A lot of people dismiss the work by The Who in the '80s. But they're missing out on some genius song-work in two of the band's last albums: "Face Dances" and "It's Hard."

"Face Dances" is one of those few albums that needs to be replaced immediately after it's worn out. To this day, that CD remains on my "must-not-lend" list, and I feel an over-whelming urge to buy back-up copies of it whenever I see it in record-store racks. (And sorry, Roger Daltrey, but I absolutely cherish the drumming of Kenney Jones on that disc.)

Some people in our generation don't "get" The Who, but I can empathize. It's like watching Roger, Pete and pals in the 1975 flick "Tommy" for the first time some 30 years later. A frightening and altogether unsettling experience, not unlike catching "Red Dawn" for the first time outside the warm, comfy confines of the '80s. Some bands need more context for full appreciation.

Still, with The Who just announcing another short tour of the U.S. beginning Oct. 21 in Detroit, now's a good as time as any to reacquaint yourself with the band's "new classics." (And please don't make me explain my attachment to "Cache Cache" -- bears or no bears, I just like it.)

TOP 5 WHO SONGS OF THE 80s:

5. DON'T LET GO THE COAT: "I can't bear to live forever like a loner."

4. CACHE CACHE: "I'll tell you something for nothing. There ain't no bears in there."

3. IT'S HARD: "Any stud can reproduce ... few can please."

2. EMINENCE FRONT: "That big wheel spins, the hair thins. People forget."

1. YOU BETTER YOU BET: "I got your body right now on my mind but I drunk myself blind to the sound of old T-Rex."