The Who: It's Hard - 1982
This was the last Who album to feature the great John Entwistle, and drummer Kenney Jones’ last outing too. Indeed, it would be the last Who album until 2006.
As so many albums around this time were, it was slightly blighted by eighties synthesisers and somewhat sprawling compositions from Pete Townshend, although the singles Athena and the keyboard-driven and vaguely funky Eminence Front stand out as good songs. Very good ones in fact. The way the band merge those accursed synths with archetypal crashing Who guitar and drums comes off very well. To be fair, The Who have often used keyboards or keyboard sounds to great effect - Baba O' Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again, anyone?
It's Hard, Dangerous and the typical Who-rock of It's Your Turn are mightily impressive as well. I also really like Why Did I Fall For That, with its nice piano lines. It is actually something of an underrated album, when I think about it. I don't think there is a bad track on it - shout outs to Cooks County, One At A Time, I've Known No War and the piano ballad One Life's Enough too. Repeated listens confirms that for me. Good album.
In 1994, Daltrey said "It's Hard should never have been released" and that he also had arguments with Townshend over the release of the album. He stated the record company wanted them to make a new record, then do a tour for the album, so in many ways they were forced to release it.
In a 1985 interview, Townshend said, "Face Dances and It’s Hard were made by a band who were very unsure about whether or not they wanted to be making a record, and I think that’s a terrible doubt." Well, to me it actually doesn't sound like the product of an uncertain band.
