Yeah, that's the other problem, as you noted. When the strings finally come in, they don't bring any meaningful level of dynamics because well, they are strings and this is a freaking Who record. Maybe a guitar or drums would have been the instrument to highlight to bring in some building excitement here? This again goes back to the rushed nature of the album. In some ways, this song sounds like a demo or a basic track that is awaiting additional overdubbing.
I'll put it in spoiler form to avoid jumping ahead of the discussion: Spoiler Cry If You Want... despite the completely ill-suited drumming that seriously hamstrings the song. I'll expound upon that at greater length when we get there.
I never really thought about it before this thread, but this whole album really is undercooked. I’ve Known No War really exemplifies this -the song had potential, but feels incomplete.
Agreed. Was it recorded in a hurry? That vocal flub in the first chorus of Eminence Front is pretty terrible. Lack of time = lack of quality control? There’s a lot to criticize about Face Dances, but the level of finish is not on the list - can’t say the same for It’s Hard.
The most specific info I can find is that It's Hard was completely recorded and mixed in June 1982. I don't know how many days out of the month they spent actually recording, but even if they took almost the whole month that still would make it one of their fastest-recorded albums. By contrast, the Face Dances sessions spanned six months, Who Are You of course took eight months, and even the quickly-recorded By Numbers took a month and a half. Besides the relatively brief time taken recording it, a problem was that Pete had written the songs quickly and probably hadn't given as much thought to arrangement or development of the songs prior to recording as he normally did. And they didn't have a lot of time to mess around, because they needed to have the album completed and in the shops prior to the beginning of their tour in September.
Wow! That being the case, I’m reasonably impressed it’s as good as it is - a quickly written album by a just-out-of-rehab Pete recorded and mixed in a month that has Eminence Front, Cry If You Want, and I’ve Known No War on it - that’s something!
IMO three great Tracks .....I am actually just now realizing that this album is a lot less produced than the 2 that came before. Thanks to the point being hammered home here. I part company to a degree as to how much detriment to the album it is. IMO none what so ever for these three great songs.... Vocal flub on EF is nothing IMO.......IMO almost not even worth fixing....
If you Google ‘Eminence Front Daltrey version’, you’ll see links to a Reddit thread—one of which contains a link to the snippet. Sorry for the convoluted path, but I’m reluctant to post a direct link to WF’s site after the kerfuffle early on in this thread about using album artwork from his site.
Not only not worth fixing, I always liked it---just gave a unique little stacatto feel, obviously I always assumed it was intentional, and resent that the later cd "fixed" it. Still have the LP I bought day or release tho.
It always reminded me of those famous vocal flubs on early Beatles records where they just left it in. I appreciate the fact that in a age where it would be easy enough to repair the boys just said “oh sod it” and released it anyway
One Life's Enough. There's a scene Indelible, it hangs before my eyes In our teens, incredibly Together with no ties. That was a life enough for me One life's enough for me. Throw back your head Let your body curve Into the long grass of the bed Pull me down into your hair And I'll push and swerve As we both gasp in the evening air Yeah -- Throw back your head Let your body curve into the long grass of the bed Pull me down into your hair And I'll push and swerve As we both gasp in the evening air Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Pete Townshend One Life’s Enough lyrics © Spirit Music Group, BMG Rights Management I suppose to some extent if we are going to look at this album as a series of high class demos, it makes it even more remarkable to me. I understand that many folks don't really seem to like this album, but it really didn't take too many listens for me to be really drawn into this album. I find it quite refreshing in many ways, and I think the songs, even if they aren't what most seem to feel are completed, really do satisfy me. This is probably a good example of that. With this song particularly I could really see someone feeling that it was a kind of extravagant demo, but, as with most of the songs here, I personally don't find it to be in need of anything more than what it has. I am certainly not one that doesn't like "overproduced" albums. There are many of my favourite albums that would fall into someone's category of "overproduced" .... and until folks had mentioned the "not finished properly" thing, it really hadn't occurred to me, because everything here sounds fine to me. For example. This song is essentially a pulsing synth underneath a piano, with a vocal, and I guess toi some degree one could hear this as underdone, and I could certainly see this being padded out with strings and horns and drums, some volume swell guitars, and a new vocal take that has some powerful howling or something, but for me, the presentation here suits the song perfectly. Daltrey's vocal is beautifully sympathetic to the song. The song seems to be about a time where intimacy came without the pressure of adulthood.... without the baggage of the world climbing into bed with us. When one could share an experience without having petty resentments, or long stored grievances coming into the picture to destroy the simple act of being physically close.... Responsibility is not a bad thing, but it can certainly effect our perception, and interaction with life, and this beautiful simple song seems to capture that idea perfectly to me. Perhaps I am completely wrong about all that, but that's what I hear here..... and to be honest this is the first time I have really noticed this song. I have probably listened to this album a dozen of more times in the last month or so, and certain songs stood out, and each listen revealed another layer.... but it is here in the close, isolated listens that I generally find myself really accepting or rejecting the songs for what they are..... So far for this album these close, isolated listens are giving this album more validity to me, because for me it already sat together as a very good album, but again, obviously just for me, the individual songs themselves have a little more to say than I considered in the overall listening. Sorry these just seem to be my thoughts this morning. The music here is slow and stately, and the piano arrangement is just superb. We have these little trills and melodic runs, and these wonderful chord sequences, that just lift this track higher with each listen. I have listened to this about four times so far this morning, and each listen just cements this feeling. When the drums come in, although they are reserved and understated, they are exactly what the song needs, and they come in at the perfect spot, delivering a defiant thump to the theme. The piano section when the drums drop back out works really well for me. I suppose some may find the thump of the final chord to but ill conceived, but like several of the cold finishes on here, I find it suits the style and feel of the song, and the album. Anyway, over to you guys, to tell us what you think.
Maybe this is not a popular comment, but i love this song. Is beautifully constructed and Roger vocals are a standout. It reminds me to a Peter Gabriel song in the fashion of Don’t Give Up.
I'm happy to see that "One Life's Enough" has many fans here. Now I don't feel so bad saying this is the rare Who song that I actively dislike. (Not that I skip it when I listen to the album ... I don't skip, albums are artistic entities.) It's not because it comes in a form most Who songs don't. I simply don't think it has much to say (so little, in fact, that 2 of the 3 verses repeat each other) ... I'd rather hear more about bear pits and Brasso than listen to Pete's poetic description of sex, twice. Lyrics aside, I don't find the song enjoyable to listen to at a basic level - there's barely a song there. Kudos for trying something different, but ultimately, for me, a total failure.
A review of It's Hard... by Joe Biden's choice for Secretary of State: A Triumphant Return | News | The Harvard Crimson
One Life's Enough is a simple and pleasant recording and arrangement, beautifully executed by Daltrey.
With respect to I've Known No War, a lot of good analysis has already been offered. I will add that as a track that is considered one of the better recordings from the album, and misguidedly suggested as becoming a possible anthem by Rolling Stone, Townshend's attempt at writing a powerful statement did not deliver the way it once could. Writing about the repercussions of nuclear arms was not insignificant, but neither the lyrics nor the music really elevated the song's sentiment and/or message anywhere convincing. This song is not memorable or ever thought of as a great statement by The Who -- it seems like it is only remembered or recognized as a decent track when fans are revisiting the album for a fresh evaluation.
Hah. He buys into the "return to form after the disappointing Face Dances" line of thinking that was popular at the time. If nothing else, 38 years later it's sort of encouraging to know that that he was listening "I've Known No War" rather than "Bomb Iran" by Vince Vance and The Valiants back then.
One Life's Enough Well this was unexpected. At first I'm getting (slightly disturbing) Roger solo album vibes, then it sort of kicks into a different gear.. then it stops. Once again I'm pleased the maligned Kenney era albums are not just wall to wall dad rock. As someone else noted this has a touch of later Peter Gabriel about it, vaguely experimental and quite intimate. I mean, Roger described "It's Hard" as a "piece of s***". That's very harsh I think (thus far anyway). It's no Quadrophenia, but there's nothing to indicate Pete's powers had abandoned him. However, I do feel there's a touch of "this must be good because I wrote it" in Pete's work from this point on. He follows his muse, experiments, sometimes he seems to just stop writing a song halfway through and double the verses. It's lacking that extra bit of application or craft, as there always was in the best 60s/70s work, though I very much doubt he'd see it that way. OTOH, "It's Hard" seems to have a certain vibrancy to it, less fussing about than the previous 2 Who albums, a sense of diving in, not sodding about but just doing it. That's the trade off I suppose. I think that's why it garnered some decent write ups, and I'm sure Pete rated it at the time. (In fact I'm sure there was a lot of interesting It's Hard era discussion back when we did "Who Are You". It's, er, hard to stay on point sometimes, but I do wish we could keep era specific quotes and factoids to the era in question. Not because I'm a thread nazi, but because a lot of good insight gets lost/missed when it's out of context. Wish I could recall the Pete quote about It's Hard, something about it was the most vital work he'd done since the 60s.)
Particularly the guitar solo...like, where is it? The song cries out for a big, violent solo, then the instrumental break comes around and....nothing happens at all. Completely kills the momentum.
