A vinyl record sometimes called a "45", though they come in both the 45 rpm and 33 rpm varieties. Used to be used primarily for radio and jukebox play, now popular in indie rock circles because they are cheap to produce, offer nice packaging, and they give a whole class of mild Luddites something to feel superior about.

The smaller size of the record also allows you to play it in interesting ways.

If you drill a hole in the middle (non-grooved) section of the record, but off centre, It allows you to place the record on the turntable so that it spins around a different axis. This gives the impression that the record is speeding up and slowing down - the needle moving a lot slower when the arm passes near the hole, and faster on the other side.

The further the hole is from the centre, the larger the difference in speed, but a hole too far from the centre will cause the arm to move too fast and jump the groove, damaging the record and the needle. Of course, you can make more than one hole.

I find the best records to use for this are really shitty, cheesy singles (also, you don't really want to hack up your nice records), the sort you can find in most bargain bins for less than fifty cents. My personal favourites are the Fine Young Cannibals' 'She Drives Me Crazy', and a bad '91 multi-artist cover of 'Give Peace A Chance. However, I would really like to do it to Eye of the Tiger.

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