Split Decision Band

Midwest funk was abundant throughout the late '70s and early '80s, but Split Decision Band weren't from Dayton, Detroit, or Minneapolis. They represented Des Moines. Until 2017, the obscure group's lone commercially available recording was the 1978 7" single "Watchin' Out"/'Dazed": hard-driving disco-funk reminiscent of Mass Production backed with a slower, sleazed-out groove that owed much to Ohio Players and Parliament. The rarity was gradually discovered by collectors and even reissued after "Watchin' Out" appeared on multiple compilations. Now-Again, one of the labels that recirculated the single, sought archival tracks from core member Gordon Starr Flipping, who obliged with enough previously unreleased material to necessitate this self-titled anthology. It contains both sides of the single and nine fully formed additional cuts that range from adequate to fine, highlighted by "Night Dancer" and "Crystal Powder," elegant grooves in the realm of Rufus & Chaka Khan and Rose Royce, and the ("Slide" era) Slave-ish scorcher "Seeking." ~ Andy Kellman