Various Stars On 45 ‎– 40 Years Anthology (2-CD)

(Red Bullet) 20 tracks, digisleeve

• 40th Anniversary Edition of the Stars on 45 Collection
• Remastered from the original Soundpush Studio master tapes
•  Includes both Long Play albums, The Superstars album and three Star Sisters hit singles
•  Original versions and mixes used
•  Includes the original 7" and 12" mixes, plus B-sides
•  Includes a 16-page booklet with credits and original artwork

Stars On 45 was one of the biggest smash hit projects of the 80's, featuring hit medleys from some of the biggest artists and bands in the world including The Beatles The Rolling Stones, ABBA and Stevie Wonder. The first Stars On 45 single sold more than 5 million copies and reached the top of the charts in many countries in early 1981: in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, number 2 in the UK and the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 on June 20, 1981.

The project was born in the summer of 1980, when the record company manager Willem van Kooten heard about a Canadian 12" single, on which was a collection of hits from the 60s and 70s. Among them was Venus by Shocking Blue - though the rights were held by Van Kooten - and it was an illegal bootleg record. Van Kooten was unaware of this use. He contacted producer and former Golden Earrings drummer Jaap Eggermont to ask if he could copy this fake record - with all the rights.

Together with arranger Martin Duiser, Eggermont immediately contacted some of the best Dutch studio musicians, such as guitarist Hans Hollestelle, bassist Fred Jansen and singers Hans Vermeulen, Okkie Huijsdens, Arnie Treffers, Tony Sherman, Albert West, Peter Vermeij, Bas Muijs, Cees Bergman and Jody Pijper. The recordings resulted in two singles and two albums as Stars On 45, followed by The Superstars, which produced both a single and an album in 1982.