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Released: September 4, 1982

Rating: 2.744 (average of 15 ratings)

Genre: classic album rock

Quotable: --

Album Tracks:

  1. Athena (Townshend) - 3:46
  2. It’s Your Turn (Entwistle) - 3:39
  3. Cook’s County (Townshend) - 3:48
  4. It’s Hard (Townshend) - 3:43
  5. Dangerous (Entwistle) - 3:18
  6. Eminence Front (Townshend) - 5:40
  7. I’ve Known No War (Townshend) - 5:58
  8. One Life’s Enough (Townshend) - 2:20
  9. One at a Time (Entwistle) - 3:02
  10. Why Did I Fall for That (Townshend) - 3:24
  11. A Man Is a Man (Townshend) - 3:54
  12. Cry if You Want (Townshend) - 4:39

Sales:

sales in U.S. only ½ million
sales in U.K. only - estimated --
sales in all of Europe as determined by IFPI – click here to go to their site. --
sales worldwide - estimated ½ million

Peak:

peak on U.S. Billboard album chart 8
peak on U.K. album chart 11

Singles/Hit Songs:

  • Athena (9/4/82) #28 US, #40 UK, #3 AR
  • Eminence Front (9/18/82) #68 US, #5 AR
  • Cry if You Want (9/25/82) #34 AR
  • Dangerous (10/2/82) #38 AR
  • It’s Hard (10/2/82) #39 AR

Notes: The 1997 CD remaster features additional live versions of “It’s Hard,” “Eminence Front,” “Dangerous,” and “Cry if You Want.”

It’s Hard
The Who
Review:
“Driven by Pete Townshend’s arching musical ambitions, It’s Hard was an undistinguished final effort from the Who [final effort, that is, until 2006’s Endless Wire]. Featuring layers of synthesizers and long-winded, twisting song structures, the album featured few memorable melodies and little energy, with only the anthemic Athena and the terse Eminence Front making a lasting impression” (Erlewine).

Review Source(s):

Related DMDB Links:

previous album: Face Dances (1981) DMDB page next album: Endless Wire (2006)

Last updated April 5, 2008.