Here are some customer reviews of
It's Hard
: Granted, this was not the best Who effort, but considering the more mellowed mental state of Pete Townshend, this album does not disappoint. The Who sound more like I would have expected them to, unlike "Face Dances," though the songs don't have the punch of "Tommy," "Who's Next, " or "Quadrophenia." Overall, an enjoyable album. My favorite songs: "It's Your Turn," "Eminence Front," "I've Known No War, " and "Cry If You Want." The final distorted power chords at the end of "Cry If You Want" are reminiscient of The Who crica 1966/1967.
 Definitely a sub par effort by the Who on their final all original studio recording. Whereas the synthesizer abuse from Face Dances is somewhat curtailed on It's Hard, the songs themselves are terribly overblown and noisy with a severe shortage of captivating moments. Cooks County, Cry If You Want To, and One At A Time are especially excruciating. The single Athena is quite subpar due to its pedestrian lyrics and annoying drumming. It's Hard is a redundant mess. As for positives there surely isn't much. Eminence Front is an excellent tune with an excellent opening guitar solo and creative synthesizer effects. One Life Is Enough is a nice mood piece and Dangerous is fairly catchy. The rest isn't bad but certainly not overly memorable. For completists and die hard fans.
 If any other band in the world had put such an album like this, it would be among their best. But that's The Who and, then, it's really hard, man. But music fans should not listen to this (excellent) record with eyes in "moonied" Who, but as a genuine piece of good music. Not Who's best, but better than most of 80's bands.
I first acquired and heard this album in the early summer of 94 when I was 16 on cassette. I remember it so well because it was the same day the news was covering oj simpson fleeing from the police. I remember feeling a strong dislike toward the album I originally bought as a completeion piece for my Who collection. I didnt listen to it often before I sold it for .50 cents.
Come 97 when the big Who rerelease was taking place on compact disc.I out of mostly nostalgia of my angry teenage years bought the cd mainly to hear two versions of my favorite tune at the time on it "Emenice Front" and was happy to hear they fixed the vocal fopa during the first chorus. I once again didnt much enjoy the music and would not revisit the musc from it when I did buy it once again this year 2002 after giving the cd away some three years earlier. Now more than ever I feel the album is although not intended at the time is a sort of ugly rock opera for the 21st century. Alot has happened since I had previously heard and disliked about.
I feel the album will speak to (for those among my age who wish to hear it) Americans in their 20s living in the nightmare of terror threats and economic pressure all around our lives and in our futures. This album with every song feeds off of our fears, far more than any album by them can do in my opinion. It finally has had its time and it is now here in the US.
The reason I call this a rock opera is from my rememberances of the horrible tragedies of 9/11. The first track Athena is sort of a song of love unfullfiled for whatever reason you might think. There are more than a few John Entwhistle compostions here and they also fit the mood of urgency. The title track reflects our lives and the fear of a damned future that we must percevier and survive in for we havent any choice. The hit Emience Front sounds stronger now than it had for me before. Ive Known No War is a song about our youth(I hardly count the Gulf War as anything more than a "police action"). And of course my favorite track on the album with its militarylike beat "Cry if you Want" to also sum up our emotions and how we feel to express them. The live tracks which apparently came from their last show shows a band communicating with an audience that just didnt understand the stuff for all they wanted to hear was old "Tommy" tunes(I personally will listen to "Its Hard" five times before hearing "Tommy" again).
I do warn the consumer that this is very different from most previous Who albums. I think of it as a mix of the "Who Are You" and "Quadrophenia" albums in sound and in personal anger expressed in the music. It is different but still good to hear and remember this is NOT the age of innocence(50s) not the age of awareness(60s) anymore but the age of fear and doubt (00).
This is not the Who are we have come to know and love them but how can any group survive the loss of a Keith Moon. There are still some fine recordings here such as "Eminence Front", "Cooks County", "It's Hard", etc. A last studio gasp from the Who. Not up to the standards of the glory days, but it is not an utter failure by any stretch of the imagination. I hope that this is not the last we hear from Pete, Roger, and John together.
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