Parting Should Be Painless

AMG Review of Parting Should Be Painless

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

In a certain sense, Roger Daltrey's solo career should be divided into two parts. The first part, running from 1973 to 1980 and including the albums Daltrey, Ride A Rock Horse, One Of The Boys, and McVicar, consists of work Daltrey did in between making records and touring with The Who. The second part, from 1984 on, is Daltrey's post-Who career, during which you might expect be would be more focused and would concentrate on making his solo albums primary statements rather than diversions. Guess again. Daltrey was much more successful, commercially as well as artistically, when his solo career was a side project. Parting Should Be Painless, the first album Daltrey made after The Who's breakup in 1982, contains some interesting tracks, including Bryan Ferry's "Going Strong," which gives you an idea what Roxy Music would sound like if Daltrey was its lead singer, and "Somebody Told Me," written by Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics. But for the most part, it consists of mediocre material indifferently sung. The message: Parting was painful, especially to Daltrey.