The Who‘s ninth studio album, Face Dances, was released 40 years ago this week. The album was the first one that the British rock legends recorded after the 1978 death of original drummer Keith Moon, and the first of two studio efforts to feature Moon’s replacement, founding Small Faces and Faces member Kenney Jones.
Face Dances peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 and yielded the hit single “You Better You Bet,” which reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the publication’s rock-radio airplay tally. “You Better You Bet” is the last Who single to date to break into the top 20 of the Hot 100. Other notable tunes on the album include “Another Tricky Day,” “Don’t Let Go the Coat” and “The Quiet One,” the latter of which was written and sung by bassist John Entwistle.
Face Dances has gone on to sell more than a million copies on the U.S. The album featured memorable cover art designed by Peter Blake, best known for creating the cover of The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The Face Dances cover features four individual paintings of each of The Who’s four members — Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Entwistle and Jones — created by 16 different artists, including Blake. Peter also designed the cover of The Who’s latest album, 2019’s WHO.
Here’s the full track list of Face Dances:
“You Better You Bet”
“Don’t Let Go the Coat”
“Cache Cache”
“The Quiet One”
“Did You Steal My Money”
“How Can You Do It Alone”
“Daily Records”
“You”
“Another Tricky Day”
By Matt Friedlander
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