Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 116 - Pete Townshend

Empty Glass is the first Solo album of original material by Pete Townshend, better known of course as the guitarist for The Who.

It was recorded between 1978-80 when business with The Who was also beginning to pick up again, and the guitarist found himself on double duty writing for his own album and also for his band and what became the Face Dances album. 

It was a tough ride for Townshend because once Face Dances was released a lot of people were saying they felt that Empty Glass was the superior album! Even Roger Daltery had expressed that he had felt let down by Townshend because many of the songs on Empty Glass could have been performed by The Who (if I can recall correctly, and I'll have to check with a couple of my buddies who are authorities on The Who, I'm pretty sure that the song Empty Glass had been recorded during the sessions for the Who Are You album with Keith Moon on drums and John Entwistle on bass).

It's funny that the song Rough Boys is dedicated to his own kids and the Sex Pistols (who had split up two years prior to the release of the album!).

I was a bit stunned when checking up on chart positions for the singles as for some strange reason I assumed Let My Love Open The Door was a huge hit record, well it was but in the USA! It remains one of my favourite Pete Townshend songs to this day and I've heard some cracking cover versions of it over the years.

As it's been awhile since I last played this one so I'm pulling it off the shelf today. Enjoy.

For Bob M. & Doug M.

Empty Glass - Pete Townshend

Atco Records

Produced by Pete Townshend and Chris Thomas

Released 21st April 1980

UK Chart #11

US Chart #5

Original Tracklist

A1 Rough Boys
A2 I Am An Animal
A3 And I Moved
A4 Let My Love Open The Door
A5 Jools And Jim
B1 Keep On Working
B2 Cat's In The Cupboard
B3 A Little Is Enough
B4 Empty Glass
B5 Gonna Get Ya 

Bonus Tracks on the Playlist

Released on US and Japanese Versions in 2006

I Am an Animal (Demo Alternate Vocal Version)

Keep On Working (Demo Alternate Vocal Version)

And I Moved (Demo Alternate Vocal Version) 

Gonna Get Ya (Work-in-Progress Long Version)  

Personnel
    Pete Townshend: vocals, guitars, synths
    John "Rabbit" Bundrick: "straight" keyboards
    Simon Phillips: drums (tracks: A2 to A4, B2, B4, B5)
    James Asher: drums (tracks: A5, B1)
    Kenney Jones: drums (track: A1)
    Mark Brzezicki: drums (track: B3)
    Tony Butler: bass guitar
    Raphael Rudd: brass arrangements on "Rough Boys"
    Peter Hope-Evans: harmonica on "Cat's in the Cupboard"

Hit Singles from Empty Glass

Rough Boys

UK Chart #39

US Chart #89

Let My Love Open The Door

UK Chart #46

US Chart #9

A Little is Enough

US Chart #72

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!