Driven by Pete Townshend's arching musical ambitions, It's Hard was a final effort from the Who. Featuring layers of synthesizers and long-winded, twisting song structures, the album featured the anthemic "Athena" and the terse "Eminence Front." [The compact disc reissue adds four bonus tracks to the original 12-song lineup, all of them live. These alternate versions of "Eminence Front," the title song, and "Cry If You Want," along with John Entwistle's "Dangerous," all come from performances at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. Although no specific recording dates are given in the booklet, these bonus tracks offer far more lively versions of these songs than their original studio counterparts.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Cub Koda, All Music Guide
This album is wonderful. Listening to it felt like a private message from The Who. Punks, jocks, kids, and parents sing along to My Generation and Won't Get Fooled Again. Only Who fans sing along to I've Known No War, Cry If You Want, and It's Your Turn!
I only wish we could see where they would have gone further in this direction.
Driven by Pete Townshend's arching musical ambitions, It's Hard was an undistinguished final effort from the Who. 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.