It's Hard | ||||
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Studio album by the Who | ||||
Released | 4 September 1982 | |||
Recorded | June 1982 | |||
Studio | Turn Up-Down Studio at Glyn Johns' home in Surrey, England | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:29 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Glyn Johns | |||
the Who chronology | ||||
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Singles from It's Hard | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Robert Christgau | C |
MusicHound | 1/5 |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
It's Hard is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Who. Released on 4 September 1982, it was their last album until 2006's Endless Wire, and therefore the last to feature bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. It was also the final Who album with drummer Kenney Jones, as well as the last to be released on Warner Bros. Records in the US. It was released on Polydor Records in the UK, peaking at No. 11, and on Warner Bros. in the US where it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The US rights to both this album and Face Dances subsequently reverted to the band, who then licensed them to MCA Records (later Geffen Records, itself once distributed by WB) for reissue. The album achieved platinum status by the RIAA in the US in November 1982.
The album cover, designed by Richard Evans, depicts a young boy playing an Atari Space Duel arcade game. This is intended as a contemporary update to the song "Pinball Wizard," from the album Tommy.
The first track on the album, "Athena", peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. "Dangerous" and "One at a Time" were written by Entwistle for his failed rock opera that later merged with "Who Are You."
In 1997, MCA Records re-released the album with new mixes for the album correcting problems evident in the original mixes for "Athena" and "Eminence Front".