The Who - It's Hard

Digitally remastered Japanese reissue of The Who's 1982 album in a miniaturized LP sleeve with the original packaging intact. Limited to the initial pressing only, it also features all four of the bonus tracks included on MCA's U.S. reissue in the '90s! The extra songs are live versions of 'It's Hard', 'Eminence Front', 'Dangerous' and 'Cry If You Want'. 16 tracks total. 1999 reissue of 1997 reissue. Album Description

it's not hard to listen to this great album

It's hard to believe this album is STILL getting criticized. I thought by now people would begin to realize there's some great songwriting and exciting vocal melodies on this album, but I guess many fans wanna stick with Tommy and Quadrophenia.

The title song is a pop rock classic with its powerful lyrics and catchy chorus. The sad feeling is strongly evident in the lyrics. "Eminence Front" is the biggest hit, and it's quite good. It sounds like it would have been a bigger hit during the disco era.

"Athena" is my personal favorite song, with a verse melody that instantly catches my attention with its positive vibes and upbeat verse melody. Funny story- I actually though the chorus went like this "She's just a girl... she's a boy", haha. I had those lyrics WAY wrong!

"One at a Time" is a faster track, and highly memorable. Again, the vocals are the main reason it's so great. "Cooks County" has some meaningful lyrics you should pay attention to, and the sadness creeps in near the end with the beautiful "A Man is a Man". Great vocals once AGAIN. "Cry If You Want" is another highlight because of... ahem, the drumming? Nope, because of the *vocals*!

You won't find any flashy drumming, any wild swirling guitar playing, or bass work that will knock your socks off. Instead you'll find surprisingly underrated vocals and melodies. July 17, 2008

The Who - Cry If You Want..........

The second album of the Kenny Jones era would prove to be the last album of new material that the band would release for almost 25 years. Like "Face Dances" before it, "It's Hard" is a mix of some really good stuff and some not so great material. On the positive side the album's two hits, the bouncy "Athena" and the synth dominated "Eminence Front" are both good with "Front" sticking around as a concert staple to this day. I also like "Cooks County", "I've Known No War" and Entiwstle's "Why Did I Fall For That". The best track on the album is the final one "Cry If You Want" which captures the same fire and fury that was found on earlier albums like "Who's Next". Townshend's stabbing guitar and Daltry's raw vocals are the perfect combination to my ears to make this one of the Who's great tracks. On the negative side, "Dangerous", "One At A Time", "A Man Is A Man", "It's Hard", and "One Life's Enough" are all just ok songs. Not bad, but nothing special either. A lot of people bash drummer Kenny Jones, but he has some really great moments on this disc especially during "Athena" and "Cry If You Want". His style is different from Keith Moon, but the guy plays his guts out on a couple of these tracks and has been sadly maligned by many a Who fan over the years. Overall I think this album is a bit better than "Face Dances" and there is enough good material to make it a worthwhile purchase. July 9, 2008

Their worst studio record

Although 'Athena,' 'It's Hard' and 'Eminence Front' are all good songs that I really enjoyed (and still do), I really couldn't get into The Who's 1983 record 'It's Hard.' It wasn't that it was bad; it just was, to some extent, forgettable.

I still have the record and still listen to those three songs, but I rarely listen to the whole record. Pete Townshend's songwriting was still mighty fine; but Roger Daltrey lacked the charm he had in their 1970s records like 'Who's Next' and 'Quadrophenia.'

Overall, if you're a die-hard Who fan, than 'It's Hard' would be a worthy addition, but for casual fans, 'Eminence Front' is the real reason to own this.

I enjoyed the bonus tracks; the live version of 'Eminence Front' was actually really enjoyable. If you buy 'It's Hard' on CD, buy the 2003 remaster that MCA did before Geffen bought them and ignore the original MCA CD.

Recommended for die-hard Who fans only. April 11, 2008

not nearly as bad as everyone says

Well, a lot of people really hate this record, and though it may sound harsh, I blame Kenney Jones. His drumming just flat-out sucks, and is bad enough to be a distraction to fans spoiled by Keith Moon's genius. Look past it and there are some cool songs here, and the excellent "Eminence Front" makes it all worthwhile.

Ivan Rorick September 7, 2007

Very Under-Rated

The Who gets credit in my book just for keeping the band going after Keith Moon's death, who in my opinion is the most under-rated drummer in rock's history. "Its Hard" is a very under-rated album, with eight of the twelve (original) tracks that are very good songs. This also contains my all time favorite "Who" song and favorite rock song of all time which is "EF" (I love it so much but I cant spell it..)Athena is another great song, as for the more unknown of "Its your turn" and "I known no War" which scream at you just like the "Who" of old. For the price, this is an easy choice. I am sure you will enjoy it, espically if you are a "Who" fanatic like myself..ENJOY July 16, 2007

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