sandford to raise money to save the village Post Office there.

===Recent work===
Show of Hands played London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] for a concert on the 8 April 2007, which was their third performance there. This was to celebrate their 15 year partnership as Show of Hands.

In July 2008 Show of Hands played at the first folk proms concert in the welsh Proms season in St Davids Hall, Cardiff. On 26 July 2008, Show of Hands played at the Evolve 08 festival in Lodmoor Park, [[Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth]], along with Miranda Sykes. Steve Knightley returned to the [[Trowbridge Village Pump Festival]] in July 2009 without Phil Beer, due to Beer's sailing at the time. As such, he played song sfrom his then-new solo album ''Track of Words - Retraced''. Show of Hands returned to the festival in July 2010 with both members.

In October 2009, the band's tenth studio album, ''[[Arrogance Ignorance and Greed]]'' was released.

In February 2010, the group won both "Best Duo" and "Best Original Song" for the track "Arrogance Ignorance and Greed" at the BBC [[Radio 2 Folk Awards]].

Previously unreleased Show of Hands compositions before 1987 (and some from after 1987) appeared on Phil Beer's [[box set]], ''Box Set One'', in 2010.

In November 2010, they released their eleventh studio album, ''Covers 2'', also their second covers album after ''Covers'' from 2000. The album was credited to Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes, the first time Sykes gets a leading credit on one of their albums. They did a tour with Texan guitarist Rodney Branigan following the album's release. The most recent concert was at Colston Hall, Bristol, 28 November 2010.

==Discography==
===Cassettes===
*''Show of Hands'' (1987)
*''Tall Ships'' (1990)
*''Out for the Count'' (1991)

===Studio albums===
*''[[Beat about the Bush]]'' (1994)
*''[[Lie of the Land]]'' (1995)
*''[[Dark Fields]]'' (1997)
*''[[Folk Music (album)|Folk Music]]'' (1998)
*''[[Covers (Show of Hands album)|Covers]]'' (2000)
*''[[Cold Frontier]]'' (2001)
*''[[The Path (album)|The Path]]'' (2003)
*''[[Country Life (Show of Hands album)|Country Life]]'' (2003)
*''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness]]'' (2006)
*''[[Arrogance Ignorance and Greed]]'' (2009)
*''[[Covers 2]]'' (2010)

===Live albums===
*''[[Show of Hands Live|Live '92]]'' (1994)
*''[[Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Show of Hands album)|Live at the Royal Albert Hall]]'' (1996)
*''[[Cold Cuts (Show of Hands album)|Cold Cuts]]'' (2002)
*''[[As You Were (album)|As You Were]]'' (2005)
*''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)#Live at Exeter Phoenix|Live at Exeter Phoenix]]'' (2008)

===Compilations===
*''Backlog'' (1995)
*''Anglicana'' (1999)
*''No Song to Sing'' (2000)
*''Show of Hands'' (2000)
*''Roots - The Best of Show of Hands'' (2007)

===Singles===
*''Columbus'' EP (1995)
*"Crazy Boy" (1997)
*"Crooked Man" (2004)
*"Witness" (2006)
*"Roots" (2007)

===Videos & DVDs===
*''Acoustic Workshop'' (1996)
*''Stairway To Devon'' (1998)
*''The Big Gig'' (2001)
*''Show of Hands on Film - The Video Collection'' (2004)
*''Tour of Topsham'' (2007)

===Other===
*A re-recording of the song "Crooked Man" called ''Crooked Man '07'' appeared on Steve Knightely's second solo album ''Cruel River'', from 2007.
*Re-recordings of various show of Hands songs "Exile", "Santiago" and "Sit You Down" (as well as many other traditional songs Show of Hands had recorded) were re-recorded by Phil Beer for his solo box set, ''Box Set One'', as well as previously unreleased pre-1987 Show of Hands songs, such as "Take Back Your Pictures", "Last Picture Show", "White Tribes", and "Undertow".

====Compilation appearances====
*''Huntingdon Folk: Folk From Huntingdon Hall'' (1997) (Song: "Ratcliff Highway")
*''The Best of British Folk, Volume 1'' (2001) (Song: "Man in Green", "Galway Farmer")
*''The Folk Awards 2005'' (2005) (Song: "Country Life")
*''Rubber Folk'' (2005) (Song: "If i Needed Someone")
*''Folk Awards 2007'' (2007) (Song: "Roots")
*''Huntingdon Folk 4'' (2008) (Song: "Santiago")
*''While My Guitar Gently Sleeps'' (2008) (Song: "If i Needed Someone")
*''Folk Awards 2010'' (2010) (Song: "Arrogance Ignorance and Greed")

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|title=‘Country life’? Rurality, folk music and ‘Show of Hands’ |first1=Richard|last1=Yarwood|first2=Clive|last2=Charlton|doi=10.1016/j.jrurstud.2008.10.003|journal=Journal of Rural Studies|volume=25|issue=2|pages=194–206|year=2009}}

==External links==
* [http://www.showofhands.co.uk Show of Hands official website]

{{Show of Hands}}

[[Category:English folk musical groups]]

[[it:Show of Hands]]

Show of Hands

2011-08-02T15:10:54Z

TangoTizerWolfstone: /* Studio albums */

{{For|the film|Show of Hands (film)}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = Show of Hands
| image = Show of Hands.jpg
| caption = Show of Hands; Harberton Village Hall, Devon 20 May 2009 Photo: Brian Marks
| landscape = Yes
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = [[England]]
| instrument = [[Singing|Vocals]], [[Mandocello]], [[Mandolin]], [[Cuatro (instrument)|Cuatro]], [[Fiddle]], [[Guitar]]
| genre = [[Traditional music|Roots]], [[Folk music|folk]], [[Acoustic music|acoustic]]
| years_active = 1991–present
| label = Hands On Music, distributed by [[Proper Music Distribution]]
| associated_acts =
| website = [http://www.showofhands.co.uk/ www.showofhands.co.uk]
| current_members = [[Steve Knightley]][[Phil Beer]]
| past_members =
| notable_instruments =
}}

'''Show of Hands''' is an English acoustic [[Traditional music|roots]] and [[Folk music|folk]] duo comprising [[singer-songwriter]] [[Steve Knightley]] and [[multi-instrumentalist]] [[Phil Beer]]. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz [[double-bass]]ist Miranda Sykes.

==History==
===Origins===

Steve Knightley and Phil Beer met as teenagers while playing in different bands in [[Exeter]], [[Devon]], where they grew up. They eventually got together and for a short period played in pubs and clubs, even undertaking a disastrous summer tour of [[Sweden]] when they were both 16. As school finished, their lives went separate ways. Knightley went to university in [[Coventry]], collected a degree and teaching qualifications, and ended up in [[London]] playing music in a rock band in his spare time. For Phil Beer the leap to professional musician was immediate. Throughout the years he played with many different people, including the [[Arizona Smoke Revue]] and then from 1984 with the [[Albion Band]]. In the mid 1980s Knightley returned to live in the [[West Country]], and so he and Phil Beer got together casually to play a few shows. This continued until 1991 when it became obvious that the partnership had the potential to become a full time career. Beer left the Albion Band and Show of Hands was born.

The first Show of Hands recordings were three cassettes, recorded on home studios. A selection of the best tracks from those cassettes was later released on the ''Backlog'' compilation album in 1995.

===1990s===
Their first album was, unusually, a live album. Recorded at the Bull Hotel in [[Bridport]], [[Dorset]], and titled ''[[Show of Hands Live|Live '92]]'', the excellent reviews it garnered helped them break into the festival circuit of 1993, and later that same year they toured with [[Ralph McTell]] on his autumn tour.

During 1992 Knightley and Beer were invited to join an inter-cultural music project which involved working with three exiled [[Chile]]an musicians. Out of this the band [[Alianza (band)|Alianza]] was formed and an album made. Alianza toured throughout 1992 and 1993 and influenced the duo greatly. They were introduced to a new range of rhythms and instruments and Steve was inspired to write songs that are now favourites with Show of Hands fans including "Santiago", "Armadas" and "Columbus Didn't Find America". Some of these found their way onto the first Show of Hands studio album ''[[Beat about the Bush]]'', which was released in 1994.

In 1995 Show of Hands released their second studio album ''[[Lie of the Land]]''. The album proved a turning point as it gathered in reviews from major publications hailing it as a masterpiece and a classic. Mojo said the album created "a powerful, fresh sounding music with both integrity and widespread appeal", while [[Q magazine]] called it a "startlingly good" album and went one further in voting it their folk album of the year in 1996.

With thousands of fans on their [[mailing list]], Show of Hands had long wanted to play a concert big enough to gather all those fans together. Different ideas were brought up but none seemed right until London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] was suggested; the perfect venue, prestigious and big enough! The undertaking required a huge gamble by the duo and their management, but the show sold out in advance and took place on the evening of March 24, 1996.

In 1997, they released their third studio album, [[Dark Fields]], which contained fan favourite "Cousin Jack". They released [[Folk Music (album)|Folk Music]] in 1998, which contains traditional songs. It was only availabile through post and at the band's concerts at the time.

===2000s===
[[File:Miranda Sykes.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Miranda Sykes at Harberton Village Hall 20th May 2009, Photo: Brian Marks]]

As is implied by the album name, ''[[Covers (Show of Hands album)|Covers]]'', the studio album released in 2000, contained only [[cover versions]] of songs by other artists. The songs were selected from ones that the duo had performed at concerts or sound checks over the years, and included music from artists such as [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], [[Peter Gabriel]], [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Ralph McTell]].

In 2001 Show of Hands celebrated their tenth anniversary with another sell out show at the [[Royal Albert Hall]]. The concert was recorded by [[Carlton Television|Carlton TV]] for network transmission and was shown as two dedicated half-hour programmes.
[[File:Show of Hands trio.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Show of Hands as a Trio]]
Their next studio album ''[[Cold Frontier]]'' was released in 2001 and was the first album to be recorded by Mick Dolan, who took responsibility for the Show of Hands sound after producer/manager Gerard O'Farrell returned to his native [[Australia]]. ''[[The Path (album)|The Path]]'', the first instrumental album by Show of Hands, was released in 2003 and is a celebration of the sights and sounds of the West Country coast. Each track is named after a different location, and creates an atmospheric musical portrait of the sea, and the seaside. In October 2003, the album ''[[Country Life (Show of Hands album)|Country Life]]'' was released. This studio recording of Knightley's most recent songs also featured a special bonus CD with alternative mixes of selected tracks.

Show of Hands won the ''Best Live Act'' award at the 2004 [[BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards]]. The winning of that particular award was especially pleasing to the duo as for that year it was voted on by the public and not by the usual panel of judges. At the 2005 awards they were nominated for ''Best Duo'' and were part of the [[Oysterband]] Big Session group that won the 'Best Group' award.

For their extensive tour in autumn 2004 the duo temporarily became a trio when they were joined by [[Miranda Sykes]] on [[double bass]] and vocals. Although initially reluctant, audience enthusiasm convinced them that the time was right for another Show of Hands live album. "We realised that we had the raw material to create a double album that would hopefully capture a song, a set or a moment in all of our musical lives." - Steve Knightley. ''[[As You Were (album)|As You Were]]'', a live [[double-album]], was released in 2005 and comprised 22 tracks recorded at various venues during the autumn tour. Miranda has since toured extensively with Show of Hands, and there were few shows in 2005 and 2006 where she was absent from the lineup.

In May 2006, Show of Hands released their ninth studio album ''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness]]''. The album was produced by [[Simon Emmerson]] and Simon ‘Mass’ Massey from the [[Afro Celt Sound System|Afro Celts]].

In November 2006, they were voted the "Greatest Devonians" in Devon County Council's competition, with more than a third of the votes. Other contenders included [[Sir Francis Drake]], [[Charles Babbage]], [[Agatha Christie]] and [[Muse (band)|Muse]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2006/07/25/greatest_devonian_feature.shtml Greatest Devonians at bbc.co.uk]</ref> Their support of local good causes has ranged from continued fundraising for a children's hospice in the county to playing a special [[St George's Day]] concert in Sandford to raise money to save the village Post Office there.

===Recent work===
Show of Hands played London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] for a concert on the 8 April 2007, which was their third performance there. This was to celebrate their 15 year partnership as Show of Hands.

In July 2008 Show of Hands played at the first folk proms concert in the welsh Proms season in St Davids Hall, Cardiff. On 26 July 2008, Show of Hands played at the Evolve 08 festival in Lodmoor Park, [[Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth]], along with Miranda Sykes. Steve Knightley returned to the [[Trowbridge Village Pump Festival]] in July 2009 without Phil Beer, due to Beer's sailing at the time. As such, he played song sfrom his then-new solo album ''Track of Words - Retraced''. Show of Hands returned to the festival in July 2010 with both members.

In October 2009, the band's tenth studio album, ''[[Arrogance Ignorance and Greed]]'' was released.

In February 2010, the group won both "Best Duo" and "Best Original Song" for the track "Arrogance Ignorance and Greed" at the BBC [[Radio 2 Folk Awards]].

Previously unreleased Show of Hands compositions before 1987 (and some from after 1987) appeared on Phil Beer's [[box set]], ''Box Set One'', in 2010.

In November 2010, they released their eleventh studio album, ''Covers 2'', also their second covers album after ''Covers'' from 2000. The album was credited to Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes, the first time Sykes gets a leading credit on one of their albums. They did a tour with Texan guitarist Rodney Branigan following the album's release. The most recent concert was at Colston Hall, Bristol, 28 November 2010.

==Discography==
===Cassettes===
*''Show of Hands'' (1987)
*''Tall Ships'' (1990)
*''Out for the Count'' (1991)

===Studio albums===
*''[[Beat about the Bush]]'' (1994)
*''[[Lie of the Land]]'' (1995)
*''[[Dark Fields]]'' (1997)
*''[[Folk Music (album)|Folk Music]]'' (1998)
*''[[Covers (Show of Hands album)|Covers]]'' (2000)
*''[[Cold Frontier]]'' (2001)
*''[[The Path (album)|The Path]]'' (2003)
*''[[Country Life (Show of Hands album)|Country Life]]'' (2003)
*''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness]]'' (2006)
*''[[Arrogance Ignorance and Greed]]'' (2009)
*''[[Covers 2]]'' (2010)

===Live albums===
*''[[Show of Hands Live|Live '92]]'' (1994)
*''[[Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Show of Hands album)|Live at the Royal Albert Hall]]'' (1996)
*''[[Cold Cuts (Show of Hands album)|Cold Cuts]]'' (2002)
*''[[As You Were (album)|As You Were]]'' (2005)
*''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)#Live at Exeter Phoenix|Live at Exeter Phoenix]]'' (2008)

===Compilations===
*''Backlog'' (1995)
*''Anglicana'' (1999)
*''No Song to Sing'' (2000)
*''Show of Hands'' (2000)
*''Roots - The Best of Show of Hands'' (2007)

===Singles===
*''Columbus'' EP (1995)
*"Crazy Boy" (1997)
*"Crooked Man" (2004)
*"Witness" (2006)
*"Roots" (2007)

===Videos & DVDs===
*''Acoustic Workshop'' (1996)
*''Stairway To Devon'' (1998)
*''The Big Gig'' (2001)
*''Show of Hands on Film - The Video Collection'' (2004)
*''Tour of Topsham'' (2007)

===Other===
*A re-recording of the song "Crooked Man" called ''Crooked Man '07'' appeared on Steve Knightely's second solo album ''Cruel River'', from 2007.
*Re-recordings of various show of Hands songs "Exile", "Santiago" and "Sit You Down" (as well as many other traditional songs Show of Hands had recorded) were re-recorded by Phil Beer for his solo box set, ''Box Set One'', as well as previously unreleased pre-1987 Show of Hands songs, such as "Take Back Your Pictures", "Last Picture Show", "White Tribes", and "Undertow".

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|title=‘Country life’? Rurality, folk music and ‘Show of Hands’ |first1=Richard|last1=Yarwood|first2=Clive|last2=Charlton|doi=10.1016/j.jrurstud.2008.10.003|journal=Journal of Rural Studies|volume=25|issue=2|pages=194–206|year=2009}}

==External links==
* [http://www.showofhands.co.uk Show of Hands official website]

{{Show of Hands}}

[[Category:English folk musical groups]]

[[it:Show of Hands]]