UAWIL #104: The Who - It's Hard
The Who were ready to call it a day in 1982 which makes It's Hard their swan song. Of course they eventually came back but they were facing MTV, middle age, solo careers and examining life through different lenses
The Who were ready to call it a day in 1982 which makes It's Hard their swan song. Of course they eventually came back but they were facing MTV, middle age, solo careers and examining life through different lenses. Keith Moon died in 1978 after the release of Who Are You and The Who soldiered on with Kenney Jones (The Faces) on the drums. But Pete Townshend's solo debut Empty Glass in 1980, which featured the mega-hit Let My Love Open The Door, put the band in an awkward position.
The Who released Face Dances in 1981 but Pete was more keen on a solo career after the triple platinum Empty Glass. But the record company wanted one more Who album and tour and It's Hard was to serve as The Who's swan song which it did for nearly a quarter of a decade.
Radio hits Athena and Eminence Front are well known but diving deeper into the album unlocks some unheralded songs written by John Entwhistle, Pete's contemplation of himself as a middle age rock star and what their collective future might be with or without the band. While some of the keyboards and synths might make this one sound dated, some of the themes of struggling to understand your place in the world are as poignant as ever. It was fun to rediscover this one!
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