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The pressing

The Story Behind Winner in You

Patti LaBelle – Winner In You (1986) · 5 November 2026

Patti LaBelle – Winner In You

Three record companies, one Spanish pressing - that's the quiet mystery stamped into the vinyl of Patti LaBelle's biggest album.

A Record Built by Many Hands

Winner in You came out on MCA Records on April 28, 1986, after sessions through 1985 and 1986. Producers included Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Richard Perry, among others, giving the album a layered, collaborative feel from the start.

The Album That Topped Everything

The record hit number one on the Billboard 200, and its lead single, 'On My Own' with Michael McDonald, topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Songs. It became LaBelle's only album to chart outside the US, reaching the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK, and has sold over eight million copies worldwide.

Three Companies, One Pressing

The 1986 Spanish vinyl pressing tells its own story. MCA Records held the copyright, WEA Records, S.A. is listed as the record company, and the discs themselves were manufactured by Discos CBS, S.A. in Madrid, with the sleeve printed by Indugraf Madrid. Three names, one record.

Critics Were Divided

Reviews were mixed. Ron Wynn at AllMusic called it the album that made LaBelle's solo career, praising 'Oh, People' and 'Kiss Away the Pain'. Robert Christgau gave it a B, liking the McDonald duet but less taken with the earlier tracks. Rolling Stone's Jim Farber found it inconsistent, though he praised her voice throughout.

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