Too Low for Zero by Elton John

Too Low for Zero, Elton John's 17th studio album, arrived on Geffen in 1983, and it's the sound of a star climbing back up the ladder. His previous five albums had struggled to produce lasting hits and sold poorly next to the run of records that made his name in the early '70s; this one, produced by Chris Thomas, put him right back in the game.

It's sleek, synth-brightened pop rock with the piano still at the center, and the showman is back in full voice. "I'm Still Standing" is the defiant, bouncing statement of intent, and the album's hits each came with a successful MTV video to carry them into the new era. The album spent over a year on the Billboard chart, went platinum in the US and the UK, and ended up as his second-biggest seller of the decade, behind Sleeping with the Past.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.