Album · 45 years old this year
Face Dances
Face Dances is the ninth studio album by the Who, released on 16 March 1981. It was the band's first record for Warner Bros. in the United States, while Polydor handled it in the UK. It also marked a new chapter: this was the first of two studio albums with Kenney Jones on drums, after he joined following Keith Moon's death three years earlier.
Critics were divided, with Rolling Stone among those offering mixed reviews, but record buyers were not. The album reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. Sitting between Who Are You and It's Hard, it's a rock and pop-rock record worth hearing as the sound of the band finding its feet in a post-Moon world.
Face Dances: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 38:54Tracklist
- 1You Better You BetPete Townshend5:36
- 2Don’t Let Go the CoatPete Townshend3:43
- 3Cache CachePete Townshend3:57
- 4The Quiet OneJohn Entwistle3:09
- 5Did You Steal My MoneyPete Townshend4:10
- 6How Can You Do It AlonePete Townshend5:26
- 7Daily RecordsPete Townshend3:27
- 8YouJohn Entwistle4:30
- 9Another Tricky DayPete Townshend4:55
- Produced by
- Bill Szymczyk
- Recorded at
- Odyssey Studio (London)
- Recorded
- July–December 1980
- Mixed at
- Bayshore Recording Studios
- Engineered by
- Allan Blazek, Bill Szymczyk
- Labels
- Warner Bros. Records, Polydor, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 38:54
Line-up
- Kenney Jones · drums (drum set) · guest
Singles
- “You Better You Bet” · 27 February 1981
- “Don't Let Go the Coat” · 1 May 1981
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1981 | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1981 | 4 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1981 | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1981 | 4 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1981 | 9 |
| Dutch Albums · 1981 | 16 |
| Swedish Albums · 1981 | 17 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1981 | 19 |
| German Albums · 1981 | 29 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 1981 | Silver |
| United States · 1981 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
69.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
80k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
3.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 16 March
Every year →
More from The Who
Full discography →
My Generation
1965
Ready Steady Who
1966
A Quick One
1966
The Who
1967
The Who Sell Out
1967
Number Two
1968
Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
1968
Direct Hits
1968
Tommy
1969
Live at Leeds
1970
Who’s Next
1971
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
1971
Quadrophenia
1973
Odds & Sods
1974
Investigacion de mercado
1975
Tommy
1975
The Who by Numbers
1975
Substitute
1976
The Story of The Who
1976
Who Are You
1978
The Kids Are Alright
1979
Hooligans
1981
It’s Hard
1982
Who’s Greatest Hits
1983
The Singles
1984
Who’s Last
1984
Who’s Missing
1985
Two’s Missing
1987
This Is My Generation
1988
Who’s Better, Who’s Best
1988
Won’t Get Fooled Again
1988
Join Together
1990
Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
1994
My Generation – The Very Best of The Who
1996
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
1996
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who
1999
BBC Sessions
2000
The Who Live: The Blues to the Bush 1999
2000
Live at the Royal Albert Hall
2001
The Ultimate Collection
2002
Then and Now
2004
Live From Toronto
2006
Endless Wire
2006
Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
Greatest Hits Live
2010
Live at Hull 1970
2012
Quadrophenia: Live in London
2014
The Who Hits 50!
2014
Live at Shea Stadium 1982
2015
Ready Steady Who Two
2016
Ready Steady Who Three
2017
Live at the Fillmore East 1968
2018
WHO
2019
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All of 1981 →The Rolling Stones 4 Sucessos 1981
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Moving Pictures
Rush · 1981
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
AC/DC · 1981
Killers
Iron Maiden · 1981
Faith
The Cure · 1981
Diary of a Madman
Ozzy Osbourne · 1981
October
U2 · 1981
Fair Warning
Van Halen · 1981
Discipline
King Crimson · 1981
High ’n’ Dry
Def Leppard · 1981
Mob Rules
Black Sabbath · 1981
More on Warner Bros. Records
The label →
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Linkin Park · 2000
Meteora
Linkin Park · 2003
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1999
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1991
Minutes to Midnight
Linkin Park · 2007
By the Way
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 2002
One More Light
Linkin Park · 2017
Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 2006
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac · 1977
A Thousand Suns
Linkin Park · 2010
The Hunting Party
Linkin Park · 2014
One Hot Minute
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 16 March 1981 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 16 March 1981 | |
| Wikidata | 16 March 1981 | |
| US release | 16 March 1981 | earliest US date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Geffen | 00008811163426 | other |
| — | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992741224 | other |
| 16 March 1981 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992351614 | original |
| 1984 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | other | |
| 1989 | US | MCA Records | 076742598723 | other |
| 1993 | XE | Polydor | 731451794827 | other |
| 1997 | CA | MCA Records | 008811163426 | other |
| 2 May 1997 | GB | Polydor | 731453769526 | other |
| 21 May 1997 | DE | Polydor | 731453769526 | other |
| 3 June 1997 | US | MCA Records | 008811163426 | other |
| 3 February 2010 | — | Polydor | 00731453769526 | other |
| 21 December 2011 | JP | Polydor | 4988005690838 | other |
| 6 January 2015 | XW | Geffen | 00602537945627 | other |
| 6 January 2015 | XW | Geffen | 00602537945634 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×594 | upscaled |