To my knowledge, "It's Hard" was the last album of new material that The Who ever released. It's release coincided with their Final Tour in 1982. I've had the cassette tape of "It's Hard" ever since Jon Beckerman gave it to me on the school bus that took us to school in 9th grade. He didn't think that it was that good. And he was right. But I kept it all of this time. With all of the hoopla surrounding The Who's Super Bowl appearance, and being cooped up inside all week while work was closed, I have been listening to all of my cassette tapes of The Who. I have more cassette tapes than CDs of the band. It was a cassette era when I was discovering, listening to, and growing into The Who. I listened to those cassettes over and over again on my Sony Walkman (which now sits on my mantel as if it were a relic from another time). Anyway, in the process of listening to all of these tapes, I have discovered what I already feared to be true. "It's Hard" has completely lost its fidelity. I have to toss it. But listening to these tapes is a purging process that is also part of a larger project of throwing away all non-essential tapes in my collection. Things are not looking good for Genesis. But I think The Police will make the cut. I like my cassette tapes. Although notoriously reluctant to embrace new technology most of the time, I thought CDs were great, and I think digital music is great. But cassette tapes remind me of a simpler time. Of driving to Monroeville Mall on a Sunday afternoon and looking at the wall of cassette tapes for sale at National Record Mart. It could be overwhelming, not unlike the scene in the movie "Moscow on the Hudson" when Robin Williams playing a Russian defector goes to an American supermarket for the first time and goes down the coffee isle, ultimately passing out because he is overwhelmed by the number of choices just for coffee. Anyway, it was a simpler time. Maybe half of my tape collection are previously blank TDK or Maxell tapes (sold in two-packs) on which friends had recorded albums that they had. Either from CDs, or in some cases, from records. Yes, record albums. 33 1/3 rpm. My cassette tapes of "Who's Last" and the amazing "Quadrophenia" were both recorded from records. I borrowed the two records from my friend Mike in 11th or 12th grade and then taped them on my ridiculous excuse for a stereo at the time. But it got the job done, and I'm still listening to those tapes today. They may be analog cassette tape recordings of analog record albums. But they haven't lost their fidelity. And that's what matters. I'm keeping them.