Elton John - The Fox (1981) Album Score: 8

Wow, this is a hard album to sit through. Not that the material is unlistenable --- you can sit through this whole album without flinching one bit! There is some really nice material on here --- it's a far cry from classic Elton John, but it's completely decent stuff all the same.

"Elton's Song" is a complex and rather pleasantly written ballad that seems to just be the right length. The opening song, the thundering "Breaking Down Barriers" was certainly an excellent addition, and it even makes this album seem rather promising when you first put it on! I'm also pretty fond of "Just Like Belgium" which has what's perhaps the album's best pop hooks although the nothing-instrumentation doesn't do it any favors.

Unfortunately, these high points are few and far between. Songs like the sloppy and meaningless "Fascist Faces" and the dull love ballad "Chloe" bog down the effort hugely. Also, the 6-minute cinematic 'Carla' and 'Etude' is pretty though entirely empty. The rest of that 11-minute track (a love ballad) hardly manage to redeem it.

A cheap disco song he found from some obscure artist in France is translated and covered with "Nobody Wins," but it's plagued by its own cheapness. The melody is nice enough, but even that loses steam after awhile.

Again, by the time the 1980s rolled around, Elton John didn't even seem to want to seem relevant anymore. He also didn't seem to want to be awesome. Hm. It didn't sell well at the time, and it hasn't exactly gotten more ripe with age. As far as potential Elton John fans go, definitely stick with his '70s albums. They sound a lot like this except less cheap.

TRACKS

Breaking Down Barriers 8/10

This thunderous and poppy track starts this Elton John album off on a positive note, and the melody is fitfully catchy. He does manage to prove that he has such an ear for melody! At the same time, this isn't exactly something that's prone to get stuck in my head (in a good way at least). The instrumentation is alright, but I can't think of anything less inspired than that scaling piano he uses ... it's not charming whatsoever. I guess I should be glad it wasn't a cheesy '80s synthesizer! Otherwise, the thunderous quality of the track still manages to win me over. It's heavily produced but in a decent way. It sounds like one of his '70s songs, which I have absolutely nothing against.

Heart in the Right Place 7/10

He seems like he's trying to go R&B here, but his heart isn't in the right place! That is, this song is boring! The genre usually has trouble exciting me, because I just don't like bluesy songs. But John just sounds stale here. That's a shame too because there's some really delicious little guitar licks here. The melody is so sterile that it's a surprise this is Elton John and not some mannequin pretending to be him! More points against it --- it's five minutes long, and there's no reason it needed to be longer than three.

Just Like Belgium 8.5/10

The good news about Elton John's '80s career is when he has ahold of a great hook, he's able to milk it out for all its worth. This is a catchy song that has enough staying power to be actually worth the four minutes that he carries it out for. That said, it wouldn't have done him any harm to lop it off after the three minute mark! More points against it comes in the instrumentation department, which sounds too much like it's striving to be a Branson showtune. But who cares if it's entertaining?

Nobody Wins 7.5/10

It isn't an Elton John original --- it's a cover of some French disco tune that might have been big in the country. The melody is alright, and I can see why Elton John wanted to cover it. (It's surely much better than the nonsense he did in that abysmal Victim of Love! At the same time, it's just a cheap disco tune. It has a nice line of melody, but after it's repeated twice, it loses its sparkle. There isn't much to the instrumentation at all. It's cheap! Nobody wins if you're going to try to pass off these instrumentals that probably only took you about two hours of work!

Fascist Faces 6/10

Vibes of "Bennie and the Jets" strike up immediately upon hearing the opening piano riff except this version just isn't that inspired! I'm reminded of his '70s work, but I remember too well that it was loaded with many more hooks! Where'd the hooks go??? What's worse is this song drags on for five minutes, and without hooks it ain't got much! It gains a few points here and there for song development. There's a spacey instrumental section in the middle --- but even that didn't seem to lend anything. The instrumentation is also better than the previous few songs, but ... who cares if there's no hooks, dang it??? This song is a big fat nothing. Boo!!

Carla/Etude/Fanfare 7/10

This begins as a corny instrumental track that might appear on a romantic movie score. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but it's official now that old Elton threw in the towel of *awesomeness*. Whatever. He can do what he wants. As far as the corny music that drags on forever goes, this is alright. It's not great --- maybe not even good --- but it's passable. It's well composed and calming. It's a throwaway and meaningless thing to sit back and relax to. You're better off listening to John Barry if you really want to know ...... I guess Elton John is no John Barry! The middle section of the track features Elton John singing a ballad. It's pretty damn boring if you want to know. The melody is just so-so, but certain aspects of the instrumentals were done right. The violins seem to swell up in the right spots. He adapts a rhythm section after awhile, but that doesn't exactly save it all from getting boring. This is such a far, far cry from that glorious 11-minute track that appeared at the beginning of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road --- you don't even know!

Chloe 6.5/10

This is another shame. Elton John continues to write songs without much of a hook he's going about it like he isn't embarrassed whatsoever about it. Well, anything to pay the bills right? He's full-gear into his adult contemporary mode meaning that he's uber-polished and not very interesting. There's some value to the more passionate chorus, but that's just like a thimble full of air in a square-foot's worth of vacuum.

Heels of the Wind 8/10

At the very least, Elton John includes this, which is one of his upbeat rocking songs. The melody has a little bit of value here. It keeps the song interesting along with the steady beat. The instrumentation is fun though a little too imaginative. The bass line at least keeps my toe tapping.

Elton's Song 9/10

And then there's "Elton's Song" ... a little ditty he dedicates to himself?? Whatever the case, this one's not actually so bad. It's a ballad, but the melody is rather catchy and even a bit haunting. The instrumentation consists of merely Elton playing a piano and singing (with a little bit of tasteful synths after awhile) which I guess is all he ever needed.

The Fox 7.5/10

I think that 4 Non Blondes must have taken this hook to write their hit grunge song "What's Up?" ... Well who knows, really? It wasn't a great hook anyway! This is just another mediocre, mid-tempoed Elton John song. He's clearly not on top his game, but he's surely putting on a good show! You wouldn't think he believed that he wasn't at his best...