It's an above-average set and even good in certain spots, but it pales compared to their first six albums and IMO ranks behind "Go All the Way" and "Between the Sheets. In the pantheon of the 3+3 era, I would rank this as The Isley Brothers' ninth best album. Add the yearning of "Love Comes and Goes" and the slow drags, while not as brilliant as some of their earlier ballads, are the true gems. The ballad "Let's Fall in Love" seems to pick up where "Groove with You" left off and two-fer "You're the Key to My Heart" and "You're beside Me" are two great songs married together by Ernie Isley's guitar playing. In fact, because "Winner" is a double album it gave them the leeway to put more ballads than usual on an album. However, it was getting a little repetitive by the time you heard "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" and "Liquid Love" sounds like the group was struggling to merge its classic rock style with the newer style.įortunately, The Isley Brothers didn't abandon their penchant for ballads. It works on the lead single "I Wanna Be with You" and the title track, arguably the best uptempo songs. It seems like Ernie and Marvin Isley wanted more of the slapping guitar-and-bass sound popularized by The Brothers Johnson. Unfortunately, some of the songs are filler and for the first time the classic sound shows some wear and tear. Shout, Parts I & II (Full Uncut version) 0.15 : Voyage to Atlantis. The band was making a transition from its rock-and-soul sound to one more suited for the dancefloor/disco scene of the late '70s. The Isley Brothers albums The Isley Brothers songs : Discography. "Winner Takes All" was somewhat of a creative setback for The Isley Brothers. (I sometimes think Harvest for the World is better and Heat is On is my choice for THE best) It is 2nd or 3rd on my list of favorite Isley albums. In addition, buying this album will introduce most casual Isley fans to several good songs that they probably didn't know of before. Not too mention, The Isleys were hot This album is. Expecially in 74' where there music hit a funky peak and defined the funk/soul sound. The Isley Brothers were never your pa or ma's favorite bands but they do have a solid place in Americana. Stream songs including 'I Wanna Be With You, Pts. The Isley Brothers' 1979 album the Winner Takes All is a soul funk album that's super cool and funky. IMO, Winner Takes All suffers from none of those problems. Listen to Winner Takes All (Bonus Track Version) by The Isley Brothers on Apple Music. Too much of a departure from the artist's normal sound Most double albums from any era are slagged for one of the following reasons: "How Lucky I Am" is another underloved slow piece. "Let Me In Your Life" is such a solid but unknown song that I want to tie people up and make them listen to it so that they can appreciate it (and being untied afterwards). The 1-2 punch that is the loosely-combined "You're the Key to My Heart" and "You're Beside Me" is undeniable goodness.Īnd "Let's Fall in Love" is one their second-tier beloved jams that is only on the second-tier because there was no room on the first one! This may be the smoothest set of those songs to appear on any Isley album even if they aren't the most celebrated. Era biases aside, the uptempo songs on this album are generally winners.Īnd the Isleys don't lose when it comes to their 70s ballads and midtempo jams. Maybe it is the few disco-esque dance jams that throw people off. People will now shower praise on Songs in the Key of Life and Here, My Dear, but Winner Takes All tends to be unmentioned or passed over. This will feature newly remastered versions of The Isley Brothers’ 21 albums released for both labels, nearly all of which are expanded with rare mixes and tracks making their CD and digital debuts. This is one of THE underrated double albums of the 70s. In August this year, Sony’s Legacy Recordings will release a massive 23-disc box set: The Isley Brothers: The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983). 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.I hate to throw the word 'underrated' around, but it applies here. However, ballads like "You're Beside Me" and "How Lucky I Am" still received airplay on quiet storm radio formats. However, the band didn't release any ballads from the album, making it one of the few times since 1973 that they not released a ballad as a single. The disco element helped songs such as "I Wanna Be With You" and "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)" become hits. While some of their music had pioneered the genre, Winner Takes All was the first album to embrace disco rhythms. However, their sound now included elements of disco. The album continued the brothers' trademark of mixing uptempo funk numbers with softer soul balladry. Reception Professional ratings Review scores
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |