Elton John - Too Low for Zero
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CD Details
Artist: Elton JohnEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2001-03-20
Music Label: Island
Soundtracks:
- Cold As Christmas (In The Middle Of The Year)
- I'm Still Standing
- Too Low For Zero
- Religion
- I Guess Why They Call It The Blues
- Crystal
- Kiss The Bride
- Whipping Boy
- Saint
- One More Arrow
- Earn While You Learn
- Dreamboat
- The Retreat
Music reviews of Too Low for Zero
Music Review: One Of Elton's Best Albums
Rating: 5 Stars
After spending the first three years of the 1980s' looking for a place to fit in, Elton finally found his niche and recaptured the magic of his 1970s' heyday with his 1983 release, "Too Low For Zero." By bringing back Bernie Taupin to pen all of the lyrics for the first time since 1976's "Blue Moves" and reuniting his original (and best) band of Davey Johnstone on guitar, Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums, and Ray Cooper providing occasional percussion. The result was his best release in almost 10 years.
"Too Low For Zero" is best remembered for the smash singles it generated. The first was the explosive rocker, "I'm Still Standing," an anthem of resilliance and self preservation that has long since become Elton's battle cry in the face of public adversity and private turmoil. With its bouncy lyrical cadence and singalong chorus, it's one of Elton's most infectious recordings and a beloved concert favorite to this day.
The other major hit was the gorgeous ballad "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues." This longing, romantic composition is one of Elton's best love songs, buoyued by Elton's rollicking piano chords and soulful vocals and Dee Murray's driving bass moving it along at locomotive rhythm, perfectly emulating the thunder rolling under the covers mentioned in the song's memorable chorus. Stevie Wonder's harmonica solo is the icing on the cake on this already perfect musical confection.
The third single, the less successful but well remembered "Kiss The Bride" is one of Elton's best rockers, with a singalong proclemation in the chorus that has Elton shouting with mock anger mixed in with triumphant glee.
The rest of the album is equally appealing to the listener, starting off with its haunting, atmospheric ballad detailing a marriage in peril, "Cold As Christmas (In The Middle Of The Year)," which boasts a great melody and a clever Taupin lyric.
The title track is a dramatic, fast paced number reflecting the hyper kenetic lifestyle of its disillusioned protagonist. Elton's vocal perfectly reflects the lyrics, depicting another sleepless night of someone far too ahead of themselves, as his voice has a raspy, crackly quality that lends itself well. The quirky keyboard effects are especially notweworthy, and Elton's piano solo is a spindly web of melodic nirvana.
"Religion" is a satircal jab at hypocrtical evangelists who rose to prominence in the 1980s', such as Robertson, Falwell, Swaggart, Anita Bryant, and others. Elton, never shy about his negative views on organized religion, creates a stingingly funny tale about a gambler and a hooker who find God in the most unlikely of places yet to continue their sinful lifestyles under the false vibe that it's okay because they now believe.
"Crystal" is a catchy, synth driven rocker about a friend who loses the love of his life gracefully to his best friend, and is one my favorite rockers that he's ever done. It's similar melodically to "I'm Still Standing," as Elton sings in the same fast pace, almost breathless cadence he uses on the aforementioned more popular number, and should've been just as big a hit.
"Whipping Boy" is a repetitive rocker and gets annoying but still boasts some clever lyrical touches and in the long run does nothing to diminish the rest of the album.
The gorgeous, ethereal "Saint" features great synth work by James Newton Howard, touching lyrics and a soaring Elton vocal. Aside from "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues," it's probably my favorite track on the album.
"Too Low For Zero" closes with the chilling "One More Arrow," a loving tribute by a son to a deceased father. Like "Skyline Pigeon" and "Candle In The Wind," as well as the lesser known "Cage The Songbird" from "Blue Moves," takes an almost hymnlike aura, bolstered by Elton's hauntingly beautiful, piercing falsetto, which soars to Heaven and brings a tear to even the most hardened heart. It helped me appreciate my father a little more than I already do, if that's any indication of how well Elton captures the song's sentiments.
"Too Low For Zero" is one of Elton's best album and is, along with "Reg Strikes Back" and "Sleeping With The Past," his finest studio output of the 1980s'. 26 years, it's still standing with the most essential of his recorded output.
Description of Too Low for Zero
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