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The Fox | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 20 May 1981 | |||
Recorded | August 1979 – March 1980 January 1981 [1] | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 45:48 | |||
Label | Geffen (US), Rocket (UK) | |||
Producer |
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Elton John chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Fox | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
The Fox is the fifteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1981. The album was produced by John, Clive Franks, and, for the first time, Chris Thomas, who would produce many more albums with John through most of the 1980s and 1990s.
Five of the eleven songs on the album (noted below) were recorded during the sessions for his previous album 21 at 33 . The album met with limited success upon its release, but has received some critical reappraisal in recent years. [5]
The album reached the top ten and top 40 charts in many countries, receiving a silver certification in the United Kingdom. The first single, "Nobody Wins", charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 21, but charted best in Norway, peaking at number 10. The next single, "Chloe", charted on the Adult Contemporary chart at number 16. "Just Like Belgium" failed to chart despite being released as a single in some countries where Elton John's music had been successful. [5]
Record World said of "Chloe" that "Music-box keyboards and synthesizer jet streams guide Elton's reassuring vocal through this grandiose ballad." [6]
After 1981, only "Chloe", "Just Like Belgium", "Nobody Wins" and "Elton's Song" would be included in John's 1982 Jump Up! Tour. While "Chloe", "Just Like Belgium" and "Nobody Wins" have not been performed since that tour, "Elton's Song" was performed a few times on his 1999 An Evening with Elton John tour. [5] [7] John has not performed it since. [7]
However, since the album's release, Elton would perform "Carla/Etude" on his 1986 world tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and on subsequent solo tours, plus on a set of shows with the Royal Academy of Music Orchestra during his Elton John 2004 Tour, making it the only song on the album that was performed up to 2010 on a tour with Ray Cooper.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Breaking Down Barriers" | John, Gary Osborne | 4:42 |
2. | "Heart in the Right Place" | John, Osborne | 5:15 |
3. | "Just Like Belgium" | John, Bernie Taupin | 4:10 |
4. | "Nobody Wins" | Jean-Paul Dreau, Osborne | 3:40 |
5. | "Fascist Faces" | John, Taupin | 5:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Carla/Etude" | John | 4:46 |
2. | "Fanfare" | John, James Newton Howard | 1:26 |
3. | "Chloe" | John, Osborne | 4:40 |
4. | "Heels of the Wind" | John, Taupin | 3:35 |
5. | "Elton's Song" | John, Tom Robinson | 3:02 |
6. | "The Fox" | John, Taupin | 5:20 |
Total length: | 45:48 |
Notes
Visions, released on VHS in 1982, is a video of all ten songs recorded for The Fox album. [8] It is notable as one of the first long-form video releases of an album. The collection was also released on RCA's CED video disc and Laserdisc, a precursor to the DVD, but has not been released since. The video for "Elton's Song", which dealt with the story of a teenage boy's admiration for another teenage boy he yearns for, but who is too shy to confront his feelings, was excluded from the UK video release because the public school it was filmed in objected to the theme of the song. All the videos were conceptualised by Keith Williams and directed by Russell Mulcahy. [8]
Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia | — | 60,000 [20] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [21] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Peachtree Road is the twenty-seventh studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 9 November 2004. The album was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of John's four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which John has sole credit as producer, although on some previous projects he was listed as a co-producer, with Clive Franks, or Greg Penny. It was recorded in January 2004.
Honky Château is the fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 19 May 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums.
Caribou is the eighth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 June 1974 by MCA Records in the US and on 28 June by DJM Records in the UK. It was his fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom. The album contains the singles "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and number two in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back", which reached number 15 in the UK and number four in the US. Both singles reached number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles Chart, as did the album itself.
Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 October 1975. The title is a pun on the phrase "West of the Rockies", the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 22 October 1976 through John's own Rocket Record Company, alongside MCA Records in certain countries. John's second double album, it was recorded at EMI Studios, Brother Studios, Eastern Sound and Sunset Sound Recorders, and was his last to be produced by longtime collaborator Gus Dudgeon until Ice on Fire (1985). Additionally, the album would be the last collaboration between John and lyricist Bernie Taupin for the next few years until a partial resumption of their working partnership with 21 at 33 (1980).
A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1978, it is the first album for which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist. It is also the first of two John albums that, on the original cut, have no tracks co-written by Taupin.
The One is the twenty-third studio album by British recording artist Elton John, released on 22 June 1992. It was recorded at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris, produced by Chris Thomas and managed by John Reid. The album was dedicated to Vance Buck, and its cover artwork was designed by Gianni Versace.
21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by British musician Elton John. It was released on 23 May 1980, through MCA Records in the US and The Rocket Record Company in all other territories. The album was co-produced by John and Clive Franks, and was primarily recorded in August 1979 at Super Bear Studios in Nice, France. The record was the first since Blue Moves (1976) to feature lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, while John also continued to experiment with other lyricists, including Gary Osborne and Tom Robinson. Contributors to the album include members of Toto and the Eagles, as well as Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, marking their first appearance on an Elton John album since Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975).
Too Low for Zero is the seventeenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1983. The album marked a comeback for John, whose previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international hit singles, and had disappointing sales compared to his string of hit records released during the first half of the 1970s.
Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1985. It was recorded at Sol Studios and his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original Elton John Band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts Tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards.
Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
Made in England is the twenty-fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1995. It was produced by John and Greg Penny, his first album since Leather Jackets without producer Chris Thomas. The album was dedicated to John's boyfriend and future husband David Furnish. It was also dedicated to the memory of Denis Gauthier and Peter Williams. It was the last album to feature regular percussionist Ray Cooper until 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. Bob Birch became John's full-time recording and touring bass player until his death in 2012.
Breaking Hearts is the eighteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1984. It features the quartet of John, Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. There were four top-40 singles from the album: "Sad Songs ", "Who Wears These Shoes", "In Neon", and the UK No. 5 hit "Passengers".
The Big Picture is the twenty-fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on September 22, 1997 through The Rocket Record Company and Mercury Records. The album was recorded at Townhouse Studios in London and is John's last release to date to be produced by Chris Thomas.
Jump Up! is the sixteenth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in 1982 by The Rocket Record Company except in the US and Canada, where it was released by Geffen Records. In the United States, the album was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1982.
Leather Jackets is the twentieth studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded at Sol Studios in England and Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands, it was released in 1986 and was his first album not to have any top 40 singles on either the US Billboard Hot 100 or the UK singles chart since 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, which had no singles released from it. It is also one of his lowest charting studio albums in the United States, peaking at number 91 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is the twenty-eighth official album release for English musician Elton John, released in 1987. It is a live album recorded at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 14 December 1986 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The Rumour is the thirteenth studio album by Olivia Newton-John on 2 August 1988. The title track was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and features backing vocals and piano by John. The album featured the singles "The Rumour", "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" and the Australian-only promo-single "It's Always Australia for Me", which was released for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. This was also her first album not produced by long-time producer John Farrar.
The Union is a collaboration studio album by singer-songwriters Elton John and Leon Russell, released on 19 October 2010 in the US and on 25 October in the UK. This is John's second collaboration album, after 1993's Duets. This is the first studio release by John since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular band members. It is also his highest charting studio album on the Billboard 200 since 1976's Blue Moves, debuting at No. 3, as well as Russell's highest charting studio album since 1972's Carney. The Union was No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.
The Diving Board is the twenty-ninth studio album by English musician Elton John. It is the second of his studio releases since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular band members. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2013 and debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, his highest-charting studio album in his home country since 2001's Songs from the West Coast, and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. It is also his highest-charting solo album in the United States since Blue Moves in 1976.