Album
It’s Hard
It's Hard is the tenth studio album by the Who, released on 4 September 1982 through Polydor in the UK and Warner Bros. in the US. It followed Face Dances from 1981 and was the second of two studio records with drummer Kenney Jones. It was also the last studio album to feature bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002.
The record reached No. 11 in the UK and No. 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and the RIAA certified it gold in the US that November. It marked the end of the band's studio output for more than two decades, until Endless Wire arrived in 2006. For anyone tracing the Who's story, it is the closing chapter of that earlier era, and the last time this line-up recorded together in the studio.
It’s Hard: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 47:30Tracklist
- 1AthenaPete Townshend3:49
- 2It’s Your TurnJohn Entwistle3:41
- 3Cooks CountyPete Townshend3:50
- 4It’s HardPete Townshend3:46
- 5DangerousJohn Entwistle3:20
- 6Eminence FrontPete Townshend5:40
- 7I’ve Known No WarPete Townshend5:59
- 8One Life’s EnoughPete Townshend2:21
- 9One at a TimeJohn Entwistle3:03
- 10Why Did I Fall for ThatPete Townshend3:25
- 11A Man Is a ManPete Townshend3:56
- 12Cry If You WantPete Townshend4:39
- Produced by
- Glyn Johns
- Recorded at
- Turn Up-Down Studios, Turn Up-Down Studio at Glyn Johns' home in Surrey, England
- Recorded
- June 1982
- Engineered by
- Glyn Johns
- Labels
- Polydor, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 47:30
Line-up
- Roger Daltrey · guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
- John Entwistle · electric bass guitar, horn, background vocals, lead vocals
- Kenney Jones · drums (drum set)
- Pete Townshend · guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
- Andy Fairweather‐Low · guitar · guest
- Tim Gorman · electric piano, keyboard · guest
Singles
- “Athena” · August 1982
- “Eminence Front” · December 1982
- “It's Hard” · February 1983
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1982 | 8 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1982 | 11 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1982 | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1982 | 28 |
| Dutch Albums · 1982 | 43 |
| Swedish Albums · 1982 | 47 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1982 | 55 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | Gold |
| United States · 1982 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
74.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
88k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
4.1k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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1966
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1968
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1968
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1975
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1975
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1975
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1976
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1976
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1978
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1979
Face Dances
1981
Hooligans
1981
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1983
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1984
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1984
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1985
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1987
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1988
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2000
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 4 September 1982 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 4 September 1982 | |
| Wikidata | 4 September 1982 | |
| US release | 10 September 1982 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 4 September 1982 | earliest UK or European date |
16 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| — | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992373128 | other |
| 1982 | DE | Polydor | 3259180010621 | other |
| 4 September 1982 | GB | — | original | |
| 4 September 1982 | GB | Polydor | original | |
| 10 September 1982 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 07599237311 | other |
| 1983 | XE | Polydor | 3259180010621 | other |
| 1985 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 07599237312 | other |
| 1989 | US | MCA Records | 076742598624 | other |
| 1997 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1997 | US | MCA Records | 008811163525 | other |
| 1997 | CA | MCA Records | 008811163525 | other |
| 19 May 1997 | GB | Polydor | 731453769625 | other |
| 21 May 1997 | DE | Polydor | 731453769625 | other |
| 21 December 2011 | JP | Polydor | 4988005690845 | other |
| 2015 | US | Geffen | 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 | 599×602 | upscaled |