Band Aid
Background information
Recorded	25 November 1984
Released	3 December 1984
Genre	Pop
Producer	Bob Geldof Midge Ure
featuring Duran Duran

Band Aid was a British and Irish charity supergroup, founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the record "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market. The single featured Duran Duran and surpassed the hopes of the producers to become the Christmas number one.

Two subsequent re-recordings of the song to raise further money for charity also topped the charts.

Original Band AidEdit

Bob Geldof, after watching a BBC television news report by Michael Buerk from famine-stricken Ethiopia, was so moved by the plight of starving children that he decided to try and raise money using his contacts in pop music.

The recording studio gave Band Aid no more than 24 free hours to record and mix the record.On 25 November 1984 the recording took place between 11am and 7pm, and was filmed by director Nigel Dick to be released as the pop video though some basic tracks had been recorded the day before at Midge Ure's home studio.

The record was released on 3 December and went straight to No. 1 in the UK singles chart, outselling all the other records in the chart put together. It became the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million copies in the first week alone. It stayed at No. 1 for five weeks, selling over three million copies and becoming easily the biggest-selling single of all time in the UK, as of 1984.

After Live Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was re-released in late 1985 in a set that included a special-edition 'picture disc' version, modeled after the Live Aid logo with 'Band' in place of 'Live'.

ParticipantsEdit

The original Band Aid ensemble consisted of (in sleeve order):

• Phil Collins (Genesis)
• Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks (Genesis)
• Wikipedia:Bob Geldof (The Boomtown Rats)
• Wikipedia:Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet)
• Wikipedia:Chris Cross (Ultravox)
• John Taylor (Duran Duran)
• Paul Young
• Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet)
• Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17)
• Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran)
• Simon Crowe (The Boomtown Rats)
• Marilyn
• Keren Woodward (Bananarama)
• Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet)
• Jody Watley (Shalamar)
• Bono (U2)
• Adam Clayton (U2)
• Paul Weller (The Style Council, and previously The Jam)
• James "J.T." Taylor (Kool & The Gang)
• George Michael (Wham!)
• Midge Ure (Ultravox)
• Martyn Ware (Heaven 17)
• John Keeble (Spandau Ballet)
• Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet)
• Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)
• Sarah Dallin (Bananarama)
• Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama)
• Sting (The Police)
• Pete Briquette (The Boomtown Rats)
• Francis Rossi (Status Quo)
• Robert 'Kool' Bell (Kool & The Gang)
• Dennis Thomas (Kool & The Gang)
• Andy Taylor (Duran Duran)
• Jon Moss (Culture Club, former member of Adam and the Ants)
• Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)
• Madonna
• Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran)
• Johnny Fingers (The Boomtown Rats)
• Wikipedia:David Bowie (who contributed via a recording that was mailed to Geldof and then dubbed onto the single)
• Boy George (Culture Club)
• Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
• Paul McCartney (Wings and The Beatles, who contributed via a recording that was mailed to Geldof and then dubbed onto the single)
• Stuart Adamson (Big Country)
• Bruce Watson (Big Country)
• Tony Butler (Big Country)
• Mark Brzezicki (Big Country)

MusiciansEdit

• John Taylor (Duran Duran) - bass
• Phil Collins - drums
• Midge Ure - keyboards
• Jens Langhorn - additional drums
• Adam Clayton (U2) - bass

The sleeve artist, Peter Blake, was also credited on the sleeve.

Band Aid IIEdit

This version, released in 1989, was produced by British songwriting and production team Stock Aitken Waterman. It stayed at number one for three weeks in the UK charts. Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward of Bananarama were the only artists from the original Band Aid that were featured again on this version.

Band Aid 20Edit

The Band Aid 20 released on 29 November, 2004, with all money raised going toward famine relief in the Darfur region of Sudan. Bono, Paul McCartney and George Michael were the only artists from the original Band Aid who had been asked back to lend their voices to Band Aid 20.

External linksEdit

• Registered Charity No. 292199 (Band Aid Charitable Trust)