Band Aid – 40th Anniversary Edition

The song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was put together in 1984 by Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.  It was recorded in a single day at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, England in November 1984.

The song was first released on December 7, 1984 in the UK.  It went to number one for five weeks there and would go on to be a number one song in 13 other countries, including Canada.  It raised millions of dollars for Ethiopia within it’s first year, far exceeding expectations, and inspired other charity singles like “We Are The World”

The new “ultimate mix” was released on Monday, exactly 40 years after the first recording took place.  In the studio, they used the same technology that The Beatles used on last year’s “Now And Then” to take vocals from three different recordings of the song and the result is nothing short of spectacular to listen to and watch.

The original Band aid was an all-star supergroup – everyone from Boy George, George Michael, Sting, Phil Collins, Simon Le bon, Kylie Minogue, and so many others.

It has since been re-recorded three times to mark the fifth, 20th and 30th anniversaries, with some of the most popular artists from each era taking part.

This new mix takes audio from each recording of the song and brings artists together – making it seem like they are all together.  Even those who are no longer with us. David Bowie, George Michael, Sinead O’Connor and even Liam Payne is part of this.

Take a look.  I love it.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan