The Fox (1981)
The Fox was released during a pivotal era in the early 80s, where Elton still showed a willingness to embrace change and evolve his sound. We witness a departure from the familiar 70s style but also a slight departure from those late 70s and early 80s styles, as Elton ventures into a soundscape shaped by the contemporary influences of the time. From infectious energy to bluesy introspection, The Fox offers a mix of classic Elton with a fresh, innovative twist.
Breaking Down Barriers serves as a high-energy album opener, infusing infectious enthusiasm with piano showmanship reminiscent of Grey Seal and Pinball Wizard. I believe this shows a natural progression for Elton into the early 80s market. The 80s climax outro resonates akin to bands like Journey, adding that contemporary twist that Elton hadn’t show on his early records.
Heart In The Right Place kicks off with a bluesy, grittier vibe. This could be the sibling track of Stinker from Caribou. The track maintains solidity, featuring a dirty blues guitar, pounding bass notes, and a kickass guitar solo. Are the spacey, robotic autotuned voices necessary in the outro? Maybe not, but I kind of like them. They add a uniqueness that helps keep Elton’s sound evolving. It’s once again pretty solid from Elton.
Just Like Belgium emerges as a personal favorite. It is an incredible song that gets such little credit and recognition. This will definitely not be the last time you hear me talk about this song as I feel it is one of Eltons most underrated and overlooked songs in his career. It epitomizes the distinctive sound that works for Elton during this era. The song feels both classic and fresh, with a standout sax solo adding extra chefs kisses to the dish.
Nobody Wins, while evoking a distinct 1980s ambiance akin to Victim of Love, falls short in execution. The obvious drum machines and a lack of Elton's trademark genuineness make it suitable for a movie soundtrack where one is driving at night through a neon lit city, but it’s less likely to be revisited.
Fascist Faces brings a grimey 80s guitar, shuffle beat, and sing-along quality. It stands out as a foot-tapping, head-bopping deep cut, featuring some pretty great backing harmonies. Elton has written a few songs in this style and while this one isn’t his all time best, it is still pretty enjoyable.
Carla/Etude/Fanfare/Chloe are all presented in medley form! The first three parts of this track are all instrumental, and come off as a smaller scale throwback to some of the compositional pieces from Blue Moves. For a track that clocks in at just under 11 minutes, I feel the song doesn’t really get interesting until Chloe. While the instrumentals are nicely composed and played, they don’t warrant much replay. Although around the 5 minute mark, it really starts to sound like something the Alan Parsons Project would have done. Chloe on the other hand I find to be just a little too short and I personally would love to have an extended version of that track replace the medley all together.
Heels of the Wind, filled with upbeat disco energy, resembles the poppier disco tracks of 21 at 33. It does have some appealing musical accents, but there are moments where the track feels somewhat lightweight. Elton’s Song is a ‘standout’ for many on this record that I don’t really understand. Sure it’s regarded as lyrically strong, but I feel it falls very short musically. While undeniably beautiful, it lacks the standout quality found in some of Elton's other works. Some would argue the song doesn’t need it, or that’s not the point and it should be the way it is but … not my cup of tea.
The Fox comes in as a down-tempo album closer, featuring great harmonica accents, strong harmonies, and gorgeous backing vocals. While not the strongest closer in Elton's discography, it stands as a notably great track and one I find myself revisiting a fair amount.
Elton John's musical experimentation becomes evident. The infectious enthusiasm of Breaking Down Barriers, the bluesy grit of Heart In The Right Place, and the timeless allure of Just Like Belgium stand out as beacons in this journey. While some tracks may nod to the unmistakable 1980s ambiance, there's an underlying thread of Elton's signature charm and musical prowess. The Fox may not boast the same resonance as some of his classic works, but I feel it shows upwards progression from the lows Elton was at musically after Bernie Taupin departed. Taupin, however briefly, did return for a few tracks on this record, but it won’t be for some more time where we get him back full time.
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Highlight Songs:
Just Like Belgium
Breaking Down The Barrier
Fascist Faces
The Fox
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Own It, Stream it, Forget about it
I have some slight bias with The Fox for no other reason than I just think it gets more hate than it deserves. It is no where near the quality of his hit albums from the 70s, but there is much to love on this record. Not all of it. There are some skips. But I think it’s worthy enough to own.
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Overall Rating:
4 Stars
