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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.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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1. | "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" (12" Disco Version) | 8:44 |
Chart (1979) | Peak position |
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Billboard Pop Albums [6] | 14 |
Billboard Top Soul Albums [6] | 3 |
Year | Single | Chart positions [7] | |
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US Pop | US R&B | ||
1979 | "I Wanna Be With You" | - | 1 |
"It's A Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" | 90 | 27 | |
The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".
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Live It Up is the twelfth album by the Isley Brothers, released on September 7, 1974. It was their second major-distributed album with Epic Records under their T-Neck subsidiary.
The Heat Is On is the thirteenth studio album by American soul and funk group The Isley Brothers, released June 7, 1975, on T-Neck Records and Epic Records. Written and produced entirely by the group, the album was recorded in 1975 at Kendum Recorders in Burbank, California. The Heat Is On features musical elements of rock, and is divided between uptempo funk songs and soul ballads.
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Showdown is the sixteenth studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on April 22, 1978, on their T-Neck Records label. Singles released from the album include the #1 funk/disco hit, "Take Me to the Next Phase" and the top 20 R&B slower, "Groove With You". The album became another platinum album for the Isley Brothers. It was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released CD box set The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983.
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Grand Slam is an album by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint via CBS Records on March 21, 1981. The album was recorded and mixed digitally.
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"Harvest for the World" is a 1976 single released by American musical group The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. It was the title track from their 1976 album Harvest for the World.
"Choosey Lover" is a 1983 soul song by The Isley Brothers.
"It's a Disco Night " is a 1979 club hit for The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck label as the second single from their gold-certified album Winner Takes All. The song is notable for being one of the few disco-based songs the Isley Brothers released. Beforehand, the group were known for their mixture of funk, rhythm and blues and rock. The song was led by brother Ronald Isley while his brothers Kelly and Rudolph Isley chanted "rock don't stop" in the background. The song briefly charted on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 90, hitting number 27 on the R&B chart. Outside the US, "It's a Disco Night" reached number 14 on the UK Singles chart.