Winner Takes All (album)

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
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."

Track listing
Unless otherwise noted, Information is based on Liner notes

Personnel

 * 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