It's Hard
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| It's Hard | |||||
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| Studio album by The Who | |||||
| Released | 4 September 1982 | ||||
| Recorded | June 1982 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 46:29 | ||||
| Label | Polydor Records (UK) Warner Bros. (U.S.) |
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| Producer | Glyn Johns | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| The Who chronology | |||||
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It's Hard is the tenth album by the English rock band The Who, the second to be released after the death of drummer Keith Moon. It was released in 1982 on Polydor in the UK, peaking at number 11, and released on Warner Bros. in the US where it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts. Their eleventh studio album, Endless Wire, wasn't released for another 24 years. The US rights to both this album and Face Dances would later revert to MCA Records.
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[edit] History
There are two schools of thought with consideration to It's Hard. Some view it as an album inspired by the tense political climate of the early 1980s, as Pete Townshend did. Others see it merely as The Who fulfilling the contract to their American record label, as Roger Daltrey thought. The split in opinion is evident in reviews of the time - praised by some critics and panned by many others. Most notably, the album received a five-star review in Rolling Stone.
The first track, "Athena," is one of the few songs that was well received on It's Hard. The demo version was called "Theresa," named after actress Theresa Russell, but was then disguised. "Athena" peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Pop Singles charts.
In the years since its release, "Eminence Front" has become one of the most[citation needed] critically acclaimed songs from the band's catalogue.
The album cover, designed by Graham Hughes, depicts a young boy playing the Space Duel arcade game. It is a reference to Tommy, with the pinball table that the main character played updated to the times. It was not popular with Townshend, who criticized it shortly after the album's release because of the lack of the band's input.
- See also: 1982 in music
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Pete Townshend except where noted.
- "Athena" – 3:46
- "It's Your Turn" (John Entwistle) – 3:39
- "Cooks County" – 3:35
- "It's Hard" – 3:47
- "Dangerous" (Entwistle) – 3:15
- "Eminence Front" – 5:39
- "I've Known No War" – 5:46
- "One Life's Enough" – 2:22
- "One At a Time" (Entwistle) – 2:55
- "Why Did I Fall for That" – 3:18
- "A Man Is a Man" – 3:49
- "Cry If You Want" – 4:35
[edit] Bonus tracks on 1997 remastered edition
The 1997 digitally remastered reissue of It's Hard added four live tracks:
- "It's Hard" – 4:56
- "Eminence Front" – 5:37
- "Dangerous" (Entwistle) – 3:48
- "Cry If You Want" – 7:12
- All tracks were recorded on the last show of The Who's tour, 17 December 1982 in Toronto.
[edit] Singles
- "Athena" (UK 40, U.S. 28)
- "Eminence Front" (U.S. 68)
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Daltrey – vocals, guitar
- Pete Townshend – guitars, keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, French horn, synthesizer, vocals
- Kenney Jones – drums
- Andy Fairweather-Low – additional guitar and vocals
- Tim Gorman – additional keyboards
[edit] Production
- Jon Astley – executive producer
- Chris Charlesworth – executive producer
- Bill Curbishley – executive producer
- Richard Evans – album art design, album art direction
- Graham Hughes – photography
- Glyn Johns – producer, engineer
- Robert Rosenberg – executive producer
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering
- Bob Ludwig – remastering
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Billboard 200 | 8 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Athena" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 3 |
| 1982 | "Athena" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 28 |
| 1982 | "Cry If You Want" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 34 |
| 1982 | "Dangerous" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 38 |
| 1982 | "Eminence Front" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 5 |
| 1982 | "It's Hard" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 39 |
| 1983 | "Eminence Front" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 68 |
[edit] References
- www.thewho.net. It's Hard Liner Notes. Accessed on February 18, 2005.
- www.allmusic.com. It's Hard Album Credits. Accessed on February 18, 2005.
