Elton John

The Fox (1981)

1.Breaking Down Barriers
2.Heart in the Right Place
3.Just Like Belgium
4.Nobody Wins
5.Fascist Faces
6.Carla/Etude/Fanfare
7.Chloe
8.Heels of the Wind
9.Elton's Song
10.The Fox

Of all Elton John’s post-70s output, The Fox may be the most criminally overlooked. Released in 1981, it arrived at a time when Elton was still cautiously rebuilding after a turbulent run of inconsistent albums and personal upheaval. As such, its muted commercial reception comes as little surprise. What is surprising, however, is just how good the album actually is.

Much of The Fox continues the scattershot approach introduced on 21 at 33—a patchwork of different lyricists, session players, and producers. Yet, where the previous album often felt tentative, The Fox sounds purposeful. A key reason for this is the entry of Chris Thomas, a producer whose influence would come to define much of Elton’s output over the next two decades. While Thomas didn’t handle the entire record, his fingerprints are unmistakable—and, crucially, stabilizing.

Musically, the album strikes a deft balance between Elton’s foundational rock instincts and his more refined, orchestral aspirations. Breaking Down Barriers kicks things off with a bold assertion of intent—muscular, melodic, and confident. Tracks like Just Like Belgium flirt with whimsy, while Nobody Wins, the album’s first single, pairs a cold Euro-disco pulse with lush choral textures, managing somehow to sound both urgent and stately.

The quieter moments shine even brighter. Chloe is a tender throwback to classic Elton balladry, while Elton’s Song—co-written with lyricist Tom Robinson—is perhaps one of the most emotionally understated pieces in his catalogue. It's a sparse, aching miniature that says more in three minutes than some of his epics manage with twice the time. Heart in the Right Place adds a splash of bluesy grit, reminding us that Elton hadn’t completely forsaken his roots.

But the centrepiece—and arguably the album’s most transcendent moment—is Carla/Etude. A lyric-free, classically structured piano composition, it echoes the grace and ambition of Tonight from Blue Moves, but without the weight of melancholy. Here, the orchestration doesn’t simply accompany Elton’s playing—it elevates it, creating an atmosphere that feels both cinematic and regal.

Indeed, what makes The Fox stand apart is its maturity. There is a distinctly English quality to the album—not in subject matter, but in tone: elegant, considered, and often quietly majestic. The orchestral and choral elements, rather than serving as decorative flourishes, feel integral to the musical architecture. This approach would serve Elton well throughout the decade to come.

That The Fox failed to make much commercial impact remains something of a mystery. Perhaps the public had simply stopped listening. Or perhaps Elton was too stylistically fluid for a music industry increasingly obsessed with sharp branding. Either way, the album stands as a quietly confident return to form—an unflashy triumph that rewards those who care to look beneath the surface.

Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review