Winner Takes All (album)
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| Winner Takes All | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Bearsville (Woodstock, New York) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 72:28 | |||
| Label | T-Neck Records | |||
| Producer | The Isley Brothers | |||
| The Isley Brothers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Winner Takes It All | ||||
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Winner Takes All is a studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on T-Neck Records on August 21, 1979. It was their first and only double album. The album included the number-one R&B hit, "I Wanna Be With You" and the top 20 UK disco hit, "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)".
The album was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released CD box set The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983.
The album continued the brothers' trademark of mixing uptempo funk numbers with softer soul balladry. However, their sound now included elements of disco. While some of their music had pioneered the genre, Winner Takes All was the first album to embrace disco rhythms.
The disco element helped songs such as "I Wanna Be With You" and "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" become hits. However, the band did not release any ballads from the album, making it one of the few times since 1973 that they not release a ballad as a single. However, ballads like "You're Beside Me" and "How Lucky I Am" still received airplay on quiet storm radio formats.
The album was successful enough on both the pop and R&B album charts where it reached #14 and #3 respectively and eventually went gold after selling past 500,000 copies.
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[2] |
| Smash Hits | mixed[3] |
The Bay State Banner wrote that "every song is done in the characteristic two-part formula, with high energy levels and the familiar funk-rock synthesis."[4]
Track listing
[edit]Unless otherwise noted, Information is based on Liner notes[5]
All tracks are written by Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, Chris Jasper, Rudolph Isley, O'Kelly Isley and Ronald Isley
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna Be with You (Parts 1 & 2)" | 6:20 |
| 2. | "Liquid Love (Parts 1 & 2)" | 5:17 |
| 3. | "Winner Takes All" | 4:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Life in the City (Parts 1 & 2)" | 7:55 |
| 5. | "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop) (Parts 1 & 2)" | 5:13 |
| 6. | "(Can't You See) What You Do to Me?" | 4:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let's Fall in Love (Parts 1 & 2)" | 4:39 |
| 2. | "How Lucky I Am (Parts 1 & 2)" | 5:38 |
| 3. | "You're the Key to My Heart" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "You're Beside Me (Parts 1 & 2)" | 5:32 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Let Me into Your Life (Parts 1 & 2)" | 5:10 |
| 6. | "Love Comes and Goes (Parts 1 & 2)" | 5:07 |
| 7. | "Go for What You Know" | 3:24 |
| 8. | "Mind Over Matter (Parts 1 & 2)" | 6:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" (12" Disco Version) | 8:44 |
Personnel
[edit]- Performance
- Ronald Isley - lead vocals, background vocals
- O'Kelly Isley, Jr. - background vocals
- Rudolph Isley - additional lead vocals (B5), background vocals
- Ernie Isley - maracas, drums, congas, timbales, percussion, guitar, background vocals
- Marvin Isley - background vocals, bass, percussion
- Chris Jasper - piano, clavinet, ARP synthesizer, keyboards, congas, percussion, background vocals
- Technical
- George Carnell - assistant engineer
- John Holbrook - recording engineer, synthesizer programming
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[6] | 14 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums[6] | 3 |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart positions[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US R&B | ||
| 1979 | "I Wanna Be With You" | - | 1 |
| "It's A Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" | 90 | 27 | |
References
[edit]- ^ Lytle, Craig. The Isley Brothers: Winner Takes All > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: I". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ White, Cliff. "Albums". Smash Hits (July 26 – August 8, 1979): 25.
- ^ Lane, George (14 June 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 36. p. 16.
- ^ The Isley Brothers. “Winner Takes All” (Album notes). T-Neck. 1979.
- ^ a b "The Isley Brothers US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
- ^ "The Isley Brothers US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
