Split Decision Band

Irish Power Trio led by former Mama's Boys and Celtus guitarist/violinist,singer and songwriter Pat McManus. Band members are Pat McManus, Marty McDermott & Paul Faloon. Over the years Pat has also written, recorded and performed with a massive amount of other bands and artists. From such diverse artists as pop pin-up Samantha Fox to Trip Hop record producer, rapper and actor Tricky…..Prog-Rock icons Wishbone Ash to Grammy-nominated musician John Parr with award-winning film composer Harald Kloser and from Spike & The Quireboys to local traditional music projects “Hidden Fermanagh” & “Cool Celi”…… and so many more too numerous to mention.

Here at Athens of the North you know we love Disco, what you might not know is that my friend David Haffner (not only the deepest of disco heads but a great D.J as well) helped us license many of the rare Disco 45s on the label. It is about time David gets the shine he deserves so we asked him to compile some of the songs he helped licence for the label alongside new songs which we have here‘Disco With A Feeling’. So what is ‘Disco With A Feeling’? It’s hard to quantify a sound, but our definition would include 70s Soul or Modern Soul 45s that fit into the disco sound, soulful and magical. The whole LP is straight up dance-floor fire, no matter who you are or where you’re from - a soul boy, disco lady, or a house head you are going to feel the heat of these club smashers.

Count Basie's Columbia years have long been debated, subject to apocryphal written data and legend because of the willy-nilly nature of his tenure with the label and its subsidiaries. Producer Orrin Keepnews has thus assembled America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years, a compilation of Basie's Columbia years that not only makes sense historically; it is a treasure trove for listening. Aesthetics played a grand part in the decision-making process here, as did sound reproduction and discographical accuracy. Over four CDs, the Basie/Columbia collaboration is split into three parts. On disc one and roughly half of two, the small-group recordings are presented, from the original Smith-Jones quintet sessions in 1936 through the 1957 octet recordings…

The Spinners were the greatest soul group of the early '70s, creating a body of work that defined the lush, seductive sound of Philly soul.