The early '80s were not a particularly focused time in
Elton John
's career.
The Fox
(1981) is a reflection of the tentative regrouping that began on his previous effort,
21 at 33
(1979). In fact, a third of the material was left over from the same August 1979 sessions. This results in dithering musical styles and ultimately yields an uneven and at times somewhat dated sound. The reunion with
Bernie Taupin
(lyrics) that commenced on
is once again sparsely tapped. He contributes the tepid
"Heels of the Wind"
as well as
"Just Like Belgium,"
which foreshadows the pair's future lightweight efforts such as
"Nikita."
Slightly more promising, however, is the midtempo rocker
"Fascist Faces"
-- which may well be a nod to
David Bowie
's infamous "Britain could benefit from a fascist leader" statement. The album's introspective title track instantly recalls the slightly bittersweet
"Curtains"
coda from
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboys
(1975).
Gary Osborne
and
's collaborations were beginning to yield some impressive results, including
"Heart in the Right Place"
-- which could easily have been a follow-up to the slinky
Caribou
(1974) track
"Stinker."
The tender
"Chloe"
conclusion to the
"Carla/Etude/Fanfare"
medley became one of two tracks extracted as singles. The other,
"Nobody Wins,"
sports a Euro-beat flavor and was adapted from a French
techno
-
pop
hit by
Osborne
Jean-Paul Dreau
. According to
John
, the dark and noir
"Elton's Song"
remains a favorite, and he very occasionally revives it for live performances. Although
isn't a grand slam, it isn't exactly a bunt either. However, the incremental momentum would continue on the subsequent long-player,
Jump Up!
(1982), before culminating on his '80s breakthrough,
Too Low for Zero
(1983). ~ Lindsay Planer