I hate to throw the word 'underrated' around, but it applies here.

I'll go further.

This is one of THE underrated double albums of the 70s.

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.

Maybe it is the few disco-esque dance jams that throw people off. Era biases aside, the uptempo songs on this album are generally winners.

And the Isleys don't lose when it comes to their 70s ballads and midtempo jams. This may be the smoothest set of those songs to appear on any Isley album even if they aren't the most celebrated.

The 1-2 punch that is the loosely-combined "You're the Key to My Heart" and "You're Beside Me" is undeniable goodness.

And "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!

"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).

"How Lucky I Am" is another underloved slow piece.

Most double albums from any era are slagged for one of the following reasons:

- Too much of a departure from the artist's normal sound
- Too many songs/too long/too self-indulgent/etc
- The album gets boring
- Bad sequencing

IMO, Winner Takes All suffers from none of those problems.

In addition, buying this album will introduce most casual Isley fans to several good songs that they probably didn't know of before.

It is 2nd or 3rd on my list of favorite Isley albums. (I sometimes think Harvest for the World is better and Heat is On is my choice for THE best)

AP

This album JAMS! Plain and simple. "I Wanna be With You" kicks off the party with an infectious bassline, crisp cymbal crashes and sudden pauses. "Winner Takes All" is another jam followed by "Life in the City" (The extended breakdown w/the hand claps and fast guitar riffs is AMAZING!) and "It's a Disco Night". Those are my personal favorites off this album and I'm glad they are back to back. There is so much energy on those tracks and Ernie is ripping it on the guitar too. Man!

The ballads "Youre Beside Me", "Let's Fall in Love," & "You're the Key to My Heart" smooth out the intense dance numbers nicely. Who can resist the silky vocals of Ron Isley.

You will find yourself singing along with Ron Isley's rich falsetto and grooving with the fast-paced rythym guitar and deep basslines. Its a shame the Isleys have not been fully recognized for the pure musicianship they contribute to the music industry. They are legendary and their music is timeless.

This is a great and necessary addition to your Isleys collection. Peace. CLB.

Considering how long these guys have been out, there are no words to thank them for what they have given the world with their music. Now I am completly partial to this double album set or single 8track. The memories of this music in the background while my girl and I fogged up the windows of a '72' Buick parked in Reservoir Park. Ronald Isley singing "Let's Fall In Love", "How Lucky I Am","You're Beside Me","Let Me In Your Life",and "Love Comes And Goes"-the progression of balads is UNMATCHED by ANY R&B artist.If you have to pay less than 25 US dollars then you have gotten away with more than a bargin, maybe a crime. One day others will wake up and honor the Isley Brothers with a life time achievement Grammy.

This album is underrated, plain and simple. Back in the day people must have been turned off because it was a double album and it was the height of disco. Well even the tracks that have some disco nuances are still funky. The first 3 songs, 'I Wanna Be With You', 'Liquid Love' and 'Winner Takes All' are pure funk while 'Life In The City' clocks in at 8 minutes and has an extended breakdown with some serious guitar riffs from Ernie. The album slows down with the mid-tempo groove of '(Can't You See) What You Do To Me?' and slows down even further with 'Let's Fall In Love' one of their best slow jams. This isn't one of their more well-remembered albums but it's just as good as '3+3' or 'Go For Your Guns'.

Back in 1979, when the Mothership was the only place I wanted to be and only the deepest funk jams would satisfy, a friend loaned me this 2LP set. It blew me away and God knows why I didn't buy it then.

In the last two weeks I was playing my copy of an Isleys compilation featuring the title track (blown away all over again)and as the price of Winner Take All has dropped sinfully low, I dived right in. Wow - all the things said here about an underrated album are 100% true. Since the first time I heard "That Lady" in 1973, this band have enthralled me and this blissful mix of silky vocals, blistering intrumental work, hard funk and lovely ballads means the fascination will continue...

Isleys, I love you, love you, LOVE YOU!