Elton John Album: “Too Low for Zero”

This is the sound of an artist revitalising his own career after a relatively bleak period of mediocre albums. This an extremely confident collection of uptempo songs which holds a special place in my heart as I grew up listening to this stuff on the radio when it first came out. Tracks like "Kiss The Bride", "I'm Still Standing", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" are perennial favourites and stand up well to his classic songs of the 1970's. Elton bounced back into the limelight with this album, with Bernie Taupin back by his side to provide some great lyrics. 'Too Low For Zero' is simply an enjoyable collection of radio-friendly tunes with beautiful melodies and great performances from many members of his original band. This 'comeback' album shows a return to form, and a good one at that. I don't think Reggie has had as good a record as this since, and 'Too Low' stands the test of time, proving what a talented and respected musician like E.J. can produce if he puts his heart and soul into the music and gives it to us bountifully. This is a good companion piece to Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" from the same year (though I personally prefer 'Too Low'.)

WHEN I FIRST HEARD 2 LOW 4 ZERO,I WAS 15,DAYDREAMER BOY,AND I WAS BEFORE A MAJOR CHANGE IN MY LIFE.GOING TO A NAVY COLLEGE,FAR AWAY FROM MY HOME.THIS ALBUM,REALY TOUCHED ME DEEPLY,ESPECIALLY "I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES".THIS SONG IS SO EXCITING,AND IT MADE ME SHIVER,AND HELPED ME THROUGH MY DAYS ON THE NAVY COLLEGE.SO POWERFUL IT WAS.BEAUTIFUL ALBUM,THAT REALY MAKES A DIFFERENCE.ELTON AT HIS BEST.

Buying this CD again because the one I had became damaged. I wore it out after my divorce, it got me through it. Being a piano player myself, (Not in Elton's league though), I love Elton's music. What really gets me into this album though is the song "Too Low For Zero". This is a song that sets the pace for alot of my workouts at the gym and running. Recomended for those who work out and want an excellent pace.

Many songwriters have a moment that defines them as an artist; the moment, in fact, that the songwriter becomes an artist and not merely an entertainer. Listen to this album sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas before your holiday plans are finalized. The songs will haunt you the rest of your life - it will be a definite moment in your life.

This release speaks for itself. Two of the best tracks on this cd were never released as singles. "Cold as Christmas" and "Religion". This recording, in my eyes, ended the last real effort for Elton in the studio. Seems as though everything after "Too Low For Zero" was fluff. Elton is still one of the best artist and concerts to see, but what would be nice would be a tour of small venues where he only played the "B-side" material. There is a lot of good stuff there. Keep rockin' Reg!!!