Empty Glass was released in 1980 as the first Pete Townshend solo album (Who Came First was a collection of demo recordings and Meher Baba-inspired songs, while Rough Mix was written and recorded with Ronnie Lane) and was his most successful. The album deals with a plethora of issues that Townshend was struggling with, including alcoholism, drug abuse, marital problems and deceased friends. Empty Glass also contained the devotional love song, "Le...
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Empty Glass was released in 1980 as the first Pete Townshend solo album (Who Came First was a collection of demo recordings and Meher Baba-inspired songs, while Rough Mix was written and recorded with Ronnie Lane) and was his most successful. The album deals with a plethora of issues that Townshend was struggling with, including alcoholism, drug abuse, marital problems and deceased friends. Empty Glass also contained the devotional love song, "Let My Love Open the Door", which became a top ten hit single in the United States, along with the other (modestly successful) singles, "Rough Boys" and "A Little Is Enough".
The origins of the album's title are described in the following quote from Pete Townshend (taken from the exclusive interview with Murray Lerner off the film 'The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival'):
This concept was derived from the work of the Persian poet Hafiz, which Townshend became interested in from his involvement with Meher Baba.
The album was written and...
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