Who
Face Dances

The return of The Who after Moon's death is marked by the release in 1981 of "Face Dances". Replacing the old drummer is Kenney Jones, a seasoned worker of the 70s rock scene, for the rest, the lineup remains the same.

The work at the time was not very well received by critics, but as often happens, it had a decent commercial success thanks to the driving and catchy "You Better You Bet"; the record is rightly little considered in their discography but it is not bad, it is well played, engaging, and fun, oh my, it cannot be even remotely compared to The Who of the golden era but its honest figure still manages to make it, after all, it’s The Who, not just any British band. The problem with the album is not the chemistry among the musicians which is there and felt very well (perhaps Jones is not yet free to express his talent and holds back a bit, but nothing more), it is Pete Townshend's creative vein that is somewhat fatigued by detoxification from alcohol and drugs, the best the guitarist put into his solo album "Empty Glass" and here he gathers some leftovers.

"Face Dances" opens with the already mentioned "You better You Bet", a driving track, great rhythm set by Jones and Entwistle for this tale of passion for the beloved ("When I say I love you, you say it's better for you/it's better for you, you can bet on it/When I say I need you, you say it's better for you/it's better for you, you can bet on it").
The second track, "Don't Let Go The Coat", is an easy song with a passable melody and Daltrey seeks the lower notes for an Elvis-style singing, the lyrics reflect Pete's difficult period ("Don't Let Go of Precious Things"), like "Cache Cache", a tough lyric about life's difficulties, the music is good rock, great Daltrey as always, his voice is a guarantee.

But with "The Quiet One" by Entwistle, hard and tight rock returns as the protagonist, the lyrics are a bassist's outburst against all those who have always reproached him for being too shy ("I never had the gift of gab/but I know how to talk with my eyes/when words fail me, you can't crucify me/my eyes can't lie to you"), so cheers to shy and laconic people. Here ends the most interesting part of "Face Dances", the rest is not to be thrown away but neither to be praised, "How Can You Do It Alone" is a march with bagpipes at the end, "You" an immediate rock but of little impact, the rest stands well but does not rise above the style with which the group masks the lack of inspiration.

In the end, this album is recommended a bit to everyone who loves to have fun with music, the first side of the album is definitely enjoyable and well done, I recommend buying it along with the subsequent "It's Hard", to grasp the notable differences between the quality of the tracks, in reality, this album as a rating would deserve a two, but for easy listening, perhaps in the car, it is well-suited. Note, the cover is signed by Peter Blake, and it is truly remarkable in its packaging that takes inspiration from the typical painter's kit, palette, and colors.