The Who’s 1982 album ‘It’s Hard’ celebrates its 40th anniversary this Sunday

The Who‘s 10th studio album, It’s Hard, was released 40 years ago this Sunday — September 4, 1982. The album was the British rock legends’ final studio effort to feature their founding bassist, John Entwistle, and their second and last recorded with ex-Faces/Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones, who replaced Keith Moon after Moon’s 1978 death.

It’s Hard peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 and yielded the hit single “Athena,” which reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the enduring tune “Eminence Front.” “Athena” and “Eminence Front” also ascended to #3 and #5, respectively, on Billboard‘s rock-radio airplay chart.

It’s Hard was produced by Glyn Johns and was recorded at his Turn Up-Down Studio in Surrey, U.K. It has gone on to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 in the U.S, and features the song “Eminence Front,” which has been used in commercials, in TV shows and at sporting events.

The Who supported It’s Hard with a major trek that the band had planned to be its farewell tour. The outing included the famous concert at New York’s Shea Stadium that featured The Clash as one of the opening acts.

This past June, an expanded 40th-anniversary edition of It’s Hard was released as a limited-edition two-LP vinyl set as part of this year’s Record Store Day event. The release featured bonus tracks and one orange and one yellow LP.

Here’s the full original track list of It’s Hard:

“Athena”
“It’s Your Turn”
“Cooks County”
“It’s Hard”
“Dangerous”
“Eminence Front”
“I’ve Known No War”
“One Life’s Enough”
“One at a Time”
“Why Did I Fall for That?”
“A Man Is a Man”
“Cry If You Want”