Pete Townshend had done solo albums before, but none came with the same kind of scrutiny as his 1980 album Empty Glass, which arrived during a rough patch in his career and his life. Townshend somehow managed to channel all that uncertainty into the work. He even came away with a surprise hit single. All this while writing two separate albums at once.
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Running on ‘Empty‘
The Who burned bright for an incredibly long stretch before their output started to fall off, both in terms of frequency and quality. As songwriter for the band, Pete Townshend struggled for inspiration after high points like Tommy, Who’s Next, and Quadrophenia. In addition, the band became a bit road-weary, as years of hard living took their toll on drummer Keith Moon.
In 1978, shortly after the release of the album Who Are You, Moon died unexpectedly. The Who quickly announced that they’d be moving forward, hiring Kenney Jones to replace Moon. While they played live a bit in 1979, there didn’t seem to be much motion on a new studio album.
The problem stemmed from Townshend having to split himself in two. He signed a new deal for a solo record, all while knowing that he’d also be on the hook for a new Who album at some point. He began writing furiously to satiate this sudden demand for material.
To his credit, he did an amazing job of realizing which of his new songs belonged to what project. All this came at a time when he was struggling a bit with drug and alcohol issues. Pete Townshend found a simpatico producer in Chris Thomas, who helped mold Empty Glass into winning shape.
Amazingly, Townshend came through with not only his solo album but also enough material for Face Dances, The Who’s first post-Keith Moon album, in 1981. Townshend suddenly found himself all over the pop charts as well, with “Let My Love Open the Door” off his solo record and “You Better You Bet” off Face Dances.
Reexamining the Music of ‘Empty Glass‘
On Empty Glass, Pete Townshend scaled back a bit from The Who’s ambitions, which often reached Olympian heights. Instead, the album often highlighted a guy who was trying to square his spiritual yearning with matters of the heart and pleasures of the flesh, like a Leonard Cohen record with power chords.
On songs like “Rough Boys” and “Gonna Get Ya”, Townshend barrels ahead with some of the most forceful singing of his career, meaning that you don’t really miss Roger Daltrey’s belting. The potency of the music somewhat disguises the angst and vulnerability in tracks like “Empty Glass” and “A Little Is Enough”.
Townshend also wisely takes the foot off the pedal now and again. “Keep On Working” comes off like a modern update on “Chain Gang”. And “Let My Love Open The Door” lets Townshend indulge his pop side with some of the most romantic lyrics of his career.
Townshend managed to deliver another solo Who album double-dip in 1982 before it started to catch up with him. He briefly broke up The Who, and when he returned to his solo work a few years later, he was back at it with his conceptual pieces. Empty Glass comes off like Pete Townshend’s singer-songwriter record, with a bit more pep and power than the average troubadour fare. The musical evidence suggests that it would have been a profitable path for him had he chosen to take it throughout his career.
Photo by Mike Lawn/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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