Stars On 45 - 40 Years Anthology (Remastered) (2022)

Stars On 45 was one of the biggest smash hit projects of the 80s, featuring hit medleys of some the worlds’ greatest artists and bands, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, ABBA and Stevie Wonder.

The first Stars On 45 single sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and topped the charts in many countries in early 1981: The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, #2 in the United Kingdom and ultimately topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on 20th June 1981.

The project originated in the Summer of 1980, when record label manager Willem van Kooten heard about a Canadian 12”-single, which featured a collection of hits from the 60s and 70s. Among them was Shocking Blue’s Venus – with the rights owned by Van Kooten - and it being an illegally bootleg record, Van Kooten did not know anything about this use. He contacted record producer and former Golden Earrings-drummer Jaap Eggermont to ask if he was able to copy that counterfeited record – with all rights cleared.

Together with arranger Martin Duiser, Eggermont immediately contacted some of the best Dutch session players, 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 yielded both a single and album in 1982. One year later, Stars on 45 topped the Dutch charts once more with Stars On 45 Proudly Presents The Star Sisters.

This 40 Years Anthology 2CD collects the major works of Stars On 45, plus five tracks from the 1982 follow-up project The Superstars and three hit singles from The Star Sisters. Most tracks have never been released on CD before.

The release of this 2CD marks the first time that all Stars On 45 material has been transferred and remastered from the original Soundpush Studio master tapes, overseen by Red Bullet catalogue and band archivist Wouter Bessels.