{"id":9739,"date":"2025-01-19T02:30:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T09:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qualityofmercy.com\/blog\/?p=9739"},"modified":"2025-07-08T01:14:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T07:14:24","slug":"heavy-inauguration-rotation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qualityofmercy.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/19\/heavy-inauguration-rotation\/","title":{"rendered":"Heavy Inauguration Rotation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few days ago, while cleaning up dead links on this blog, I ran across something included in my 2019 post Vaneigem and Bubblegum<\/a>, which discusses matters musical, political, and spiritual. “Art on 45\u201d is the lead track on a 1982 vinyl 12” EP called Art \u2022 Dream \u2022 Dominion<\/em> by The Royal Family and the Poor. It appears to take its name from Stars on 45, a Dutch act that legitimized what had been a bootleg: a stringing together of popular songs to a disco beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The story told<\/a> on Wikipedia is that Willem van Kooten worked for a music publisher when he heard a medley playing in a record store that included a tune to which his company held the worldwide rights. Realizing it had to be a bootleg, he legally licensed the medley’s tunes, hiring a producer and studio musicians to mimic the original, the result being released in 1981 as Stars on 45 (artist and title). It became a thing, as we’d say now. I picked up the 33-RPM version, Stars on Long Play<\/em> as well as several confusing renderings of the original bootleg, which was titled “Let’s Do It” and “Bits & Pieces III.” Two other items I nabbed: a 1981 Dutch pressing of Mix Your Own \u2019Stars\u2019<\/em> [sic<\/em>] (tagged “The Original American Rhythm Tracks Album”), containing four tracks of beats at various RPMs, and 1981’s “The Punks of 76,” a 7″ disco-ized medley of songs by the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Eater, The Damned, The Jam, and The Clash\u2014on blue vinyl\u2014produced by the Pistols’ producer Dave Goodman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Art on 45” isn’t a medley per se<\/em>. Rather than stringing together songs, it does so with popular references<\/a>. Issued forty-three years ago next month, it’s quite relevant for, well\u2026, rotation, rotation, rotation on an inauguration dance floor. See what you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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