Band Aid

More of a collective than an actual stable recording unit, Band Aid was a charity supergoup brought together in November, 1984 by the Boomtown Rats’ front man Bob Geldof. Inspired by a BBC documentary on the poverty in Ethiopia, Geldof and his girlfriend Paula Yates set the idea of a charity release in motion. Contacting Ultravox’s Midge Ure to help write the song, Geldof then began contacting his musical friends, which included some of the UK and Ireland’s hottest bands at the time. Recorded on November 25, 1984, the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” featured members of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Status Quo, Kool & The Gang, Heaven 17, Culture Club, U2, Bananarama, the Style Council, and many others. Lead vocals were provided by Paul Young, George Michael (Wham!), Boy George (Culture Club), Sting (The Police), Bono (U2), Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), and Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet). The musicians on the recording include Phil Collins on drums and Midge Ure on keyboards with Duran Duran’s John Taylor (bass) and Andy Taylor (guitar). SARM Studios donated 24 hours free to Geldof, Ure, and their crew and they completed the recording and mixing in that window of time. The single was released on December 3, 1984 and sold one million copies in the first week. It went on to raise more than $24 million. The single inspired similar charity supergroups like USA for Africa, and led to the day-long Live Aid concerts held around the world in July, 1985. There have been ‘sequels’ to the original Band Aid including Band Aid II (1989), Band Aid 20, and Band Aid 30.

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