Who

It's Hard

It figures. Just when the Who had ceased to matter much–the band members having channeled a lot of their power and volatility and commitment into solo careers, employing the Who chiefly as a vehicle to take a greatest-hits revue on the road – it figures that they'd make their most vital and coherent album since Who's Next. It's fitting that It's Hard is a great record because, given the inverted world of Pete Townshend's mind, it's what you were least expecting.

The measure of worth of a Who album is the passion... Read More

that Pete Townshend brings to it, and whether that passion translates into songs from which a group voice can emerge, so that it makes sense for the Who to be playing them. That hadn't been the case in too long a time. Thus, Empty Glass, Townshend's audacious 1980 solo album, found him stepping away from the band's aegis and sounding surer of himself than he had in years, while Face Dances, the lackluster Who album that came in its wake, seemed to indicate that the Who had played out their rope. Townshend's recent solo LP, All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, depicted the artist's descent into an abyss of excess – and his heroic reemergence – in an obsessive, soul-baring orgy of ornate, cryptic verse and tough, tensile music. Surely by now he'd demonstrated that he could stand alone, and that he could command attention with his own voice.

Why, then, dig in with the Who all over again? Curiously, it partly has to do with the fact that Townshend must concede some of his freedom to the group process. As he put it in a recent interview: "... the Who provide me with a platform and a set of restrictions, constraints and limitations that are important." Those limitations apparently help Townshend focus his writing, which tended to wander abstractly through Chinese Eyes. By comparison, the generally broader, more politically minded lyrics of It's Hard seem as straightforward as the evening news. Beyond that, however, Townshend's renewed ties to the Who symbolize his rapprochement with the world after a period of exile in the wasteland. For the first time, he may have needed the Who more than they needed him – as a demonstration of the cooperative interaction that's necessary to get things done in the world, and as a unified front prepared to do battle with some of the pressing problems of our time through the medium of rock & roll. In any event, It's Hard is a strong affirmation of this band's ability to reach millions with powerful rock & roll and trenchant, galvanizing politics.

The key to the album is "I've Known No War," a song that could become an anthem to our generation much the way "Won't Get Fooled Again" did a decade ago. "I've Known No War" is one conscientious objector's statement of defiant opposition, tempered by the realities of the present day. To wit, that a nuclear war, despite our best pacifistic inclinations, is

CD Track List

Track List 1 Track List 2 Track List 3

It's Hard (Original CD Edition) (1982)
1. Athena
2. It's Your Turn
3. Cooks County
4. It's Hard
5. Dangerous
6. Eminence Front
7. I've Known No War
8. One Life's Enough
9. One At A Time
10. Why Did I Fall For That
11. A Man Is A Man
12. Cry If You Want

It's Hard (Original CD Edition) Originally Released MCA CD Editi on Released May 1989 MCA Remastered + Expanded CD Edition Released June 3, 1997 AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Driven by Pete Townshend's arching musical ambitions, It's Hard was an undistinguished final effort from the Who. Fe aturing layers of synthesizers and long-winded, twisting song structures, the album featured few memorable melodies and little energy, with only t he anthemic "Athena" and the terse "Eminence Front" making a lasting impr ession. The new compact disc reissue adds four bonus tracks to the origin al 12-song lineup, all of them live. These alternate versions of "Eminenc e Front," athe title song and "Cry If You Want," along with John Entwistl e's "Dangerous," all come from performances at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. Although no specific recording dates are given in the bo oklet, these bonus tracks give us far more lively versions of these songs than their original studio counterparts. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Cub Koda CMJ New Music Report Recovered, it would seem, from the dual tragedies of Keith Moon's death and the Cincinnati concert (a period whi ch fueled Townshend's solo work but left the band appearing splintered), the Who have once again produced an album bristling with the kind of sing le-minded commitment that hasn't been heard since Who's Next. This renewe d energy shows in both the songs and performances on It's Hard. As usual, Townshend takes a spokesman's stance, but has succeeded this time around in getting across his messages without undermining the group's musical p ower. To the casual listener, the record packs sufficient wallop to keep stadium crowds punching fists in the air, but careful attention to the ly rics offers insights and admonitions particularly relevant to the hard ti mes ahead. "Why Did I Fall For That?" may not have the dazzling dynamics of "Won't Get Fooled Again," but the spirit remains, and "I've Known No W ar" is a bitterly potent indictment of the new militarism that could lead to ultimate destruction. In a similar vein, the lyrics of "Athena" scan poorly (Townshend mistakenly confuses obscurity with poetic imagery), but the melodic hooks, especially in John Entwistle's horn charts, keep the track alive and kicking. Credit goes to the bassman, too, for his own son g contributions. While not as complex in structure as Townshend's, nor as thematically ambitious, they address a cheating mate ("One At A Time"), younger bands ("It's Your Turn") and realistic paranoia ("Dangerous") in straightforward rockers that sit well within the unified framework of the album. But for one ballad, Townshend's effective "One Life's Enough," th e LP roars by to show a band in rare form. They play tight and hard (kudo s to Kenney Jones' unobtrusive but rocksteady drumming) and show that the y mean to go out (if this current tour is indeed the last) swinging. When a band has produced as much brilliant material as the Who has over the y ears, the real surprise may not lie in individual tracks themselves as mu ch as in the fact that the band can carry the weight of our expectations without sounding burdened. Yes, It's Hard, but it's good, too. © 1978-1 999 College Media, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved CD Con nection Review Additional personnel: Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar); Tim Gorman (electric piano, organ, synthesizer). Producer: Glyn Johns Reissue producers: Jon Astley, Andy Macpherson. Recorded at Turn Up-D own Studios, Surrey, England, in June and live at Maple Leaf Gardens , Toronto, Canada on December 16-17, Who fans tend to dismiss t he two studio albums that the group made with former Small Faces drummer Kenny Jones after original drummer Keith Moon's death in 1978, but both F ACE DANCES and IT'S HARD are solid rock albums that deserve to be judged on their respective merits. Recorded in, IT'S HARD was the Who's fin al studio album and it is arguably the least rock-oriented album that The Who made. At the time this album was recorded, Pete Townshend was experi menting with writing in a variety of pop styles and both of the singles f rom IT'S HARD, "Athena" and "It's Hard" showcase an adventurous, near-the atrical approach that is actually well-suited to Roger Daltrey's somewhat dramatic singing. On other songs, like the ominous "Eminence Front" Townshend sticks to familiar Who territory. However, it is bassist John E ntwistle who provides such Who-like rockers as "It's Your Turn." Now rema stered and featuring four live bonus cuts, IT'S HARD is ready to rediscov ered by Who fans who didn't give this album a fair chance back in ROLLING STONE REVIEW It figures. Just when the Who had ceased to matte r much--the band members having channeled a lot of their power and volati lity and commitment into solo careers, employing the Who chiefly as a veh icle to take a greatest-hits revue on the road -- it figures that they'd make their most vital and coherent album since Who's Next. It's fitting t hat It's Hard is a great record because, given the inverted world of Pete Townshend's mind, it's what you were least expecting. The measure of worth of a Who album is the passion that Pete Townshend brings to it, and whether that passion translates into songs from which a group voice can emerge, so that it makes sense for the Who to be playing them. That hadn' t been the case in too long a time. Thus, Empty Glass, Townshend's audaci ous 1980 solo album, found him stepping away from the band's aegis and so unding surer of himself than he had in years, while Face Dances, the lack luster Who album that came in its wake, seemed to indicate that the Who h ad played out their rope. Townshend's recent solo LP, All the Best Cowboy s Have Chinese Eyes, depicted the artist's descent into an abyss of exces s -- and his heroic reemergence -- in an obsessive, soul-baring orgy of o rnate, cryptic verse and tough, tensile music. Surely by now he'd demonst rated that he could stand alone, and that he could command attention with his own voice. Why, then, dig in with the Who all over again? Curious ly, it partly has to do with the fact that Townshend must concede some of his freedom to the group process. As he put it in a recent interview: ". .. the Who provide me with a platform and a set of restrictions, constrai nts and limitations that are important." Those limitations apparently hel p Townshend focus his writing, which tended to wander abstractly through Chinese Eyes. By comparison, the generally broader, more politically mind ed lyrics of It's Hard seem as straightforward as the evening news. Beyon d that, however, Townshend's renewed ties to the Who symbolize his rappro chement with the world after a period of exile in the wasteland. For the first time, he may have needed the Who more than they needed him -- as a demonstration of the cooperative interaction that's necessary to get thin gs done in the world, and as a unified front prepared to do battle with s ome of the pressing problems of our time through the medium of rock & rol l. In any event, It's Hard is a strong affirmation of this band's ability to reach millions with powerful rock & roll and trenchant, galvanizing p olitics. The key to the album is "I've Known No War," a song that coul d become an anthem to our generation much the way "Won't Get Fooled Again " did a decade ago. "I've Known No War" is one conscientious objector's s tatement of defiant opposition, tempered by the realities of the present day. To wit, that a nuclear war, despite our best pacifistic inclinations , is in the hands of a few men who will simply decide to push a button, a nd that the ensuing annihilation will be sudden, certain and eternal: "Wa r--I've known no war/I'll never know war/And if I ever know it/The glimps e will be short/Fireball in the sky." Roger Daltrey gives a stirring read ing of the lyrics, conveying both thoughtful speculation and outright ang er. Just as eloquent is Townshend's guitar playing, which suggests deep r eserves of humanity while telegraphing the iconographic dread of holocaus t. Equally meritorious is "Cry if You Want," which harks back to anoth er Who classic, "I Can See for Miles," in that it can be taken at face va lue, or as something greater. Ostensibly an autobiographical rant about t he headstrong, somewhat hypocritical fires of their youth, "Cry if You Wa nt" might also be read as an epitaph for the arrogant, self-important ide alism of this generation: "Once it was just innocence/Brash ideas and ins olence/But you will never get away/With the things you say today." Those angry words are hammered home by the roaring thunder of a band playing as if its life depended on it. If you'd been wondering if the Who would eve r click together again, here's all the proof you need: Daltrey's razor-ed ged vocals, Townshend's slashing guitar, John Entwistle's rumbling bass a nd Kenney Jones' martial drum rolls entwine in a ferocious attack. The entire album is vibrant with the palpable energy of rekindled bonds and rediscovered group values. Daltrey sings in as natural a voice as he's ev er used, employing his blustery growl more sparingly and, hence, effectiv ely. Entwistle has contributed three numbers that are quintessential Who songs, not merely the darkly witty curios he's generally known for. And J ones has at last found his niche in the Who; in fact, his newfound assert iveness has toughened up the band's sound to a pitch it hasn't had since Keith Moon began losing steam. Longtime fans will no doubt approach re verie when they hear "Athena," the single and album opener. The trademark Who intro of roiling acoustic guitar, drums and ping-ponging bass glides into one of Daltrey's most playful vocals. And when Townshend takes over for the "just a girl, just a girl" chorus, you know you're in Who heaven . But then the going gets tough, and topical: It's Hard is full of relent less, densely textured songs that excoriate private failures and the drif t of the world at large toward lawlessness and ruin. Throughout, Townshen d seeks to define the actions that will accomplish something beyond well- intentioned rhetoric. It's a long road the Who have traveled from the bristling, bare-knuckled fury of their early days to the present. They ra nk among a handful of vanguard rock musicians who show signs of pushing t hrough the age barrier and creating a viable adult vocabulary for rock, o ne that faces up to the moral responsibilities of middle age and allows t hem to use their craft to effectively shape consciousness. It must seem e specially ironic to Townshend that this is true of the band that sang "ho pe I die before I get old" back in 1965, but there you go: always the gro up that delivers the unexpected. (RS 379 - Sep 30,) -- PARKE PUTERB AUGH AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW An awesome and unfairly maligned earl y Eighties album, July 23, 2004 Reviewer: Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY Unite d States) This was the last Who studio album I purchased, a fact that ma y have influenced my love for it. I'd been waiting a long time for it, ha d to specially order it from one of the music stores in my college town a fter having waited in vain for ages for it to show up on its own, and end ed up paying $17.84, which is a rather high price for a CD in one of the music stores in Amherst, MA! After waiting so long, it had better be good . Even after it was in my hands and I was back in my room, I had to spend what felt like fifteen or twenty minutes trying to pry the CD out of the jewel case; it was screwed in so tightly I was afraid it might break. In addition to this long wait, I had already heard all of the negative hype surrounding it and was expecting something at least mediocre, if not out right bad. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with it upon the very first note. Probably a lot of older fans hated it becaus e they were unfairly comparing it to their great masterpieces which had g one before, and the fact that they didn't like Kenney Jones's drumming. A s a younger fan, I had more of a historical perspective on it. (This albu m was released a few months before I turned three, but I can't recall hav ing heard any of these songs on the radio at the time; it may have been m ade in my lifetime, but I was a bit too young to remember it and thus was able to come to it in early adulthood with a blank slate.) This albu m is a thousand times better than FD. The only song on IH I don't like is "Why Did I Fall for That?" The others are pulsating and alive with energ etic music, upbeat, interesting, touching, sometimes political lyrics, to p-notch vocals, all-around great quality. It's a great series of statemen ts about some of the things going on in the early Eighties. A lot of fans hate "A Man Is a Man" and "One Life's Enough," but I love both of those songs (perhaps because I'm a female fan and most Who freaks are men); the latter song is incredibly lush, beautiful, and erotic. It might not be a s well-known as the New Wave records that were so common in this era, but I think it's aged better, and besides, how many albums put out in a re still remembered today? The bonus tracks suffer from the same prob lem as the three bonus tracks on WBN--they're just live versions of songs we just heard earlier on the album (though WBN features one live song th at wasn't on that album but a hit from several years ago), not unreleased material that, in the case of a number of their other albums, doubled th e length when they were reissued. But the bonus tracks here are more exci ting, with great onstage dialogue; the CD reissue even manages to end wit h the same song that the original LP did, only in a live version. "Cry If You Want" is such a powerful and emotional early Eighties classic, a per fect album closer either live or in a studio version, and most of all a f antastic swan song. AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW The Who's Final Anthem , March 13, 2004 Reviewer: Bud Sturguess (Seminole, Texas, USA) "I hate it!" was lead singer Roger Daltrey's opinion of "It's Hard," The Who's l ast studio album to date. This was in stark contrast to Pete Townshend's view; the guitarist/songwriter seemed eager about the album and felt that The Who had been musically born again and revitalized. The same differen ce between the opinions of Daltrey and Townshend appeared among critics a nd fans. Rolling Stone called "It's Hard" The Who's best since "Who's Nex t," while others were less impressed. Some fans ate it up, others quickly spit it out. Whether all of this has anything to do with the fact that T he Who hasn't recorded another studio album since then or not, "It's Hard " is a headstrong album that contains as much angst, bitterness, and dete rmination as their most heraled albums. "It's Hard" is identifiably 80s , considering the synthesizers that fill the album; but it should be note d that The Who were among the first to innovate the use of the synthesize r in the first place (see "Who's Next," recorded eleven years earlier). B ut the range of emotions overwhelm even the synthesizers. The entire albu m is an anthem. The Who's instantly recognizable contempt for the fact th at they were getting older is obvious; Roger Daltrey belts bassist John E ntwistle's words in 'It's Your Turn,' "I was a face in a magazine/When yo u were still playing with your plasticine." Also evident is the group's d isenchantment with the emptiness of the music scene, as they state i n the title track "Any kid can chatter, few can inform. It's hard..." Muc h of the material here is catchy, even when it gets down to the nitty-gri tty, examples being the bar band-like 'One At a Time' and the more access ible 'Why Did I Fall For That,' 'Cooks County,' and 'Eminence Front,' the closest thing to an audience-embraced hit on the album...except of cours e the opener 'Athena.' There are four bonus tracks on this remaster of "It's Hard," all of them recorded live. These concert tracks, especially the title song, reveal to the audience the true anthemic purposes of this album. Another studio release from The Who would have been great, but fo r the time being, we are left with "It's Hard" as their studio swan song, and frankly it doesn't get much better than this. AMAZON.COM CUSTOM ER REVIEW Should be a 4 STAR review, but..., December 31, 2006 Reviewer : DJ MR Smith (Seattle) ...MCA Records included the wrong version of the track "Cry If You Want" on this reissue. A killer cut from the original Warner Brothers vinyl record, the original take of "Cry If You Want" has been replace on this reissue with a less powerful mix emphasizing the sna re drum, rather than Pete's windmill power chords that originally added a terrific coda to the song. Otherwise, I find It's Hard to be a rathe r underrated album by The Who; much better than Face Dances. The AOR/Clas sic Rock hit "Eminence Front" has a surprisingly solid funk/disco groove - and I mean that in the best possible way. The forgotten radio song Athe na remains as likable as ever. With repeated listening, it's the deep er cuts that really push this record a notch or two above Face Dances and perhaps even Who Are You. There isn't anything here as thunderous and an them-oriented as the song "Who Are You" - but the lyrics and arrangements are some of the bands best. "A Man Is A Man", "I've Known No War", and t he title track "It's Hard" are equally as personal and compelling as the material on Pete Townshend's solo triumph Empty Glass. John Entwistle wrote three of the songs here and all are high points on the album, spec ifically "Dangerous", a mantra of paranoia. Of course it's Kenny Jone s and not Keith Moon on drums. Purists will always diss the album for thi s fact alone. Still, considering song craft, relevance, general likeabili ty of that material here, I find that this CD sits nicely on the shelf al ongside Who By Numbers and Pete Townshend's Empty Glass. The original Warner Brothers version of the song "Cry If You Want" can be found the n ow out-of-print (not-remastered) CD from that label. AMAZON.COM CUSTOM ER REVIEW Some pretty good songs with a couple of weaker ones from, August 22, 2006 Reviewer: Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) Well, this re cord came out in and rose to #8 on the charts. Rolling Stone gave it a rave review and I remember liking it very much. Roger Daltrey has been quoted as saying the album should never have been released, but I have n o idea what he meant by that. I suspect that the change in musical fashio n toward the Punk made this album seem old fashioned. However, I have alw ays despised Punk and am still mystified why a foul mouthed psychotics bo uncing around on the stage unable to play their instruments while raging about a life that has never cost them anything should be fashionable. Oh, right, their audience is also incompetent and never accomplished a thing either. Yeah, that's probably it. Daltrey was probably feeling a bit dat ed and intimidated. Not every song on this record is a gem, but a few are quite solid. Athena still holds its own as a wonderful pop/rock song of desire for the female - She's a Bomb! However, it is really a mocking song against Margaret Thatcher as the castrated leader and so forth. The title song, "It's Hard" is ok, but not one that I particularly love. Sam e goes for "Cook's County. For me, the best song on the album is "Eminenc e Front" with its ironic condemnation of social pretence and opulent self -delusion: "people forget they're hiding" is still correct. I think it st ands up as something strong and relevant nearly 25 years after release. At the time, the beginning of the Reagan administration when a certain ideology thought the world was on the brink of nuclear destruction, "I've Known No War" seemed important. The opening rage "I've known no war and if I ever do I won't know for sure who'll be fighting whom" seems more tr ue today than it could have in It is true we baby boomers never kne w anything like WWII (except for the Vietnam veterans) and that we were t oo ungrateful to our parents and grandparents for the freedoms provided t o us: "the medals are lost, they belong to a lone broken sailor. His prov inces now are the bars of the town, his songs and his poems of failure. F or his grandchildren can't see the glory and his own are bored with the s tory. But for him they'd have burned behind netting. From the brink they were grabbed." This is more true than any young person today understands. If I never hear "One Life's Enough" ever again, that will not be a l oss and may be the reason why Daltrey had reservations about the release of the album. "Why Did I Fall For That" is another sad song about mid-lif e regret and that stage when you realize you let your opportunities slip by while waiting for something that will never come. "A Man is a Man" is about true manhood not being about the brash, the endless affairs, the at hletic prowess, the braggadocio, but being about self-sacrifice and frien dship and being there for those who depend on him despite all his very re al flaws. Almost a fine song. "Cry If You Want" is a fitting end to t his album of mid-life angst and regret. John Entwistle, may he rest i n peace, contributed three songs. They are all pretty good Entwistle song s with his interesting musical contrast to Pete Townsend. "It's Your Turn " is an older guy talking to his young competition about his own sense of his youth and that if the young one wants it, he needs to step up and ta ke it. "Dangerous" is about anxiety shaken with a couple drops of paranoi a. "One at a Time" is another of his songs about problems with women. Thi s time it is him pushing away a troublesome and unfaithful girl. It w as fun listening to this record again after so many years. AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW Just another Chrysler K-Car, October 12, 2005 Reviewer : Durling Heath "Durling Heath" (Cohoes, NY) The decade of the 1980's wa s a strange one for classic rockers. Gone were the age of discovery in th e 1960's and the lawlessness of 1970's. For Clapton, the Yardbirds, Cream , and Derek were gone and 'Money and Cigarettes' characterized a mediocre era for the guitar legend. For the Rolling Stones, 'Tattoo You was notew orthy, but was a far cry from 'Sticky Fingers,' 'Some Girls,' and 'Let It Bleed.' In the case of the surviving members of The Beatles, the 1980's represented a time to take stock and attempt reestablish their musical ro ots - a task in which many fans considered a miserable failure. Rock duri ng the 1980's was not unlike the Chrysler K-Car, the automotive industry' s parallel to classic rock: it was boxy, canned, and mostly uninteresting . For The Who, the 1980's output was also a divergence from the days of 'Tommy' and 'Quadrophenia,' but The Who's midlife crisis seemed to go more smoothly that that if the band's contemporaries. 'Face Dances' was a somewhat impressive effort, (but may have actually been released BEFORE New Year's Day, 1980), and although 'It's Hard' is less so. Still, there are some gems among the rubble. While most of the music on 'It's Hard ' is in fact generally "boxy, canned, and mostly uninteresting," cuts lik e "Athena" and "Eminence Front" demonstrate a recording presence that onl y The Who could have produced. Roger Daltrey's authoritative and soulful voice still commanded respect, and this is no more apparent than with the se two songs. The booming rhythm in "Eminence Front," a treatise on the f alseness and shallowness of people during the Decade of Excess, is formid able. The title cut is a philosophical commentary on what it means to be a man adapted from Pete Townshend's "(I Just Want To Be) Popular" provide s more attractive lyrics than it does a toe-tapping beat or memorable mel ody. At the same time, the rest of the original songs on 'It's Hard,' written by Townshend or the late John Entwistle, are about as sharp as a spoon. It is as if Townshend and Entwistle wanted to say something, but were unable to succeed in anything other than muttering unintelligibly so mething under their collective, wasted breath. Even Townshend's famous le ad guitar licks, it seems, had been muted by the haze that clung to the m usic at the time. Bonus live cuts have been added to the compact disc, an d those cuts, including live versions of "Athena," "Eminence Front," and "It's Hard" really add little to the experience. While The Who may ha ve weathered the Eighties better than some comparable acts, and while 'It 's Hard' does have enough to keep a fan of The Who just a little interest ed, for one of the most talented and prolific rock bands in the history o f the genre, 'It's Hard' is just another K-Car, although it is a K-Car th at has leather seats and an AM/FM Cassette stereo. AMAZON.COM CUSTOME R REVIEW They should have quit 10 years earlier, February 24, 2004 Revi ewer: Nuclear Snake (Arlington, VA) With all due respect to the fans who 've posted glowing reviews of this album, I have to say that it's a rathe r pathetic finale lacking even one memorable cut. For all intents and pur poses, it's a Pete Townshend solo album, only with Roger Daltrey oversing ing everything as if he's auditioning for Star Search. As if that wasn't enough, the lyrics are downright embarrassing ("you got me requisitioned blondie"?!), and the songs sound ridiculously overproduced. This might as well be by Phil Collins; it's that bad. The problem, however, is not ne cessarily that Keith Moon is gone, because the Who were basically done af ter Who's Next, maybe before. Kenny Jones was actually a great drummer in the Small Faces/Faces and a good fit, but NO ONE could make this mess so und good. If it didn't have the Who brand name, nobody would even care. With the exception of Tommy, the Who were a great band from 1964-1971. If you really want to know what they were about and what made them so rev ered and influential, check out their truly great albums: My Generation, A Quick One, Sell Out, Live At Leeds, and the posthumous BBC Sessions. Th en, they were a vibrant young band full of piss and vinegar that seemed t o write and play great material at will -- and with rock and roll energy to spare. Rebellion and playing clubs like the Marquee is rock and roll, NOT stadium tours sponsored by Budweiser. Their '70s dinosaur stuff yo u hear on those worthless classic rot stations has its moments, but It's Hard doesn't offer even that. And compared to a monumental work like Sell Out, and you don't even need to bother. FM radio is wrong again. AMAZ ON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW Not Pete's best, but it has it's moments, June 2, 2001 Reviewer: B. PERKINS (Denton, TX United States) I was a big Who fan when this album came out, but I have to admit I was disappointed. It wasn't so much the playing of the band, which was always great, but the quality of the songs. Pete had a habit near the end of The Who of writing some pointless lyrics. For example, take this quatrain from Athena, the album's first single: Consumed, there was a beautiful white horse I s aw on a dream stage He had a snake the size of a sewer pipe living in h is rib cage I felt like a pickled priest who was being flambed You go t me requisitioned blondie Some of the lyrics suffer from being incom prehensible, but the album does have a couple of highlights. "Eminence Fr ont" is one of them; I don't think the band ever sounded as tight as they do on this track. And Entwistle's "Dangerous" is terrific. Still, th e best track on the album is the last one, "Cry if You Want." While the b and plays at a feverish intensity, Daltrey reads Townshend's lyrics as th ough his life depended on it: Don't you get embarrassed when you thin k about the way you were Yesterday the day before when you were young w ith much to learn Aren't you glad it's your last term No more acting lowly worm You can make the suckers squirm When you tell them how muc h you earn Don't you feel ashamed at all the bitterness you keep inside Does your ego save your face "I had a go - I really tried" Now you k now your leaders lied Does it stop you acting snide Or are you still a boy that cried Tears now surely long since dried. After this, Tow nshend goes into a tremendous power chord solo. I was disappointed that t he band fell apart like it did after Keith Moon's death, but "Cry if You Want" is one hell of a final note.
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WHO

It's Hard
Cd (domestic). Remastered. Brand New, Factory Sealed, Ships Within 24 Hours! Product Notes Are N...

NEW

$11.85

SilverDisc

USA

Who

It's Hard
5376962 Special Order

MINT/MINT

$12.09

Netdiscs

WHO

It's Hard
Umgd/mca, 0011635

NEW

$12.62

CDconnection

USA

Who

It's Hard -16 Tr.-
0731453769625 1 Nld, Bertus, Polyd, 97-05-20

$13.40

Poppy Arts

Germany

Who

It's Hard
De

$14.00

RAMCD

USA

who

It's Hard -16 Tr.-
018576 condition: New Copy/ Cd 20 5 1997 Polyd 07314 5376962 Condition: New Copy/ / Style: Roc H... Special Order

$14.10

CDExpress

Netherl

Who

It's Hard
Original Item, Check Product's Page For Detaile Eu, Universal, 5376962, 09/05/1997 Special Order

NEW/NEW

$14.85

Polish Music

Poland

Who

It's Hard -16 Tr.-
Polyd, 0731453769625 Special Order

MINT/MINT

$15.11

Netdiscs

WHO

It's Hard -16 Tr.-
=remastered Incl. 4 Live Tracks (1982 Tour)= Holland, Polydor, 073145376962, 1997 Special Order

NEW

$15.65

CD Euroxpres

USA

WHO

It's Hard
Brand New, In-stock Cd. Ships Fast And Secure. Add To Cart With Confidence! Usa, Umgd/mca, 11635,...

NEW

$17.54

NORTHATLANTI

USA

Who

It's Hard (1982)

$17.54

Fun Records

Germany

WHO

It's Not Enough
Usa Scarce 1-track Promo Cd Single With Nice Custom Rear Insert. #21725-2

$19.80

Around The

USA

WHO

It's Hard -16 Tr.-
Nld, Polydor, 07314 5376962, 1997

NEW / NEW

$21.92

CD-Maxi-Sing

Netherl

Who

It's Hard
1997 Eu, Polydor

M/ NEW

$21.73

Asbury Park

Italy

WHO

It's Hard
The Who Is A Famous Rock Band Of The Sixties That Includes Roger Daltrey At The Vocals, Pete Town...

ALL OUR PRODUCTS ARE BRAND NEW, AND FACTORY-SEALED

$23.15

Musea

France

Who

It's Not Enough

$25.00

Southland CD

USA

Who

It's Not Enough
Super Scarce 1 Track Promo Only Cd Made To Promote The New Album & Tour, Custom Pink Disc &am...

$25.00

Southland CD

USA

Who

It's Not Enough
Super Scarce 1 Track Advance Promo Only Cd, Made To Promote The New Album "endless Wire"...

$25.00

Southland CD

USA

Who

It's Hard
Uk

EX/EX

$29.00

Vinylshop

who

It's Hard
881116352 cd Condition: New/rock Special Order

$32.20

CDExpress

Netherl

Who

It's Hard (shm-cd)
Import-jpn/shm-cd Notes: Japanese Shm-cd Pressing. Universal. 2012. No Track Listing Available. ...

NEW

$41.29

SACD Store

USA

WHO

It's Hard (shm-cd)
Not Returnable, Not Cancellable Japanese Import, 1115720

NEW

$45.12

CDconnection

USA

WHO

It's Hard (shm-cd)
Rock

NEW

$46.54

GrooveNet

USA

WHO

It's Hard (shm-cd)
Cd (import). Import-jpn/shm-cd. Brand New, Factory Sealed, Ships Within 24 Hours! Japanese Shm-c...

NEW

$47.24

SilverDisc

USA

WHO

It's Hard
Japanese Only Paper Sleeve Shm-cd Pressing. Universal. 2011. Attributes: Japan - Import, Japanes... Special Order

NEW

$56.25

CDQ Special

USA

WHO

It's Hard (shm-cd)
Brand New, In-stock Cd. Ships Fast And Secure. Add To Cart With Confidence! Jpn, Universal, Uicy-...

NEW

$59.62

NORTHATLANTI

USA

Who

It's Hard
Please Allow Up To 30 Days Before Shipment. Stock Level: Low. Number Of Media (discs, Tapes, Reco... Special Order

NEW/NEU! (SEALED)

$71.11

Total Recall

Germany

WHO

It's Hard
Europe

NEW/NEW

$80.85

sebo do disc

Brazil

who

It's Hard (shm-cd)
498800574967 cd Condition: New/japanese Shm-cd Pressing. Universal. 2012. Special Order

$129.19

CDExpress

Netherl

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