page_title: Wake the Union
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Wake the Union / Background
caption_attribution_description: Cecil Sharp
context_page_description: Wake the Union is the sixteenth studio album by British folk duo Show of Hands. Although their fifteenth studio album, it is their eighth in their "canon" of studio albums. The release follows the successful Arrogance Ignorance and Greed and the limited edition albums Covers 2 and Backlog 2. Recorded and produced by Mark Tucker, the album takes a strong influence from both English and American folk music and was created as a "journey through of [the two countries'] landscapes united by a common tongue and musical heritage". The album again features their unofficial third member Miranda Sykes. The album was also described by Knightley as a direct continuation of Arrogance Ignorance and Greed, although critics saw it as very distinct in its own right. The album was also a 20th anniversary celebration for the duo.
  Released in October 2012 by the band's own label Hands on Music, it charted at number 73 in the UK Albums Chart, some 100 higher places than their only other album to chart at the time, Arrogance Ignorance and Greed. It was released to very positive reviews from critics, with some touting it as the duo's best album.
context_section_description: Show of Hands released their fourteenth studio album Arrogance Ignorance and Greed in 2009. The album was the second consecutive release by the band produced by an "outside producer", namely Stu Hanna of the English folk duo Megson, with additional production by Mark Tucker. The album followed a painfully emotion period for Steve Knightley where members of his family battled serious illnesses. This led to the album becoming particularly personal and darker than previous Show of Hands albums, aided by Hanna's direct and sharp production. The album was also very politically concerned. The album was released to a positive critical reception, many praising the darker tone to the album, although Phil Beer of the duo stated that the album did not sit well with several fans. The album entered the UK Album Chart at number 170, becoming their first album to chart. In 2010, the duo recorded their second album of cover versions, Covers 2, for a limited edition release, and recorded a collection of re-recordings of older material, Backlog 2, in 2011.
  Meanwhile, the duo had decided to change their sound for their next release, and to take part in the production of the album, something the duo had not done since Country Life (2003). They decided to re-hire Mark Tucker as co-producer. In January 2012, Knightley took part in the Cecil Sharp Project, a commission that included Knightley to create new material based on the life and collections of the founding father of the English folk revival Cecil Sharp. Knightley's musical focus became more evident in its American influence, and this would dominate the following album. After a year away from studio recording in 2011, the band recorded the album in 2012, over three different recording studios; Phil's Music Room in Devon, The Green Room, Devon and Highlands Farm Barn. The album was mastered at Masterblaster Audio Mastering in Canalot Studios, London. The working name of the album was Who Gets to Feel Good, but was later changed to Wake the Union.
caption: Knightley took part in the Cecil Sharp Project in early 2012 to celebrate Cecil Sharp.
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "SONY", "Image Model": "DSC-H1", "Image Orientation": "0", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image Software": "Picasa 3.0", "Image DateTime": "2010:05:20 16:21:33", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "280", "Image PrintIM": "[80, 114, 105, 110, 116, 73, 77, 0, 48, 51, 48, 48, 0, 0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "2472", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7404", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/1000", "EXIF FNumber": "9/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "64", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:05:20 16:21:33", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:05:20 16:21:33", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "8", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "72", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2060", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1544", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "2348", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "ca24b7278786d1568fa9e2a6bff6300a"}