By 1982, the Who had scored a pair of Top 10 albums in the U.S., with 1981’s platinum-selling Face Dances and the gold-certified follow-up It’s Hard marking the beginning of their post-Keith Moon era with replacement drummer Kenney Jones.

Townshend’s nascent solo career was taking off, as well. His likewise platinum-selling Empty Glass rose to No. 5 in the U.S. in 1980, largely on the strength of Townshend’s infectious Top 10 hit “Let My Love Open the Door.” His 1982 follow-up All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes then reached the Billboard Top 30, despite its admittedly confusing title.

READ MORE: The Who’s Most Underrated Songs

The Who subsequently fell silent, but its two best-known members roared back in 1985 with Townshend’s gold-selling Top 30 hit solo album White City: A Novel and Roger Daltrey‘s Under a Raging Moon, which just missed the U.S. Top 40.

Their band didn’t return to the road until 1989, and by then Kenney Jones had moved on after two LPs and related concert appearances that included a memorable turn at Live Aid. “I would have given anything not to have joined the Who,” the former Faces and Small Faces drummer later admitted, “because I would have given anything for Moonie to still be there. There is only one drummer for the Who — and that’s Keith Moon. And that’s the way it will always be.”

The next new Who album was 2006’s Endless Wire and they didn’t release another until 2019’s self-titled Who. After 1989’s The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend, his lone solo album remained 1993’s Psychoderelict. That added a certain gravitas to what they did in the ’80s. It was the end of the era:

No. 10. “It’s Hard”
From: It’s Hard (1982)

An early version of this song, then titled “Popular,” was rejected during sessions for 1981’s Face Dances and reworked with a new chorus. The result is just one of the contemporary Pete Townshend tracks that doesn’t seem to have been written with Roger Daltrey’s cadence in mind, including the somehow even more wordy “Cry If You Want.” “It’s Hard” then failed to chart after the lead single “Athena” reached a high-water mark among the Top 40 in both America and the U.K. Still, a bouncy propulsion carries everything along.

No. 9. “Don’t Let Go the Coat”
From: Face Dances (1981)

Townshend wasn’t quite sure what inspired the title of the Who’s first album without Keith Moon. Was it a friend making strange expressions while moving a match from side to side in his mouth – or the chameleon-like Face Dancers from Frank Herbert’s Dune series? The subject matter of “Don’t Let Go the Coat” presents a similar mystery: Was it a tribute to Townshend’s spiritual guru Meher Baba, referenced in part on 1971’s “Baba O’Riley”? Or to Townshend’s parents, who took care of him during a descent into drugs and alcohol?

No. 8. “Give Blood”
From: Pete Townshend’s White City: A Novel (1985)

The opening track for Townshend’s fourth solo album came together in an off-handed way. In fact, he didn’t even play on it. Townshend had brought in Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Simon Phillips – but he didn’t have a completed song for them. He presented a few demo ideas, then finished the lyric later. Palladino was called at the last minute when founding bassist John Entwistle subsequently died on the eve of the Who’s 2002 U.S. tour and remained with them for years.

No. 7. “I’ve Known No War”
From: It’s Hard (1982)

This isn’t exactly the most musical song on It’s Hard, but the bluntly honest “I’ve Known No War” may be the most important. Townshend thought so: “It’s possibly one of the best Who tracks we’ve ever done, I believe,” he later said. “It’s very archetypal, very ’60s issue, but it’s also bloody great.” Everything started with the very Cold War construct of a clock ticking. The underlying message – “basically we’re a bunch of spoilt brats,” Townshend admitted – would resonate for generations.

No. 6. “After the Fire”
From: Roger Dalrey’s Under a Raging Moon (1985)

This was supposed to be presented as new material during the Who’s Live Aid performance. Instead, Townshend’s “After the Fire” became the highlight of an emotionally unbound Roger Daltrey solo album – then was largely forgotten. “After the Fire” could get no higher than No. 48 on the Hot 100. It’s a shame, because this track is in many ways a match of Townshend’s far more celebrated “Slit Skirts” in the way that it deals with the wounds that time conveys — and the weird mixture of anger and regret that remain.

No. 5. “Eminence Front”
From: It’s Hard (1982)

There’s no denying that “Eminence Front” boasts a gas pedal-mashing groove – but listen more closely: John Entwistle thunks his bass, but without the murderous intent we’ve come to expect. And that tense little keyboard figure can’t obscure the fact that Roger Daltrey is nowhere to be found. Instead of ending It’s Hard with a sense of newfound direction from the remaining three founding members, this sounded like what it was: The next Pete Townshend solo song as the Who went dark.

No. 4. “Slit Skirts”
From: Pete Townshend’s All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (1982)

Reflective and frank, “Slit Skirts” convincingly argues the case for middle-aged rock. Townshend opens things in a writerly way — like you’d just barged in during a rare moment of doubt from a guy too old for some of the nonsense of youth yet too young to be calling it quits. But his meditation about the chances we don’t take was, even then, an obvious aberration. On stage and with subsequent high-concept solo albums, there’d be a slow progression back to the worst of the Who’s excesses. Still, “Slit Skirts” showed Townshend’s craft could evolve away from bloody-fingered riffing and the throwback rock operas to follow.

No. 3. “Athena”
From: It’s Hard (1982)

With its rumbling guitar opening, striking tempo changes, and the way Daltrey’s barking verses bleed into Townshend’s “she’s just a girl” Greek chorus, “Athena” seemed to point to a return to form for the Who on their second Keith Moon-less project. Kenney Jones, his oft-maligned replacement, even tosses in a few explosive drum rolls as a bright brass section weaves in and out. Unusual for ’80s-era Who, “Athena” was perfectly suited for Daltrey’s staccato rasp. Only now, this reliably cocksure street tough has become romantically confused. “Athena” ends with a thrilling flourish amid Daltrey’s desperate pleas.

No. 2. “Let My Love Open the Door”
From: Pete Townshend’s Empty Glass (1980)

In 1980, Townshend’s solo career hadn’t yet been sunk — as it was on later, more literary missteps like 1989’s The Iron Man — by his own overblown pretensions. He’d started off in a low-key way with 1972’s Who Came First, then belatedly followed it up by issuing 1977’s Rough Mix with a Paul McCartney-ish sounding Ronnie Lane. With its easy, confident charm, the superlative Empty Glass – home to this zippy hit – was a huge leap forward. Townshend at first seemed willing to focus on smaller, more confessional canvases that his band might have dismissed in the demo stage. He was never better.

No. 1. “You Better You Bet”
From: Face Dances (1981)

Townshend appeared to have lost the ability to write for Daltrey in the early ’80s, while he found solo success using his own voice. Is there anything more ironic than the title track from 1981’s Face Dances ending up on All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes a year later? Townshend’s best songs simply eluded the Who. Here’s a rare example of one that appeared on a band album, and — what do you know? — “You Better You Bet” became a hit. What’s clear now, however, is that it wasn’t just the material. Even this international Top 20 hit feels a little safe. Maybe more than his playing, the Who sorely missed Keith Moon’s reckless abandon.

 

 

The Who Albums Ranked

Half of the Who’s studio albums are all classics, essential records from rock’s golden age. But where should you start?

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

Polydor

13: ‘Face Dances’ (1981)

The Who rallied after Keith Moon‘s death, and a concert disaster in Cincinnati that left 11 fans dead, by enlisting Jones for their ninth album. Moon’s absence, however, is evident. Jones is a solid timekeeper, but he lacks Moon’s octopus-armed domination of the kit, which enlivened even the soggiest Who songs. With no such relief coming here, ‘Face Dances’ sinks under the weight of Pete Townshend’s mostly lackluster songs and Roger Daltrey’s pallid vocals.

Polydor

12: ‘Who Are You’ (1978)

Keith Moon’s final album (he died less than three weeks after its release) packs some powerhouse songs — including “Sister Disco,” John Entwistle’s “Trick of the Light” and especially the killer title track, the Who’s last great stand. Still, it’s spotty in its attempt to navigate its way through changing musical trends, as punk and disco were nipping hard at rock’s heels. ‘Who Are You’ marks the Who’s last bout with glory. After this, they settled in with replacement drummers, waning inspiration and mostly lifeless records.

Polydor

11: ‘Endless Wire’ (2006)

Twenty-four years after their last album, the Who’s two surviving members — Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend — regrouped with some hired hands to make their 11th LP. (They weren’t totally dormant during the break: They launched more than one farewell tour during this period.) Like other records from their catalog, a chunk of ‘Endless Wire’ centers on a rock opera. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not a Who album, even if the band’s two most vocal members are here.

Polydor

10: ‘It’s Hard’ (1982)

Like its predecessor, 1981’s ‘Face Dances,’ ‘It’s Hard’ includes new drummer Kenney Jones (formerly of the Small Faces and Faces) along with a mostly forgettable set of songs. Besides a pair of so-so singles — ‘Athena’ and ‘Eminence Front’ — there’s not much to recommend here. The band was fighting to stay together by this point, with solo careers, apathy and other sidelines getting in the way of their collective focus. It’s no surprise that the Who wouldn’t make a record for almost a quarter century after this. This sounds like the end.

Polydor

9. ‘Who’ (2019)

Thirteen years after ‘Endless Wire,” Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend returned with this muscular collection that, at its best, recalled the band’s mid-’70s work on albums like ‘Quadrophenia.’ The back end gets soggy, and there are some misguided attempts at democracy here, but when ‘Who’ clicks, it reignites an old spark that most fans thought had been extinguished decades ago.

Polydor

8: ‘Who by Numbers’ (1975)

After a decade and six classic albums, the Who slowed down for their most easygoing project. Following a string of ambitious concept albums (including a couple that fell apart and were incorporated into other records), the band set no lofty goals for itself on ‘The Who by Numbers,’ a simple 10-track, 37-minute collection of nine new Pete Townshend songs (and one by John Entwistle). “Slip Kid” and “Squeeze Box” are the highlights; much of the rest amounts to ho-hum time killers by a band in dire need of some time off. It would be another three years before they made their next album.

Reaction

7: ‘A Quick One’ (1966)

Before ‘Quadrophenia,’ before ‘Tommy’ and even before ‘The Who Sell Out,’ the band tried out an extended song suite in the form of ‘A Quick One While He’s Away,’ a nine-minute, six-song mini-opera that tells a somewhat engaging story. And not just any story, but one that would serve as the foundation for ‘Tommy.’ The rest of the album is a mix of Motown covers, two Keith Moon compositions, a few slight Pete Townshend songs and “Boris the Spider,” John Entwistle’s timeless ode to a creepy, crawly arachnid.

Track

6: ‘Quadrophenia’ (1973)

Four years after ‘Tommy,’ and a couple of abandoned concept projects, Pete Townshend returned with another double-album rock opera. This time he explored London teen culture circa 1965, right around the time the Who were getting their start. In a way, ‘Quadrophenia’ represents the four splintering members of the group; but in the wider scheme of things, it’s the story of teenage rebellion built on idealism and powerhouse rock (“The Real Me,” “5:15,” “Love, Reign O’er Me”), before it all turned into a wasteland.

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5: ‘Who Sell Out’ (1967)

Before they moved on to bigger and grander concept albums, the Who toyed around with the idea on their third LP, a send-up of a pirate radio station, complete with fake commercials and mostly unrelated songs. Only “I Can See for Miles” stands on its own, but as an album, it’s the Who’s first foray into stringing together a single concept from many, and sometimes disparate, parts. It’s a winking and totally entertaining listen that ranks right up there with other ambitious records from the era.

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4: ‘Live at Leeds’ (1970)

We usually don’t include live albums in our rankings, but ‘Live at Leeds’ is no ordinary live album. Like ‘Live at the Apollo,’ ‘At Fillmore East,’ ‘At Folsom Prison’ and a handful of other classic concert records, it transcends the genre, turning a quick record-company cash turnaround into a statement of purpose. The Who were on the road with ‘Tommy’ when they stopped at a British university in February 1970 to tear through a set of covers, expanded oldies and, if you pick any of the expanded reissues, a performance of ‘Tommy.’ Breathtaking and explosive.

Brunswick

3: ‘The Who Sing My Generation’ (1965)

The Who’s first album sounds a lot like other debut LPs by the British Invasion bands: covers of songs by American R&B stars, some tentative and sketchy first steps at original tunes and a group still feeling around for its identity. But guitarist and main songwriter Pete Townshend revealed a much firmer grasp on his artistry than most of his contemporaries, especially on “My Generation,” three minutes of stuttering, raging anger disguised as a pop song. “The Kids Are Alright” and “A Legal Matter” are pretty awesome, too.

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2: ‘Tommy’ (1969)

Pete Townshend’s masterpiece — and a rock ‘n’ roll milestone that’s been imitated, appropriated and diluted to the point where it’s now a cliche — remains a groundbreaking rock opera that actually makes some narrative sense. Rock music (and pop music, for that matter) rarely got this ambitious before ‘Tommy.’ Sure, albums claimed to revolve around a central theme or two, but ‘Tommy’ was the first to pull together a coherent story from start to end. More than that, the songs — including “Pinball Wizard,” “Go to the Mirror!,” “I’m Free” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” — are uniformly excellent.

Track

1: ‘Who’s Next’ (1971)

The Who’s greatest album started life as another ambitious concept record (following ‘Tommy’) titled ‘Lifehouse.’ Pete Townshend scrapped the project for various reasons but retained many of its songs, which would end up on other records over time. A few of them found their way onto ‘Who’s Next,’ a powerful and dynamic work that remains one of rock’s cornerstone LPs. Many of its songs are classics (“Bargain,” “Behind Blue Eyes”), but it’s the album’s opening and closing cuts (“Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” respectively) that drive it. Working with synthesizers for the first time, Townshend loops hypnotic fills over some of the group’s all-time toughest performances.

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