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 D...