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 21 at 33 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 Elton John's collaborations were beginning to yield some impressive results, including Heart in the rRight 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 and 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 The fox 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)

1 Breaking down barriers (John, Osborne) 2 Heart in the right place (John, Osborne) 3 Just like Belgium (John, Taupin) 4 Nobody wins (Dreau, Osborne) 5 Facist faces (John, Taupin) 6 Carla/Etude/Fanfare (John, Osborne, Newton-Howard) 7 Cloe (John, Osborne) 8 Heels of the wind (Taupin, John) 9 Elton's song (John, Robinson) 10 The fox (Taupin, John) Musicians: Ronald Baker - Vocals Carl Carwell - Vocals Bill Champlin - Vocals Chuck Cissel - Vocals Cornerstone Choir - Choir Victor Feldman - Percussion Clarence Ford - Vocals Clive Franks - Producer Roy Galloway - Vocals Jim Gilstrap - Vocals Venette Gloud - Vocals Max Gronenthal - Vocals Jim Horn - Saxophone Elton John - Piano, Vocals, Producer John Lehman - Vocals Roger Linn - Synthesizer, Drum Programming The London Symphony Orchestra Steve Lukather - Guitar Tamara Matoesian - Vocals Reggie McBride - Bass Dee Murray - Bass, Vocals James Newton-Howard - Organ, Synthesizer, Arranger, Conductor, Vocoder, Fender Rhodes, String Arrangements, Synthesizer Programming Nigel Olsson - Drums Gary Osborne - Vocals David Paich - Synthesizer Marty Paich - String Arrangements Jeff Porcaro - Drums Steve Porcaro - Drum Programming, Synthesizer Programming Mickey Raphael - Harmonica Tim Fenwick - Guitar Stephanie Spruill - Tambourine, Vocals Alvin "Red" Taylor - Drums Chris Thomas - Producer Oren Waters - Vocals Richie Zito - Guitar 21 at 33 Victim of love

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