The cover design of Bob James' previous album "Hands Down" might have been unpopular, as his 11th album "Foxy" has a cover that goes beyond pop and verges on eccentric, which might dampen the desire to purchase it.
"Foxy" can mean sly like a fox, and in American slang, it's also used to describe a sexy woman. However, I can't quite grasp how this ties into the album's content. The woman's legs form an X, and Bob is pointing at them, making XI (11 in Roman numerals). The title also cleverly includes "xi" (the woman's legs appear between the M and E in James, forming XIE), creating a double meaning.
This album sees the return of Bob's signature classical adaptations, which were absent from the previous release. He tackles Beethoven's "Ludwig" in what might be an overly ambitious (if not excessive) manner. The second track, "Calaban" transitions from an oriental intro into a pioneering Balearic music piece. After listening to this track, I forgave him. Continuing in a similar vein, "Fireball" is an e-piano-centric track with bubbling sound effects, sampled by Nightmares on Wax in "What I'm Feelin (Good)" The album also features a drum break seemingly influenced by Hip-Hop in "Zebra Man" and "Marco Polo" which was used in a Suntory Reserve commercial (with Bob himself appearing). Despite its quirky appearance, this is an album you can enjoy throughout—a great record not to be judged by its cover!
フォクシーとはキツネのようにずる賢いという意味と、アメリカではセクシーな女性に対しても俗語的に使われるようで、内容とどう繋がりがあるのか当方は汲み取れませんが、女性の脚がX、ボブ先生が指をさしている。つまりⅪなわけで、タイトルにもxiが入っており(JamesのMとEの間に足が入り込んでてXIEとしてるっぽい)ダブルミーニングな感じになっています。
前作ではなかったお得意のクラシックいじりを復活。冒頭「ルートヴィヒ」はベートーベンのファースト・ネームであり、彼の作品をコラージュしたものですが、やや(かなり)やり過ぎ?からのA2「Calaban」はオリエンタルなイントロから展開する、バレアリック・ミュージックの先駆け的な楽曲。この曲を聴いて彼を許すことにしましたww
Bob James – Foxie '83 Tappan ZeeA1.
LudwigA2.
CalabanA3.
FireballB1.
Zebra ManB2.
MirandaB3.
Marco PoloCredit;
Bass – Gary King (A1), Marcus Miller (B1, B3), Ron Carter (B2),
Will Lee ( A2, A3)
Creative Director [Cover Concept], Management – Peter Paul
Design [Album Design] – John Berg, Peter Andrew Alfieri
Drums – Peter Erskine (A2, A3, B2), Steve Gadd (A1),
Yogi Horton (B1, B3)
Guitar – Hugh McCracken (B3), Steve Khan (B3)
Other [Model] – Patricia Tracy
Percussion – Leonard 'Doc' Gibbs, Jr. (A3, B1, B2, B3), Ralph MacDonald (A1)
Photography By – Herbert Schulz
Producer, Arranged By – Bob James
Recorded By, Mixed By, Co-producer [Associate Producer] – Joe Jorgensen
Soprano Saxophone – David Sanborn (B1)
Synthesizer – Rob Zantay (A2)
