The Fox (1981)

The Fox arrived during a pivotal stretch in the early 80s, where Elton still showed a willingness to embrace change and evolve his sound. We get a departure from the familiar 70s style, and even a slight departure from those late-70s and early-80s styles, as Elton moves 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 freshp twist.

Breaking Down Barriers serves as a high-energy opener, pairing infectious enthusiasm with piano showmanship reminiscent of Grey Seal and Pinball Wizard. I think it shows a natural progression for Elton into the early-80s market. The 80s climax outro lands akin to bands like Journey, adding a contemporary twist Elton hadn’t shown on his early records.

Heart in the Right Place kicks off with a bluesy, grittier feel. This could be the sibling track to Stinker from Caribou. It stays solid throughout, with 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. Once again, pretty solid from Elton.

Just Like Belgium emerges as a personal favorite. It’s a fantastic song that gets so little credit and recognition. This will not be the last time you hear me talk about it, because I feel it’s one of Elton’s most underrated and overlooked songs of his entire catalog. It nails the distinctive sound that works for Elton during this era, feeling both classic and fresh, with a standout sax solo adding extra chef’s 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 authenticity make it suitable for a movie soundtrack where you’re driving at night through a neon-lit city, but it’s less likely to get revisited.

Fascist Faces brings a grimy 80s guitar, a shuffle beat, and a sing-along quality. It stands out as a foot-tapping, head-bopping deep cut with 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’s still pretty enjoyable.

Carla/Etude/Fanfare/Chloe is presented in medley form. The first three parts 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 it doesn’t really get interesting until Chloe. The instrumentals are nicely composed and played, but they don’t warrant much replay. Around the five-minute mark, though, it really starts to sound like something The Alan Parsons Project would have done. Chloe, on the other hand, I find just a little too short, and I’d personally love an extended version of that track to replace the medley altogether.

Heels of the Wind, full of upbeat disco energy, resembles the poppier disco tracks of 21 at 33. It has some appealing musical accents, but there are moments where it feels somewhat lightweight. Elton’s Song is a ‘standout’ for many on this record that I don’t really get. 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 work. Some would argue the song doesn’t need it, or that’s not the point and it should be exactly the way it is, but… not my cup of tea.

The Fox comes in as a down-tempo closer with great harmonica accents, strong harmonies, and gorgeous backing vocals. While not the strongest closer in Elton’s discography, it’s a notably great track and one I find myself revisiting a fair amount.

Elton John’s musical experimentation is on full display here. 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 the beacons. While some tracks nod to that unmistakable 1980s ambiance, there’s an underlying thread of Elton’s signature charm and musical prowess running through it. The Fox may not carry the same resonance as some of his classic work, but I feel it shows upward progression from the lows Elton hit musically after Bernie Taupin departed. Taupin, however briefly, did return for a few tracks here, but it’ll be a while yet before 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